Dr. Seuss books are a part of nearly every child’s memories! To celebrate that and Dr. Seuss’s birthday, we created this Dr Seuss paper plate fish craft!

We’re pretty sure you recognize this iconic fish, but if not, he’s from The Cat in the Hat. I don’t think he has a name, other than fish, but you know the one we’re talking about.

He’s the fish that is the only sensible one and tries to get the kids to clean up and kick the Cat in the Hat out of the house!

This paper plate craft is so cute and it’s fun to make too. All you’ll need are some basic art and craft supplies and about 15 minutes.

This fish craft would be perfect to make in the classroom to celebrate Read Across America Day.

Or, make it at home with kids after you read The Cat in the Hat. And, if you need more ideas, check out all of our Dr. Suess crafts for kids.

Read on below or watch our quick video tutorial to see how simple this Dr. Seuss craft is!

Cat In The Hat Fish Craft

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Below we’ve listed the supplies that we used to create the craft you see in the pictures. We wanted to mention that there are a few different options you can do in place of the watercolors.

We used pan watercolors, but you can also try out liquid watercolors, thinned out acrylic paint or even just use a light blue marker to color in the water.

Whatever you have on hand that will work, just use that!

Supplies

• Paper plate
• Black marker
• Orange card stock
• White card stock
• Watercolors
• Paintbrush
• Scissors
• Glue stick
• Dr. Seuss fish template (click the “click here to get this freebie” image at the end to open the form)

Directions

Start by downloading the Dr. Seuss fish 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 Dr. Seuss fish to life!

Now that you have your fish and fishbowl pieces ready, it’s time to add some life to them. Grab a black marker and let your kids draw accent markings on the fishbowl to give it some character.

It’s time to bring the ocean into your fishbowl! Using liquid watercolors or pan watercolors, paint the inside of the fishbowl blue to represent water.

While our ocean scene dries, let’s focus on our fish friend. Every fish needs an eye to see the beauty of the underwater world, so let’s glue the white eye onto the body of our fish.

Let’s find that fin piece and glue it just in front of the leftmost marking on the body.

Finally, it’s time to bring everything together. Take the decorated fish and glue him into his new, colorful fishbowl home. And just like that, your kids have created a magical piece of art together.

That’s it! Don’t forget to explore our other Dr. Seuss crafts for your kiddos while you’re here!

Cat in the Hat Fish Craft Notes

We wanted to mention that it’s important to draw the black accent lines on first before you use the watercolor.

We weren’t thinking things through the first time we made the fishbowl and painted the paper plate. After the watercolor dried we tried to use the black sharpie to draw over the paint, but it did not work!

We ended up ruining our brand new marker, so don’t make the same mistake we did! 🙂

Dr. Seuss In The Classroom

Doesn’t this fish look too cute?!

We love it when crafts have a bit of art involved, so we used watercolors for the water in the fishbowl.

If you’re making this craft in the classroom and you don’t want to deal with a paint mess, you can use crayons, markers, or even colored pencils instead.

What’s great about this craft is it’s simple, but it still allows for some variety. Let the kids make their fishbowl half full, 3/4 full or 100% full. And don’t feel constrained to keep your fish submerged in the water.

We all know the original Dr. Seuss fish frequently popped out of his water to talk to the kids.

We can already envision how cool these guys would look on a bulletin board outside the classroom!

More Kids Activities

More Dr. Seuss Resources

This Cat in the Hat craft isn’t the only way to celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday on March 2nd! We’ve got more ideas and resources to help you and your kids enjoy the literary genius of Dr. Seuss. With fun family crafts, books, and printable activities featuring all your favorite characters, the good times never have to end!

Dr. Seuss Books

We can’t talk about Dr. Seuss without mentioning the best Dr. Seuss books! These are some of the top-rated ones. Grab them from your local library or add them to your home collection.

Are You My Mother? is a cute book about a little bird who’s trying to find his mom in a big world!

Oh, The Places You’ll Go! – This book is a classic Dr. Seuss book about the ups and downs of life. It’s such a great read and will soon become your kid’s new favorite book!

Dr. Seuss Second Book Collection– This boxed set of five Beginner Books by Dr. Seuss—The Cat in the Hat Comes Back, Dr. Seuss’s ABC, Oh Say Can You Say?, Oh the Thinks You Can Think!, and I Can Read with My Eyes Shut! is a great addition to your home library.

Dr. Seuss Crafts For Kids

Horton Hears a Who Paper Plate Craft – This paper plate craft is a great way to make something in honor of Dr. Seuss! Young children can paint the paper plate, and adults (or sensible older kids) can help cut out the free printable template. This simple craft is perfect for little ones who want to unleash their creativity!

Torn Paper Lorax Craft – Torn paper crafts are some of the best for young kids to make because they can practice their fine motor skills.

Give your kiddo some paper, a glue stick, and this Lorax craft template to make their favorite Dr. Seuss character! It’s also a super fun and easy craft for celebrating Read Across America Day.

Cat in the Hat Craft – The Cat in the Hat is one of the most famous Dr. Seuss books and for good reason! It’s a fun, silly story that kids and adults love.

This is a great craft to do after reading the book or anytime you want to celebrate Dr. Seuss. Plus, you only need some simple supplies to make this Dr. Seuss Cat in the Hat craft!

Fox in Socks Paper Plate Craft – For a printable craft that’s perfect for preschool, kindergarten, or elementary-aged kids, try our Fox in Socks paper plate craft. It’s easy to make and is a fun way to celebrate Dr. Seuss Day! This craft also helps kids practice cutting, gluing, and painting skills.

Free Dr. Seuss Activities

These Dr. Seuss color by number printables make great, low-prep activities for kids! They’re perfect for early learners who are still practicing their numbers and colors. They feature characters from the most famous books, like Fox in Socks, Horton, and the Cat in the Hat!

Try our Dr. Seuss headband printables for dress-up day at school or some at-home imaginative play! Younger kids love pretending to be their favorite characters, and these headbands are an easy way to make that happen. Print the templates, color them in, and wear them proudly!

The little bookworm in your life needs these Dr. Seuss color in bookmarks. They’re a great way to encourage reading and are a fun craft project to do together. Kids can use them to mark their place in their favorite Dr. Seuss book or give them as gifts to friends and family.

For some educational Dr. Seuss fun, download these Dr. Seuss worksheets! With a focus on maths, literacy, and problem-solving, these printables are a great way to incorporate Dr. Seuss into your child’s learning. They’re free and easy to print at home or in the classroom!

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!

Dr. Seuss Fish Template