Set up a fun preschool ocean theme in the classroom or at home with these easy ocean science activities and ocean crafts. Simple preschool science activities encourage kids to learn about and explore the world around them, including our amazing oceans!
Preschool Ocean Theme
We love visiting the ocean and have the good fortune to be able to go each year! Even if you don’t have the chance to get to the beach you can still have fun with these beach and ocean theme activities.
We love to share simple science activities that young kids can really get their hands on and enjoy. Our favorite ocean activities also include many hands-on playful projects as well! Our activities are usually simple to set up, inexpensive, and easy for anyone to share with kids.
There are so many ocean activities to explore! Check out all our fun ideas below for easy ocean play and learning!
Ocean theme activities also pair well with our Earth Day activities for preschoolers! Teach kids how to care for our Earth, which includes the oceans and amazing sea animals!
Click here for your FREE Printable Ocean Pack!
Preschool Ocean Unit Ideas
Explore more ocean craft and activity ideas to create an entire ocean unit for a week or more. You can even check out our free week-long ocean theme camp guide!
Ocean Sensory Bin
Touch the ocean! If you don’t live near the real thing, make an ocean sensory bin with sand and shells!
Ocean Animals Pattern Blocks
Grab this free ocean animals pattern blocks mat set to add to your ocean unit and create a simple center in minutes!
Printable Ocean Animals Activity
Make these cute, printable ocean animal crafts using split pins or brads! They move!
Jellyfish Craft
Learn about jellyfish and create a fun glow-in-the-dark ocean animal craft to hang in a room.
Starfish Salt Dough Craft
Use our traditional salt dough recipe to create starfish for an ocean-themed activity.
How Do Sharks Float?
How do sharks float (or not sink) in the ocean? Kids will have a lot of fun with these water bottle sharks that share a bit of science.
How do Whales Stay Warm?
The ocean can get pretty chilly…so how do whales stay warm? Try this fun blubber science experiment to test it out for yourself.
Puffer Fish Ocean Watercolor
Have you ever tried watercolor and salt? This ocean art project uses a fun and simple watercolor technique as well as a free template for cute blowfish!
Ocean Themed Sensory Bins
An ocean-themed sensory bin is as simple as filling a container with water and adding a few drops of blue food coloring to make blue water.
Ocean Water Sensory Bin
This ocean water sensory bin starts out as a fantastic ice-melting science activity and transforms into an ocean-themed sensory bin. Two activities in one!
Ocean Moon Sand Sensory Bin
Moon sand is another great sensory bin filler. It’s a simple recipe you can make with items from the kitchen cupboard. You can make DIY moon sand here.
Ocean Colored Salt Sensory Bin
You can dye your own colored sensory bin fillers with easy recipes! Here we use colored Epsom salt, but you can also dye rice and pasta. Learn how to make colored salt for sensory bins.
Ocean Theme Oil and Water Science Activity
Colorful fish and the science behind why oil and water don’t mix!
Ocean Waves in a Bottle
Make a wave in a bottle or jar! Kids will love creating an ocean in a jar with this wave activity. Learn a bit about how a wave forms too.
Ocean Sensory Bottle or Jar
Sensory bottles are a great visual processing item and are often used to create a calming or relaxing experience for kids (and adults). Here are a few ocean sensory bottles to check out.
Ocean Slime
Use our fantastic saline solution slime recipe to make ocean slime filled with plastic ocean animals and small gems. Swirl several shades of blue together.
FUN FACTS ABOUT NARWHALS
Learn about the amazing unicorns of the sea, Narwhals with these fun and easy STEM activities. Plus, we share with you fun facts we’ve discovered about Narwhals.
Sea Turtle Activity Pack
Use this sea turtle activity pack with younger kids to exlore this fantastic creature! Our family has been fortunate to swim along side sea turtles in the wild in the Carribean. They are truly beautiful creatures. Use this turtle dot art template along with it.
Printable Ocean STEM Project Pack
Perfect for kids in Kindergarten through Upper Elementary School! Grab this Ocean printable project pack and read the reviews!
- 10+ Ocean theme science activities with journal pages, supply lists, set up and process, and science information. Easy to set up, fun, and fit into your available time, even if it’s limited!
- 10+ Printable Ocean STEM challenges that are simple but engaging for home or classroom.
- Engaging Ocean theme activities include a tide pool pack, oil spill pack, marine food chain pack, and more!
- Ocean Theme STEM Story and challenges perfect for going on a STEM adventure in the classroom!
- Learn about Jacques Cousteau with a workbook activity
- Explore the ocean layers and create an ocean layer jar!
- Ocean Extras include I-Spy pages, bingo games, coloring sheets, and more for early finishers!
- BONUS: Ocean Science Camp Week Pullout (note some duplicate activities but organized for convenience)
- BONUS: Ocean STEM Challenge Calendar Pullout (note some duplicate activities but organized for convenience)
I love the ocean ice melting block! That looks like a lot of fun on a hot day!
Love the little ocean touch tray you guys created! So neat! And you brought home seaweed??? What a great idea!
LOVE these ideas! We are doing a big vacation to the ocean this summer, so we’ll be sure to use some of these ideas with shells that we find when we return! Pinned!
Lots of fun ideas!! Thank you for sharing at Sharing Saturday!
What a fab collection! We had some bugs hiding in our ice blocks this week 😉 But totally love the idea of seaside shells and more. Must do when we get back from our holidays next week.
Its very very useful Article. You are rightly guided us . Teaching Our Kid Is Nowadays are Very Challenging…So we have to teach them and keep them updated. Recently i searched for a new type of teaching like, teach our kids via app so i am collecting app… recently i got this app.This Learn Underwater application, will help the kids to distinguish between different aquatic species like sea horse, whale, angel fish and octopus.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ajax.underwater
What beautiful pictures – you make all of these activities look so appealing. Such a brilliant idea to grow the crystals on shells – magical!
Thank you! I love the ocean and beach. We still have the shells too.
In ocean discovering bottle ,the bottle we have to take of glass or not?
Plastic works great!