14 Beach Crafts for Kids to Make This Summer

No matter how messy it is to be at the beach, beach trips are the best. Ask anyone, and they’ll agree. And if you are with kids, their thrill will add more fun to the trip. The excitement of playing with the sand, soaking in the sun, and jumping in the waves is something beyond comparison. Gazing at the vast ocean and its beauty for hours is therapeutic. One of the best beach activities is witnessing the sunrise and sunset at the beach.

Want to relive a family vacation? Try out our beach-themed crafts for kindergarteners that will let you and your kids relive those moments. These beach crafts for preschoolers and kids are perfect for keeping little hands busy and creative. Also, it’s summer, and just because you can’t be at the beach doesn’t mean you can’t have a fun beach day at home by trying out these crafts!

Unique and Easy Beach Craft Ideas for Children

The ocean is a different world altogether. There is so much to explore and learn while you and your kids are on the beach near the vast ocean. The different creatures you see, the adorable seashells, beach stones, and driftwood are so exciting! Why not make some beautiful beach-inspired crafts and engage your child in a fun learning experience? Let’s do it.

1. Cupcake Liner Fish

Cupcakes are everybody’s favourite. Kids drool over it. But did you know you can use the cupcake liners to create beautiful fish? It would be best if you have the patterned or solid coloured liners with you. The size of the liner does not matter; it could be regular or mini. Let’s start making an ocean fish scene from pretty cupcake liners!

Materials Required:

• Blue cardstock paper
• Varying sizes of cupcake liners
• Craft sheets in varying colours
• Glue
• Blue crayon
• Black marker
• White paint for bubbles
• Paintbrush
• Googly eyes

Instructions:

1. Cut triangles from craft sheets to make fishtails. Adjust the size and colour according to the liner.
2. Arrange the liners and tails on the cardstock according to the scene you want to create.
3. Now, stick the fish with the glue.
4. Next, stick a googly eye on each fish and use the black marker to draw the mouth.
5. Take a paintbrush. Dip it in white paint and make small circles to make bubbles in front of each fish.
6. To give it a more realistic look, draw water squiggles with the blue crayon on the cardstock. You can also use other crayons to draw plants and other sea elements.
7. Once you’re done adding all the details, your ocean scene is ready!

2. Starfish Dough

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Starfish are cute and vibrant aquatic animals. Let’s make them with some refined flour dough. This amazing activity not only engages your child, but also has countless advantages. This is because playing with the dough helps in calming the kids, develops their fine motor skills, encourages creativity, improves hand-eye coordination, and offers many more benefits. Let us make some starfish!

Materials Required:

• Refined flour – 2 cups
• Salt – 2 cups
• Water – As required

Instructions:

1. Mix the salt and flour in a bowl.
2. Next, add water to make a soft dough.
3. Keep kneading until the dough becomes soft.
4. Take a dough ball and flatten it. Then, gently place 5 blobs equally spaced from the flattened dough ball in the centre to form the arms. Try to keep the arms equal in thickness and length.
5. There are different shapes of starfish, and you can find their pictures n the internet. Make as many types as you want.
6. In some of the starfish, you can make holes with a pencil’s tip to give it a more realistic look.
7. In one starfish, you can add small dough balls over the body to give it a bumpy surface, just like tropical starfish.
8. Once all the starfish are ready, let them dry, or you can bake them.

3. Beach Ball Paper Plate Craft

This simple beach craft for kids is perfect for kids who are learning to colour and want to create something that includes colouring. This beach ball craft will teach the child to colour within the lines and have a fun time creating something out of it. You can also use various colouring techniques if you want. Let’s go!

Materials Required:

• A paper plate
• Poster colours
• Paintbrush
• Black marker

Instructions:

1. Flip the paper plate, and make a small circle a little bit far from the centre.
2. Now, start making curvy lines from the circle to the edge of the plate to make it look like a ball.
3. Colour the parts of the ball with different poster colours to make it look vibrant.
4. On another plate, you can ask your child to use thumbprints to colour the paper plate beach ball as well.
5. You too can join the colouring fun and making some beach balls for yourself!

4. Sea Glass Planter

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Did you find some sea glasses on your last beach trip? If yes, you can create a beautiful planter out of it. If don’t have one, you can still create a planter by purchasing them from a shop near you. Out of all the beach glass crafts, this one is the best because it works on your child’s creativity, fine motor skills, and imagination! And the output can be used as a planter in your house.

