Under the Sea is a classic preschool theme. I think the first time I ever planned under-the-sea activities for preschoolers I was in Jr.High volunteering for a summer day camp. The camp counselors quickly realized I was really great at lesson planning, and soon, I just took over. I love Under the Sea lessons because it’s so easy to hit every area of learning. There are great under-the-sea science activities, gross motor, sensory ideas, and, of course, adding novelty by using this fun theme for letter and number activities too. I hope this list of preschool activities helps you plan something super fun for your preschoolers!
Under The Sea Activities For Centers
Ocean Animal Puzzles for your science center. These simple matching puzzles are a perfect way to bring some sealife into your classroom while working on visual discrimination skills.
Shell Sorting – this is a visual discrimination activity that uses nature which makes it novel and still works on this important skill that helps with literacy and math.
Playdough Ocean Animals is a fun hands-on sensory activity that works your student’s fine motor skills in major ways but all they know is they are having fun!
Under The Sea Ten Frame activity. I love these simple printables because they work on one-to-one correspondence and the left-to-right sweep needed for reading.
Under the Sea slime is a novel sensory play idea and, just like playdough, is a great way to work on hand strength and fine motor skills.
Turn your sensory table into the ocean! Ocean sensory tables don’t have to be complicated!
Playdough and Shells – this is such a fun way to explore!
Under The Sea Small and Whole Group Activities
Sing this wonderful song about fish!
Or this ocean Song. Print out your lyrics here. I have a terrible voice, but singing is a literacy activity that is hugely beneficial to our students. Songs play with words, and rhymes in all different forms.
Work together to make an ocean mural with shapes!
Play Letter Fishing – this works with small and whole groups!
Shark roll and cover game!
Habitat Sorting A really effective way for us to teach and children to learn is to sort things into in and out-groups. Habitat sorting does that!
Me Under The Sea – take a photo of your students “swimming” on a bench. Remove the background and add them to an ocean scene. Then let them draw in under the sea elements like fish and octopus with crayons and stickers!
Under The Sea Preschool Crafts
X-ray Fish are so simple to make. This is one of my favorite fish crafts. Have your students cut the bones from larger pieces of paper to work on scissor skills.
Use bubble wrap to make this awesome starfish craft.
This super simple octopus craft is a favorite!
Paper bag jellyfish – This is my all-time favorite preschool under the sea craft. Children love making this jelly fish craft. It works on so many skills all at once, including scissor skills, color mixing, and more.
Work on fine motor skills with this sea urchin craft!
Paper Roll Fish – Use up those paper rolls in your recycling bin and make some awesome fish!
Need more under the sea activities for preschoolers?
Check out our build thematic units – these simple thematic units for preschool fit into established curriculum or can help you build your own!
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