Enjoy these colorful fish crafts for kids, made using paper, pipe cleaners, paper plates and more! Try out techniques like cutting, folding and others!

I feel that fish are grossly underrated and are often diminished to something to put on a plate. However, that means we miss out on all the amazing stories about fish in legends and myths around the world. Y0u’d be surprised how widely respected fish are!

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Fish in Religion and Mythology

Fish was used as a symbol of Enki, the Sumerian god of water, knowledge and creativity
The Syrian chief goddess Atargatis considered the fish sacred, and only her priests could eat fish during her festivals
Jonah and the fish is a popular story about the prophet Jonah that appears in Judaism, Christianity and Islam
In Buddhism, a pair of golden fish is used to represent happiness since fish can move around freely in water
The Hindu god Vishnu is also represented as Matsya,an avatar that symbolizes him as a golden fish
The zodiac’s 12th sign is Pisces, based on a constellation that shows fish

Well, seems like there’s more to fish than yummy dishes! Let’s celebrate these amazing creatures with some fantastic fish crafts for kids!

20 Fantastic Fish Crafts for Kids

1. Easy Origami Koi Fish Craft

If you think about ornamental fish, the most popular among them is probably the koi fish, thanks to their gorgeous colors and patterns. They’re also quite hardy, making them the most popular choice for backyard ponds – and crafts!

2. Beautiful Rainbow Fish Papercraft

One of the most popular children’s books about fish is The Rainbow Fish, written by Marcus Pfister and translated into English by J. Alison James. This lovely book is all about how sharing leads to more happiness and strengthens friendships. Here is a craft that celebrates the book and its message!

3. Easy Origami Fish Craft for Kids

What we love about these fish crafts for kids is that you can learn a lot! For instance, here’s a fun fact: The study of fish in culture has a name – ethnoichthyology – which explores our knowledge of fish and their significance in our society.

4. Seashell Fish in an Aquarium Craft

It’s a list of fish crafts for kids, but that doesn’t mean we can’t include aquariums! It was a chemist named Robert Warington who developed the idea that adding plants and water in a container could create an environment to support life, leading to the construction of the aquarium.

5. One Fish Two Fish Paper Quilling Craft

Here’s a cute little craft featuring quilled paper fish, based on Dr. Seuss’s book One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish. If you haven’t read the book yet, it’s a simple, fun book about two kids named Jay and Kay and all their pets, who are some interesting creatures!

6. Recycled CD X-Ray Fish Craft

One of the wonders of nature is the X-ray fish – a teeny little fish with a transparent body! Yes, they’re so transparent that you can even see their skeletons! This recycled CD craft tries to recreate this effect by showing the fish bones on the body.

7. Hooray for Fish Chalk Markers Art Activity

We’re enjoying including books in our list of fish crafts for kids, and now we have Hooray for Fish! It’s a story about Little Fish who introduces us to all his colorful friends! Celebrate Lucy Cousins’ work with a fun craft based on the book.

8. Simple Madhubani Fish Painting

Here’s a gorgeous art based on Madhubani art, an Indian folk art form that originated in the Madhubani district of Bihar in India. Madhubani paintings use simple shapes and bright natural colors. You can use whatever colors you have to create this fish artwork here.

9. DIY Pipe Cleaner Fishing Game

Fishing is one of the most popular pastimes in the world; in fact, it is estimated that Americans spend over $7 billion a year on their fishing gear. Let’s have fun with our own little DIY fishing game that you can play with.

10. Dr. Seuss Origami Fish Craft

Here’s another craft based on the popular Seuss book – but this time we’ve gone the Origami route! Kids will get the hang of making Origami fish soon enough and then they’ll find it hard to stop!

11. Paper Plate Fish Aquarium Diorama

We’ve got an easy multimedia craft project that is perfect for using up any craft supplies you have lying around. Did you know the world’s first public aquarium was launched at the London Zoo in 1853?

12. Rainbow Fish Crepe Paper Collage

It’s no wonder that we’ve chosen this subject for our list of fish crafts for kids – fish has also enamored other famous 20th century artists like Paul Klee, Rene Magritte, Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse.

13. DIY Madhubani Fish Fridge Magnet

Madhubani paintings often feature symbols of nature, and fish are a common occurrence. Fish represent prosperity, abundance, harmony and fertility in Madhubani culture.

14. Toilet Paper Roll Koi Fish Craft

We love this craft from Baby Sits that features koi fish in different colors. Koi fish colors have different representations – gold for wealth, blue for calm, metal for success and multicolor for positivity.

15. Yarn-Wrapped Fish Craft

You’ve probably heard of the astrological sign Pisces, which applies to the period from 19th February to 20th March. The word ‘Pisces’ is the Latin word for fish, and now you can share this trivia as you make this craft from DIY Thought!

16. Fish Paper Weaving Craft

Fish is great for physical health, but it’s also excellent for mental health. Studies have shown a diet with fish can reduce depression and anxiety while improving wellbeing. Ocean Child Crafts has a craft that can improve your mental health, along with your fine motor skills!

17. Egg Carton Fish Craft

We can’t have a list of fish crafts for kids that doesn’t feature the popular goldfish! The Craft Train gives us a cute egg carton goldfish craft, which is just one among the 200 different varieties of goldfish!

18. DIY Fish Windsocks

A windsock is a tube that indicates the speed and direction of the wind. It looks like a huge sock (hence the name) and is often used as a decoration. I Heart Crafty Things combines both purposes in this cute fish-themed windsock craft.

19. Accordion Fold Paper Fish Craft

Krokotak shows us how to make a fish craft entirely out of paper! But that’s all you need, because the colors, patterns and accordion texture adds enough interest.

20. Paper Plate Pufferfish Craft for Kids

Buggy and Buddy brings us a craft based on the notorious puffer fish. Consuming the puffer fish is poisonous – its organs contain the toxin named Tetrodotoxin, which is 1,000 times more deadly than cyanide! However, there are specialized expert chefs in Japan who can remove the toxic parts and cook puffer fish as a delicacy.

We hope you’ve been able to learn some fun facts through these fish crafts for kids. Share these with your friends – both the crafts and the facts! These are simple enough for young kids, and don’t require complicated materials; just your regular craft supplies!

If you’d like more crafts related to the ocean, check these out: