Easy Starfish Craft (with Template) for Kids

Looking for fun beach-themed craft ideas? Children will love working to make this adorable starfish craft. 

Continue reading for a step-by-step guide and a list of materials needed for this adorable summer starfish activity.

This ocean-themed project is wonderful for preschool and elementary-aged children. It is an adorable project.

I was so pleased with this craft that I framed my daughter’s starfish art to display on our shelf alongside our favorite Books About Ocean Animals and Sea Life.

While constructing this craft, children will practice a variety of fine motor and art skills. They will paint, cut, glue, blend, and trace to create a realistic beach scene featuring an adorable starfish.

It’s also a great time to learn a bit about starfish! Here are a few interesting facts you can share with your kids about this sea creature.

Starfish Facts

• Starfish Aren’t Actually Fish – They’re echinoderms, related to sea urchins and sand dollars, and don’t have gills, fins, or a backbone like true fish.
• They Can Regrow Lost Arms – If a starfish loses an arm (or even most of its body), it can regenerate over time! Some species can even regrow an entire body from just one severed limb.
• They Have No Blood or Brain – Instead of blood, starfish use seawater to circulate nutrients through their bodies. They also don’t have a central brain, but their nerve ring and nerve net help them sense their surroundings and coordinate movement.
• They Eat by Pushing Their Stomachs Out – Starfish have a crazy feeding method: they push their stomachs out through their mouths, cover their prey (like clams or mussels), digest it externally, and then pull their stomachs back in.
• They Move Using Hundreds of Tube Feet – On the underside of each arm, starfish have tiny tube feet powered by a water vascular system, allowing them to grip surfaces and slowly crawl around the ocean floor.

Starfish Craft Template and Materials

• Watercolor Paper
• Chalk Pastels
• Water
• Paintbrush
• Glue Stick
• Liquid Pearl Paint or Glitter Glue
• Starfish Template

How to Make Starfish Craft

Step 1:

Print the Starfish Template onto card stock or watercolor paper. Give each child their own template.

Step 2:

To start, paint a simple beach scene. Use colors that mimic beach sand and ocean water to create a landscape that will be the backdrop of your craft. I used a sandy beige color for the sand, teal for shallow ocean water, and blue to represent the deeper ocean waters.

To create the beach scene rub the sand-colored chalk pastel horizontally across the watercolor paper creating a thick stripe across the paper.

Next, rub a turquoise colored chalk pastel horizontally to make a thick stripe just below the sand-colored stripe. Finally, rub a blue chalk pastel just under the teal color until you fill the remaining paper with the color. 

Step 3:

Use a wet paintbrush to brush water over the chalk pastels. The wet brush will allow you to blend the colors seamlessly where they meet, causing a beautiful gradient effect. It will also settle the chalk and prevent it from transferring once dry.

Step 4:

Rub chalk pastel in the color of your choosing over the starfish. Brush water over the starfish to move and blend the chalk pastel, creating a watercolor effect. Once dry, cut out the starfish.

Step 5:

Using a glue stick, apply glue to the back of the starfish and paste it onto the beach scene you painted in step 2.

Step 6:

Finally, using fine-tipped glitter glue or liquid pearl, trace all of the black ink on the starfish. This will add texture and dimension to the craft.

This starfish craft is a great summer activity and displays beautifully.