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Easy & Fun Handprint Crab Craft For Kids

Kids love the ocean! It’s a vast and mysterious place full of creatures that are both strange and wonderful. It’s no wonder that they’re drawn to it.

Whether they’re watching documentaries about the ocean or playing in the waves at the beach, kids can’t help but be fascinated by its mysteries.

That fascination extends to the animals that live within it, including crabs. These creatures have adapted to life in a wide variety of environments and can be found all over the world. They’re interesting to look at and even more fun to make into a craft.

This handprint crab craft is perfect for kids of all ages.

It’s easy to do and doesn’t require a lot of supplies. All you need is some paper, paint, and googly eyes. Kids will love creating this craft and they’ll be proud to display it when they’re finished. Make it this summertime!

Also, be sure to check out all of our ocean crafts for kids for more projects!

Crab Handprint Craft Idea

handprint crab craft image collage with the words handprint crab craft

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Supplies

  • Red card stock
  • White card stock
  • Large googly eyes (we used 1″ eyes)
  • Black marker
  • Scissors
  • Pencil 
  • Glue stick
  • 2″ circle punch (optional)

How To Make A Paper Crab

Trace your child’s hand on the red card stock two times. Cut out each handprint. 

Cut out two 2″ circles with the scissors or circle punch. Cut out a small triangle shape from the circle to create the crab claws. 

Begin to assemble the crab by positioning the two handprints with thumbs pointed up and fingers pointed outward. Slightly overlap the palms and glue in place. 

Using the white card stock, draw a crescent shape for the crab’s smile. Use the black marker to draw a smile line across the white crescent. Cut out the smile and set it aside for later. 

Glue the crab’s smile in the center of the two handprints.

Secure the two crab claws by gluing them to the pointer finger of each hand. 

Glue the googly eyes onto both of the thumbs. 

You’re done! 

My kids and I loved making these cute little handprint crabs and I’m betting yours will too. 

How To Make This Craft Last Longer

This craft is a short and sweet one that tons of people love.

If you’re making this over the summer and you want it to occupy more of your kids’ time, don’t worry, we have suggestions! 

First, I would have your child do the entire craft with as little help as possible. Let them cut out all the pieces themselves, draw on the smile and glue it all together. 

2 handprint crab crafts

Second, create a scene for the crab to live on. We’d suggest grabbing some tan and blue card stock to make a beach scene, then gluing the crab on top of it. 

You can also have your kids add wave details to the water, some clouds, and the sun in the sky.

To give it even more of a beachy feel, you can let them use glue and add some sand to the tan card stock. This will make it 3D, with a fun sensory aspect to it. 

When Should I Use This Crab Craft?

This handprint craft is great for lots of different themes! 

This simple art project is great when your child is learning the alphabet. It works perfectly for the letter of the week, C is for crab studies. 

It’s also fun to do when you’re teaching children with ocean or under the sea themed activities, or even during summertime! 

What Age Is This Craft Appropriate For?

Depending on how much adult assistance you have available, this craft could work anywhere from toddlers all the way to elementary-aged children.

We’d say for a child to do this activity entirely on their own, the target age would be around 6 years old.

If you’re doing this craft with your child at home, you can easily help them with any steps they won’t be able to do on their own. 

Ocean Unit For Kids

Once you’re done with this crab craft, be sure to check out our other ocean-themed activities. We’ve got everything you need to create an ocean unit for kids in no time flat. From coloring pages to crafts, we’ve got you covered. So dive on in and explore the amazing world of the ocean with your kids today!

Reading aloud to children is a great way to encourage their love of reading and literacy. But did you know that it also has a host of other benefits? It can help improve their vocabulary, comprehension, and listening skills.

It can also help them learn about new concepts, build their attention span, and improve their memory. So next time you’re looking for a fun activity to do with your little ones, consider reading them a story. You might just be surprised at how much they enjoy it!

Try out some of these popular ocean books:

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!

Kids’ Under The Sea Activities

Crafting is a great activity for kids because it helps them to use their imaginations and be creative. It also gives them a chance to express themselves and have fun.

In addition, crafting can help kids to develop fine motor skills, learn about colors and shapes, and experiment with different materials.

All of these things can help to boost a child’s self-esteem and confidence. So if you’re looking for an activity that is both fun and educational, crafting is a great option. Make these awesome ocean crafts:

Handprint Jellyfish Craft – This jellyfish craft is a fun and easy activity for kids of all ages. It’s perfect for a summer day or for any time you want to bring a little bit of the ocean into your home.

Paper Plate Fish Craft – If your kids love bright and colorful crafts, this one is for them! This simple craft is sure to bring lots of enjoyment – not to mention, it makes for a great decoration too!

ocean crafts image collage

Octopus Handprint Craft – This octopus craft is a fun activity that helps kids practice their fine motor skills. All you need is some paper, scissors, and glue, and your kids will have a blast making their own octopus friend.

Humpback Whale Puppet Craft – Our downloadable template makes this craft a breeze. Your little one will love putting together their lovable whale puppet. Let your child’s imagination take the lead, and watch them bring their creations to life with a whale puppet show!

Ocean Activities For Kids

These ocean pattern block mats are a great activity for kids. They help to refine their fine motor skills and learn shapes. The activity also helps to develop hand-eye coordination. The best part about ocean pattern block mats is that they can be used over and over again.

Kids will love these color by number ocean animal printables! This activity is a great way to help them learn about colors and numbers while having fun. There are seven different printables to choose from, each with a different scene. They will love seeing their finished creation come to life.

Do your kids love the ocean? If so, they’ll adore this ocean playdough kit! With everything they need to create their own underwater world, it’s the perfect activity for a rainy day.

Our jellyfish worksheets help put a fun twist on learning! Kids can practice recognizing and writing the letter J while learning more about jellyfish. These worksheets are the perfect no-prep activity to keep kids entertained while learning something new.

ocean activities collage

Fun Summer Finds

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

single example of finished handprint crab

Easy & Fun Handprint Crab Craft For Kids

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Active Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Make this easy handprint crab paper craft with the kids this summer!

Materials

  • Red card stock
  • White card stock
  • Large goggly eyes (we used 1" eyes)
  • Black marker
  • Scissors
  • Pencil 
  • Glue stick
  • 2" circle punch (optional)

Instructions

  1. Trace your child's hand on the red card stock two times. Cut out each handprint. tracing a kid hand for crab
  2. Using the white card stock, draw a crescent shape for the crab's smile. Use the black marker to draw a smile line across the white crescent. Cut out the smile and set aside for later. 
  3. Cut out two 2" circle with the scissors or circle punch. Cut out a small triangle shape from the circle to create the crab claws. 
  4. Begin to assemble the crab by positioning the two handprints with thumbs pointed up and fingers pointed outward. Slightly overlap the palms and glue in place. gluing two cut out traces of hand together
  5. Glue the crab's smile in the center of the two handprints.hands gluing mouth onto crab
  6. Secure the two crab claws on by gluing them to the pointer finger of each hand. 
  7. Glue the googly eyes onto both of the thumbs. hands gluing eyes onto crab

Did you make this craft?

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