Materials Required:

• White outdoor paint
• Terra cotta pot
• Sea glass
• Glue
• Air-dry clay
• Paintbrush

Instructions:

1. First, paint the pot white both inside and outside. Use several coats and let it dry.
2. Stick the sea glass with glue to the pot. Use your own creativity and keep on sticking till the whole pot is covered.
3. Make long snakes from the air-dry clay by using your hand.
4. Add these clay snakes in between the sea glasses.
5. Press the clay and smoothen it out throughout the pot.
6. Allow the clay to dry, and your pot is ready.

5. Paper Roll Seahorse

Seahorses are tiny cute fish that somewhat look like a horse. Let’s create seahorse puppets out of paper rolls present in your house. These can act as your child’s DIY toy and can be used in an imaginative role-play with kids. Let’s do this!

Materials Required:

• Paper roll painted (one for every seahorse)8
• Googly eyes
• Long and straight stick or wooden dowel rod
• Acrylic paint
• Craft glue
• Hot glue gun
• Sea horse template
• Craft knife

Instructions:

1. Flatten the paper roll.
2. Print the seahorse template and trace it over the roll.
3. Cut the traced shapes. You will get the head, body, and fin.
4. Make a small slit in the back above the tail to fit the fin inside. Glue the fin inside.
5. Stick the head at an angle with the glue.
6. Decorate the body with paint and googly eyes.
7. Using the hot glue gun stick a wooden rod or dowel inside the seahorse.

6. Paper Roll Octopus

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Let us again make use of paper rolls to make an octopus and learn about a new sea animal. The activity will work on the child’s multiple senses. It lets the child paint, cut, stick, learn and have some fun!

Materials Required:

• Paper roll
• Googly eyes
• Black marker
• Scissors
• Earbud or paintbrush
• Poster colours
• Glue

Instructions:

1. Paint an empty paper roll with any colour of your choice.
2. Stick the googly eyes with the help of glue.
3. Use the black marker to draw the mouth.
4. Cut slits at the bottom to make 8 arms.
5. Dip a paintbrush or earbud in white paint to create spots on the octopus’s arms.

7. Newspaper Shark Craft

Image Credit: Pinterest

This craft idea is simple to create and will suit kids of all ages. Also, the materials required for this beach craft for toddlers are readily available in your house. Once the shark gets ready, you can use it as a decoration piece in your child’s room.

Materials Required:

• Cardstock paper in dark blue, light blue, white, and black colour
• Googly eyes
• Newspaper
• Scissors
• Glue

Instructions:

1. Cut the shark’s face from an old newspaper according to your liking.
2. Now, cut ocean waves from the dark blue cardstock paper. Stick it at the bottom of your light blue cardstock.
3. Cut a semicircle from black cardstock for the shark’s mouth.
4. Cut small triangles from white cardstock for shark’s teeth.
5. Now, paste the googly eyes, mouth, and teeth on the shark’s face. It’s ready!

8. Paper Bowl Jelly Fish

Let us put some spare paper bowls to use. Create these adorable jellyfish and engage your kids for a long time with this interesting activity.

Materials Required:

• Small paper bowl
• Tissue papers
• Curly gift bow with self-adhesive
• Googly eyes
• Glue
• Any sturdy tape
• White string
• Scissors

Instructions:

1. Cut the tissue paper into square pieces. Use different colours of tissue papers to make it more attractive.
2. Apply glue on the backside of the bowl. Stick the square cut-outs over the glue. Let it dry.
3. Poke a small hole at the centre of the paper bowl base. Push a white string inside the hole and tie a knot.
4. Now, remove the adhesive of the curly strings and start attaching to the inside of the bowl.
5. Your cute adorable jellyfish is ready!

9. Seashell Art

Image Credit: Pinterest

Now, let’s be creative with some seashells collected from the beach!

Materials Required:

• Seashells
• Shaving cream
• Food colouring
• Bamboo skewers
• Craft trays
• Paper towels

Instructions:

1. Take a clean and dry shell without any coating.
2. Fill the tray with shaving cream. Squeeze different colours over it.
3. Make a marbled pattern by moving the tip of a bamboo skewer over the shaving cream.
4. Dip the seashell in the cream.
5. Now, wipe off the cream using a paper towel to see a beautiful pattern on the seashell.
6. Let the shell dry by keeping it over paper towels.
7. Mix different colours to create different shells.

10. Quilling Turtle

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Beach cross stitch art looks aesthetically pleasing but can be a tedious task for kids. However, we can start with quilling art for kids. Let’s learn how to make a quilling turtle.

