Skip to Content

Easy Fish Painting For Kids [Free Template]

If your kids are curious about ocean life or just love a good painting project, they’ll have a blast with this easy fish painting for kids!

It’s a fun and simple way to add a splash of the sea to your summer activities—even if you’re totally landlocked.

This goldfish art project is perfect for home or the classroom. It allows little ones to get creative while learning about underwater animals.

Scroll down to see how to make it with your kids, and don’t forget to check out more of our favorite ocean crafts for kids!

fish painting activity image collage with the words watercolor fish craft

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and a participant in other affiliate programs, I earn a commission on qualifying purchases. Read our disclosure policy.

Fish Art For Kids

It’s simple enough for young children to paint on their own and it’s great for fostering your child’s creativity!

Supplies

Directions

Start by downloading and printing the template. Once the template is printed, gather the materials for this fun activity. Get those scissors ready, and let’s help the kids bring this beta fish to life!

First, guide your child to paint the beta fish in any shade of paint that you want. Let dry, then cut out and set aside.

hand painting fish template

Paint the seagrass in varying shades of green. Let dry then cut out and set aside. Paint the seashells in your choice of colors then let dry. Cut out and set aside.

hand painting fish template

Next, help your child to paint your art paper with the liquid watercolor in shades of blue, green and hints of yellow. Let dry completely. 

hand painting ocean background

Now, glue all the pieces onto the blue background. To give it a little more depth, glue some of the seagrass pieces behind the fish shape and some in front of the fish.

hand gluing seashell to fish painting

After you’ve glued everything to the blue background, glue the googly eye onto the fish.

Finally, encourage your child to use the circle punches to cut out a few circles of varying sizes. These will be the bubbles. Use the black marker to draw on the reflective lighting on each bubble (see pictures for example).

hand punching circles from white paper

While you’re here, check out our ocean coloring pages There are so many fun ideas!

fish painting craft

Ocean Unit For Kids

With an ocean unit study, you can make learning interesting and engaging. Pick your favorite ideas from the list below and get started right now!

watercolor fish painting for kids

Fun Ocean Books For Kids

One of the most effective strategies to help your children develop and grow is to read aloud to them. Reading gives many benefits, including enhanced vocabulary, focus, and imagination! Add in some of these highly-rated 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!

fish painting craft

Ocean Kids’ Crafts

Handprint Jellyfish Craft – Looking for a fun and ocean-themed activity to keep the kids entertained? Look no further than this adorable handprint jellyfish craft! Not only is it easy to make, but it’s also perfect for teaching little ones about these fascinating creatures. So get your crafting supplies ready and get started!

Shark Headband Craft – This shark craft is perfect for turning any little one into a fearsome predator of the sea. It’s also a great way to get them excited about learning more about ocean life.

A collage of four ocean-themed craft activities for kids. The top-left and bottom-left images showcase colorful paper jellyfish and octopus crafts with curled or flowing tentacles. The top-right image features two shark-themed headbands made from blue paper with wide, toothy grins. The bottom-right image displays two hand-painted shark drawings set in an underwater scene with coral and seaweed.

Paper Plate Octopus Craft – This octopus craft is perfect for kids who love the ocean. It’s a fun way to practice fine motor skills, and it’s a great way to learn more about sea creatures. Plus, it’s just plain adorable!

Shark Painting for Kids – This easy peasy craft would be perfect when added to any ocean-themed lesson plans! Your kids will have so much fun painting a shark, and their little hands will get a good fine motor-workout, too!

Ocean Activities For Kids

These fun ocean themed board games will keep your kids entertained for hours on end. From cooperative games to math games, there’s something here for everyone. Plus, they’re all educational, so you can feel good about letting your kids play them.

Want to make learning fun? Try out these ocean pattern block mats! They’re a great introductory STEM activity and will help kids practice fine motor skills.

A collage of four ocean-themed educational and craft activities. The top-left image features the board game "Aqualin" with a blue underwater-themed cover showing seahorses. The top-right and bottom-left images show laminated ocean animal activity sheets with geometric shape puzzles, including a seahorse and a turtle. The bottom-right image displays handwriting practice worksheets with ocean-related words and illustrations, such as "J for jellyfish" and "W for whale."

These ocean animal printable preschool worksheets are perfect for kids who love ocean animals. With a variety of activities to choose from, your little one will be entertained and educated at the same time!

fish painting craft

Try these layers of the ocean coloring sheets next time your kids need a calming activity. They’re the perfect activity for younger and older kids, as little ones can practice coloring while older kids can learn about the different zones of the ocean.

Download these free ocean theme coloring pages and let your kids’ creativity soar!

Share With Us

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

For a chance to have your child’s project 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!

watercolor fish craft

Watercolor Fish Art Project For Kids

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Active Time: 15 minutes
Drying Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Make this simple watercolor fish art project with your children this summer!
Print Pin Rate
Author: Sam
Video

Materials

  • White art paper or watercolor paper
  • Liquid watercolors or regular watercolor paint
  • Googly eyes we used .5″ eyes
  • Glue stick
  • Black marker
  • Beta fish template

Instructions

  • Download the beta fish template, print, and cut out the pieces you need.
  • Begin by painting the beta fish in any shade of liquid watercolors that you want. Let dry then cut out and set aside.
  • Paint the seagrass in varying shades of green. Let dry then cut out and set aside. Paint the seashells in your choice of colors then let dry. Cut out and set aside.
  • Next, paint your art paper with the liquid watercolor in shades of blue, green and hints of yellow. Let dry completely. 
  • Now, glue all the pieces onto the blue watercolor background. To give it a little more depth, glue some of the seagrass pieces behind the fish shape and some in front of the fish.
  • After you’ve glued everything to the blue background, glue the googly eye onto the fish.
  • Finish off by using the circle punches to cut out a few circles of varying sizes. These will be the bubbles. Use the black marker to draw on the reflective lighting on each bubble.

Free Goldfish Template

Free Goldfish Template

Enter your email address below to download your free fish craft template and join the email list.

Craft Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Barb

Wednesday 5th of June 2024

These projects give the grandchildren so much creativity practice that it is really enjoyable to see what they produce each time.

Sam

Thursday 6th of June 2024

Oh, wonderful! I'm glad you can use them!

Jessica

Friday 16th of June 2023

Look like so much fun

Sam

Monday 19th of June 2023

Yes! It's great!

Jaqueline

Monday 12th of June 2023

can't wait to do it with my students

Sam

Tuesday 13th of June 2023

Awesome! Hope they have fun!

Elizabeth

Tuesday 30th of May 2023

So excited to try this with this my class!

Sam

Friday 2nd of June 2023

Oh, great. I hope they like it.

Wendy

Monday 8th of May 2023

I would love to get the beta template!

Sam

Tuesday 9th of May 2023

Of course! All you need to do is enter your email in the form at the end of this post to have the link sent to you. Once you've been confirmed as an email subscriber (by clicking the link in the first email), you simply enter your email in any of the forms and it'll automatically redirect you to the download page.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.