8 beach themed arts and crafts for the summer term

8 beach themed arts and crafts for the summer term

What’s on this summer term’s syllabus? Beach-themed arts and crafts, of course. From bubble wrap waves to handprint crabs, there’s so much fun and creativity to be had, especially when it’s inspired by a trip to the beach. 

You’ll be teaching children about the creatures they might spot in the water and sand (hello, crabs and jellyfish), the food they can tuck into (two scoops of ice cream please!) and their summery surroundings (sun, waves, sand and lots of suncream).

That’s why they make the most engaging activities for EYFS classrooms, after school clubs, home schooling desks or your kitchen table on a slow Sunday morning. Ready to inspire your pupils this term? Check out our top beach-themed crafts for summer…

1. Sponge Painted Ice Creams 

Mmmmm, it’s time to make ice cream art - and lots of it! Start by cutting a triangular shaped cone out of brown paper, then draw long lines through it in brown felt tip pen to create a waffle-like effect. Next, stick it onto a piece of white paper and encourage pupils to pick up a sponge, dab it in their chosen ice cream colour and print it on top of the cone. They might even like to create rainbow ice cream, mixing a range of colours - the more creative, the better! For older years, they’ll enjoy adding sprinkles, toppings and sauce using a fine paint brush and felt tip pens.

What you’ll need: 

114391 - Brown Poster Paper 

716480 - Glue Sticks 

114626 - White  Card

75126X - Colouring Pens 

735036 - Dip Bowls 

713120 - Ready Mixed Paint 

306373 - Paint Brushes

31353X - Scissors 

2. Ice Lolly Sticks

POV: it’s time to cool down. Cue DIY ice lolly sticks, which make the sweetest decorations for the classroom wall or window displays. To make it, cut out the silhouette of an ice lolly in your chosen coloured paper (this could be a thin oval, rectangle, square, triangle or ripple shape), then bring it to life with rainbow colours, stickers, tissue paper, pom poms and glitter. Here, they’ll learn about the textures and shapes of ice lollies, which will encourage them to focus on the small details and put their own stamp on it. Teachers, you could write each child’s name on their stick, or ask KS1 children to write it themselves. 

What you’ll need: 

114804 - Coloured Paper 

31353X - Scissors  

716480 - Glue Sticks 

749265 - Glitter 

139104 - Star Stickers 

118273 - Tissue Paper 

301019 - Pom Poms 

427480 - Black Felt Tip Pens

3. Paper Plate Boats 

Ahoy! It’s time to set sail. Here’s what you’ll need to do to sail the seas in style - start by cutting a paper plate in half (this will be the boat) and ask children to paint it however they wish. Then, add a lollipop stick to the top, sticking it down on the opposite side with glue. Cut out a piece of card paper for the sail, sticking it onto the top of the lollipop stick. Then, decorate away! Once that’s done, they might like to draw in some details on the boat in black felt tip pen, like the anchor and wheel. Another idea - younger children might enjoy decorating the boat with finger or hand prints for a special summer craft keepsake. 

What you’ll need: 

307123 - Paper Plates 

230057 - Wooden Lolly Sticks

114804 - Coloured Paper 

75126X - Felt Tip Pens 

307414 - Coloured Paint 

301019 - Pom Poms 

301027 - Acrylic Gems

716480 - Glue Sticks 

31353X - Scissors  

735036 - Dip Bowls 

Image Credit: Missh year1

4. Canvas Beach Paintings

Beach painting masterpiece, incoming. Let their imagination run free by handing each pupil a canvas board. Ask them to create a beach scene - perhaps it’s the morning and the fishermen are getting into their boats or it’s the afternoon on holiday and children are watching dolphins swim. For older years, they could use real sand to set the scene, adding glue to yellow painted sand and sprinkling on the real deal. Top tip: remember to provide aprons for this activity as it can get a little messy (in the best way possible). 

What you’ll need: 

735035 - Canvas 

75126X - Felt Tip Pens 

716480 - Glue Sticks 

803022 - Sand

307414 - Coloured Paint 

735036 - Dip Bowls  

731455 - Paint Brushes 

331309 - Sponge Rollers 

5. Sea Shell Decorating

Things we love to see: children connecting with the beach in the classroom. For this summery sea shell activity, hand each child a shell and put out thin felt tips and self adhesive jewels. While they’re drawing on it, go around and talk to each table about what they’re designing - maybe it’s a mermaid’s pillow, part of a crab’s home, or perhaps it’s not actually a sea shell, but a little fan to keep cool instead. Don’t want the activity to end? Use the sea shells to decorate photo frames or make a sea shell wall in the classroom to celebrate summer. 

What you’ll need: 

308648 - Sea Shells 

751014 - Colouring Pens 

301027 - Self Adhesive Jewels 

6. Bubble Wrap Waves

Using bubble wrap to print wave-like patterns onto paper? Genius. Loved by babies, pre-schoolers and mini artists alike, this activity is the sensory break they need in the classroom. Teachers, you’ll want to make the bubble wrap markers before the session begins, cutting them into 15cm strips (or around that). Next, ask your pupils to paint the bubble wrap in beautiful ocean colours - think turquoise and blues for sparkly ocean water and white for frothy waves. Once they’ve printed it onto a piece of paper (bubble side down), budding artists can set the scene further, adding glitter, sunset colours or sea creatures. 

What you’ll need: 

720030 - Bubble Wrap 

307414 - Coloured Paint 

735035 - Canvas 

135789 - White Card 

731455 - Paint Brushes 

735036 - Dip Bowls 

705640 - Sea Sponges 

31353X - Scissors  

716480 - Glue Sticks 

7. Handprint Crabs

If your nursery has a beach or sea creature themed week coming up, we implore you to try handprint crabs. It’s a simple activity that’s lots of fun for little Picassos, who’ll love painting their hands in red paint and pressing them onto a piece of paper. Make sure they print one hand after the other - the aim is to get one hand print facing left and the other facing right, with each of their palms interlocked and thumbs pointing upwards. Ta-da - their fingers will look like the crab’s legs and their palms will resemble its body. Add googly eyes onto the thumbs to complete their little character. 

What you’ll need: 

112518 - White Card Paper 

713031 - Red Paint 

303941 - Googly Eyes 

8. Jellyfish Decorations

Hello, friendly ribbon jellyfish. This craft not only teaches children about the anatomy of a jellyfish, but it also makes a lovely window display or going home craft in their nursery or school bag. Start by cutting a paper plate in half (this will be the face) and ask children to decorate it with paint, felt tip pens or colouring pencils. Add googly eyes, a smile and cut 4-8 pieces of colourful ribbon for the tentacles, sticking them onto the paper plate with glue or sticky tape. Little hands will love feeling the ribbons and watching them move in the wind as they play with their new silky friend.

What you’ll need: 

307123 - Paper Plates 

732346 - Colouring Pens

307414 - Coloured Paint 

735101 - Colouring Pencils 

319724 - Ribbon 

716480 - Glue Sticks 

749265 - Glitter 

303941 - Googly eyes 

31353X - Scissors  

706261 - Tape & Tape Dispenser

Image Credit: Missh year1

Image Credit: Continuousprovision with katie

Image Credit: Early Years Classroom