The ocean is teeming with all sorts of fascinating creatures. One that stands out with its sideways scuttle and pinchy claws is the crab!

Kids can bring these marvelous crustaceans to life with the help of a common household item. This crab paper cup craft is a fun and easy activity that transforms an ordinary paper cup into a cute crab!

As children cut, glue, and decorate their paper cup crabs, they’ll be honing essential skills such as fine motor coordination, scissor skills, and following instructions. Making a common item become something new is a great way for kids to think outside of the box and use their imaginations and creativity.

Gather your supplies and download our free template to make a bunch of silly sidewalkers with the kiddos!

Don’t be crabby when the craft is done – there are lots more ocean crafts for kids to continue the fun!

Easy Crab Craft

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Supplies

• Paper Cup
• Colored cardstock or construction paper
• Glue
• Scissors
• Marker
• Crab template (click the “click here to get this freebie” image at the end to open the form)

Directions

Start by downloading the crab template and printing it out. Once you have the template printed, gather the materials needed for this fun activity. Get those scissors ready, and let’s help the kids bring this crab template to life!

First, guide your kids to glue the eyes to the top of the eye stalks.

Flip the paper cup so the rim is facing downward. Now, place the eye stalks on top of the paper cup and help your kids stick them securely on the inside with glue or double-sided tape.

Fold a small piece of the base of crab’s claws and attach them to both sides of the paper cup.

Take all the legs and fold one end of the over. This is where you will add the glue or double-sided tape. Let your kids place the downward-curved leg below the claw, followed by the other two legs.

Finally, glue the mouth just below the eyes.

That’s it! If your kids enjoy making this colorful crab, be to check out all of our paper cup crafts. We’re sure they will love making more!

More Summer Activities

Ocean Theme Ideas

Explore an ocean of fun with these crafts and activities that are sure to be a hit with young explorers! Whether your little ones are fascinated by fearsome sharks, colorful fish, or mysterious octopuses, we have a sea full of ideas to keep them engaged and learning about the fascinating creatures that live in our oceans.

Find hands-on crafts, educational activities, and books for every budding marine biologist in your life to enjoy. Discover life beneath the waves by reading below for a treasure trove of ocean inspired activities that will inspire wonder and creativity in children of all ages.

Ocean Books For Kids

The Snail and the Whale– Julia Donaldson, author of the famous book The Gruffalo, brings kids another fun book about an unlikely set of friends. Snail and Whale have lots of fun together in this colorful book!

Shark Lady– This children’s book is based upon the true story of Eugenie Clark, aka, The Shark Lady. Learn about her love of sharks, her discoveries, and the inspiring message of going after what you want in life.

The Rainbow Fish -This is a classic children’s book with a wonderful message for children. In it, a fish learns to share his favorite possession, his glittery scales, with his friends!

Ocean Animal Craft Ideas

Jellyfish Name Craft – Float on over to check out this cool craft. Kids will create colorful jellyfish and arrange the bubbles to spell out their names. It’s a fun and easy project that combines artistic expression and literacy skills.

Paper Plate Shark – Kids will take a bite out of fun when they make this cool shark craft! They’ll transform a simple paper plate into a shark using a little imagination and help from our free template.

Paper Chain Octopus Craft – Let’s get crafty with this really awesome octopus! Children will love creating this adorable sea creature with paper chain tentacles. This hands-on project is a fun way to develop fine motor skills, bilateral coordination, and concentration.

Paper Plate Fish – Kids can make a whole school of fish with this fun project! They’ll paint and craft ordinary paper plates into colorful fish with a few craft supplies and our free template. Download now so kids can dive into making fin-tastic art!

Ocean Animal Printables

Our ocean pattern block mats are perfect for kids to discover life under the sea and geometry! There are seven different ocean animals to fill in using their tangrams. Kids will create colorful scenes and explore geometric shapes, all while boosting their spatial skills, motor control, and critical thinking.

Get ready for a splash-tastic playtime either at home or in the classroom with these mats and pattern blocks!

Dive into learning with our free ocean animal printable matching game! This educational activity is a fun way to enhance memory, focus, and visual discrimination skills while introducing kids to fascinating sea creatures. Kids can play the matching game solo or with someone like a friend or sibling.

They’ll love to explore the wonders of the ocean while having fun and sharpening their cognitive abilities at the same time.

Get ready for some crab-tivating fun with our crab worksheets! These engaging printables offer a fantastic blend of learning and fun for kids. Inside this set you’ll find activities like labeling a crab, navigating a “C is for crab” letter maze, and practicing handwriting.

Children will love cutting and gluing labels onto the crab, tackling letter recognition in the maze, and honing their handwriting skills with uppercase and lowercase letters. Scuttle into learning with these crab themed worksheets today!

Break out the scissors to use with this engaging world ocean day cutting practice activity! They are perfect for early learners and offer a sea of fun while honing essential scissor skills. Children will improve their fine motor skills and focus while enjoying the colorful ocean themed illustrations on four pages.

Grab these printables with varied lines and angles to practice cutting on and watch your little ones’ scissor skills make a splash!

Share With Us

Did you make this craft with your kids or students? We’d love to feature them on our social media!

For a chance to have your child’s craft featured, simply snap a picture of the completed project and post it to our Facebook page, email it to us directly by clicking here, or use #simpleeverydaymom on your social media!

More Ideas For Kids

Paper Cup Crab Template