[Childcare] Ocean-themed craft ideas! From wall displays to 3D projects

Guri and Gura’s Seaside Swim

[Kindergarten/Daycare] July: Guri and Gura Seaside Swimming - Art/Painting & Craft

Let’s try making a craft inspired by the picture book “Guri and Gura’s Seaside Adventure.” First, use blue and white paint on light blue construction paper to create waves.

Prepare the environment so the children can freely express themselves.

Make Guri and Gura using origami—don’t forget their trademark red and blue hats.

Next, cut out two swim rings from construction paper.

Finally, glue all the parts onto the paper, and it’s complete! Just looking at it will make you feel like you’re at the beach.

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Crab and Parasol

Let’s make a summer-perfect craft with crab and parasol motifs! A scene where a crab is enjoying a day at the beach is sure to spark children’s imaginations.

First, draw the sea on a sheet of construction paper as the base.

Choose either pastel crayons or paints depending on the children’s age.

Next, create the crab and parasol parts.

If the children can handle scissors well, let them do the cutting.

Prepare decorations for the parasol—such as round stickers or stamping—based on the children’s interests.

Glue all the parts together, and you’re done! You’ll end up with a wall display that almost lets you hear the sound of the waves.

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Swimmy

Do you know the story of Swimmy? It’s about a little fish named Swimmy, the only one left after a tragedy, who goes on an adventure across the vast ocean, meets many wonderful friends, and regains his sense of self and energy.

This picture book teaches the importance of friendship, so please try reading it together with children.

If you create while expanding the imagery of the story, the kids will surely come up with lots of ideas.

Use a large wall space to depict a grand ocean, and post many colorful fish that showcase the children’s individuality.

Making one big fish together is a lovely idea that can foster a sense of unity in the class.

Curtain of the Sea

Let’s try making a cool, ocean-themed curtain using items like raffia ribbon.

Cut several strands of blue-toned raffia ribbon to match the width of your window.

Then freely attach paper cutouts shaped like sea creatures, origami sea animals, or drawings of the ocean that you’ve cut out.

You’ll end up with a piece that feels just like being under the sea or in an aquarium! If you let the children create their own sea creatures freely, they can enjoy the project without worrying much about age differences.

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Milk carton mobile

Fun Mobiles: Let’s Make a Spinning Mobile from a Milk Carton! (Chigasaki Park Experiential Learning Center Umikaze Terrace)

Fun to make, and fun to hang from the ceiling and enjoy! Here are some ideas for making a mobile out of milk cartons.

You’ll need three milk cartons, a 14 cm bamboo skewer or wire, thread, acrylic paint, and craft glue.

In this idea, the collaboration of the moon with a cat and fish makes for an amusing design! You can freely adapt it to suit the design you want to create—whether a cute or cool vibe, animals, or your favorite motifs—so feel free to use this as a reference.

Fish made of origami paper

[Kindergarten/Daycare] July Sea Fish Painting and Craft

Let’s make colorful fish out of origami! Prepare two sheets of origami paper in your favorite colors.

Cut one sheet with long, thin slits, and cut the other into long, thin strips.

Weave the strips through the slits to combine them.

Since this step is a bit tricky, it’s recommended that a teacher provides support.

For the fish’s background, prepare construction paper decorated with colors applied using a sponge dauber or with small pieces of cut origami paper glued on.

Once you combine the finished fish with the background, it’s complete! If you let the children freely choose their colors—starting with the origami color combinations—they’ll enjoy the rest of the craft even more.

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ringed crown jellyfish

Let’s make a jellyfish using paper chains, like the ones you often see as birthday party decorations! First, make the jellyfish’s head using construction paper or a paper plate.

If you’re using a paper plate, you can paint it your favorite color.

Next, make paper chains using origami in colors you like.

It’s fun to mix different kinds, such as glittery origami or transparent origami.

Unlike party decorations, you don’t need to make the chains very long—just create several strands with about 4–5 links each.

Use these as the jellyfish’s tentacles and attach them to the head you made earlier—that’s it! If the teacher prepares thin, pre-cut strips of origami paper, all that’s left is for the kids to paste them into chains, making it an easy activity for them.

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