Handprint crab craft

Sea Creature Handprint Craft

A Sea Creature Handprint Activity for Ages 2 and Up

Splash! Dive right into summer by creating your very own ocean critter! Have you ever been to a tidepool before? Tidepools are where some of the oceans tiniest creatures live like crabs, octopus, and anemones! The sea water in a tidepool changes throughout the day. Sometimes there is plenty of water, and sometimes there isn’t much water at all as the waves move in and out! These amazing animals have special adaptations, though, to help them survive when there is less water. Let’s have oceans of fun and SEA what type of creature you can create!

VOCABULARY

  • Tidepool: The area of the ocean just past the sandy shore where there are a lot of rocks!

  • Adaptation: Something an animal is born with that helps them to survive such as a shell, fur, feathers, or stingers!

GUIDING QUESTIONS

  • If you lived in a tidepool (or ocean), what kind of animal would you be?

  • Why do you think it is hard for animals to live in a tidepool?

  • How many legs does your crab have?

MATERIALS

  • Paint

  • Paper (Feel free to print this free underwater habitat for your critter!)

  • Plate

  • Paint Brush

  • Googly Eyes

  • Glue Stick

  • Markers (optional)

DIRECTIONS

STEP 1

Using your plate, carefully pour some paint onto it.

Pour paint onto paper plate

STEP 2

Then, using your paintbrush or sponge, paint one hand with paint, fully covering it. Then, place your hand on your paper horizontally.

Paint hand and press it horizontally onto your paper

STEP 3

Now, repeat Step 2 with the other hand and place your newly painted hand up against the handprint you did first.

Place down a second handprint opposite of your first

STEP 4

After waiting a few moments for your painting to dry a bit, use your glue stick to glue eyes onto your crab!

Add googly eyes to your crab

STEP 5

Now that your crab is complete, feel free to draw or make other critters that might live in the tidepool with them, like octopus, anemone, or sea snails!

Other sea creature handprints