Materials Required:

• Craft sheets
• Paper cutter
• Scissors
• White glue
• Craft stick
• Marker

Instructions:

1. Take a green sheet of paper and cut 4 legs, 1 head, and 1 tail for your turtle.
2. Take a blue craft sheet and make a circle for the turtle’s body.
3. Stick the head, tail, and legs over the circle using glue.
4. Cut a thick rectangular strip from a green sheet that is equal to the perimeter of the circle drawn.
5. Stick the rectangular strip over the head, legs, and tail.
6. Now, cut multiple rectangular strips of green and yellow colour.
7. Start quilling the strips using a craft stick. Hold it tight.
8. Dip it in glue and place it inside the turtle shell.
9. Keep quilling and sticking until the turtle shell is full.
10. Let it dry, and then use a marker to make the turtle’s face.
11.  You can create a complete turtle family in the same way!

11. Sandcastle in a Jar

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Bring the magic of the beach home with this adorable sandcastle in a jar! Perfect for kids who love building sandcastles, this craft lets them create a mini beach scene that they can keep forever.

Materials Required:

• Clear glass jar with a lid
• Sand
• Small seashells
• Tiny pebbles
• Miniature beach toys (shovel, flag, etc.)
• Glue (optional)

Instructions:

1. Fill the bottom of the jar with sand, leaving some space at the top.
2. Arrange small seashells and pebbles on top of the sand to create a sandcastle effect.
3. Add miniature beach toys like a tiny shovel or flag for extra detail.
4. If desired, glue the shells and toys in place to secure them.
5. Close the jar tightly and display it as a mini beach memory!

12. Driftwood Photo Frame

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Turn beach treasures into a beautiful keepsake! This driftwood photo frame is a creative way to display your favorite beach memories while adding a rustic, coastal touch to your home.

Materials Required:

• Small pieces of driftwood
• Plain wooden or cardboard photo frame
• Glue (hot glue gun works best)
• Acrylic paint (optional)
• Paintbrush (optional)
• Beach photo

Instructions:

1. Clean and dry the driftwood pieces.
2. Arrange the driftwood pieces around the edges of the photo frame.
3. Use a hot glue gun to secure the driftwood to the frame.
4. If desired, paint the driftwood with acrylic paint for a colorful touch.
5. Insert a beach photo into the frame and display it proudly!

13. Ocean Sensory Bottle

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Watch the waves come to life with this mesmerizing ocean sensory bottle! Kids will love shaking it to create a calming ocean effect, making it a perfect craft for little explorers.

Materials Required:

• Clear plastic bottle with a lid
• Water
• Blue food coloring
• Glitter
• Small ocean-themed toys (fish, seashells, etc.)
• Glue (to seal the lid)

Instructions:

1. Fill the plastic bottle about 3/4 full with water.
2. Add a few drops of blue food coloring and mix well.
3. Sprinkle glitter into the bottle for a sparkling effect.
4. Drop in small ocean-themed toys like fish or seashells.
5. Seal the lid tightly and glue it shut to prevent spills.
6. Shake the bottle to create a calming ocean wave effect!

14. Mermaid Scale Bookmarks

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Dive into creativity with these magical mermaid scale bookmarks! Perfect for little book lovers, this craft combines sparkle and imagination to make reading even more fun.

Materials Required:

• Cardstock (in pastel or metallic colors)
• Scissors
• Glitter glue or loose glitter
• Sequins or markers
• Ribbon
• Glue

Instructions:

1. Cut the cardstock into bookmark-sized strips (about 2 inches wide and 6 inches long).
2. Let kids decorate the bookmarks with glitter glue, sequins, or hand-drawn mermaid scales using markers.
3. Punch a hole at the top of the bookmark and tie a ribbon through it for a magical touch.
4. Allow the bookmarks to dry completely before using them.

FAQs

1. How can beach crafts help kids learn about marine life?

Beach crafts can be educational by incorporating themes like ocean animals, coral reefs, or sea conservation. For example, creating a craft with paper plate jellyfish or painted rock fish can spark conversations about marine ecosystems and the importance of protecting them.

2. How can beach crafts help kids overcome a fear of the ocean?

Crafts like creating a “friendly sea creature” from recycled materials or designing a calming “beach in a jar” can help kids associate the ocean with positive, creative experiences. These activities can open up conversations about the ocean’s beauty and reduce anxiety by making it feel more familiar and less intimidating.

We hope these 14 amazing craft ideas for beach arts and crafts for preschoolers instil creativity in your child and you have a fun time making these with them. Happy beach day!

Also Read:

Clay Craft for Kids
Jellyfish Crafts for Children
Summer Camp Activities for Kids
Summer Crafts for Toddler and Preschooler