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These creative crab crafts for kids are perfect for summer, or for International Horseshoe Crab Day on 20th June! Great for kids of all ages!

The next time your child is picky about their food and starts making a fuss, point them towards a creature that eats just about anything they find. It could be algae, plants or even dead animals. 

No, we aren’t talking about some giant predator – we’re talking about the humble crab!

Most people don’t know this, but one reason crabs are so crucial for our environment is that they are ready to eat pretty much anything. In a way, they’re Nature’s very own trash collectors!

Fun Books about Crabs for Kids

• A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle
• Crawling Crabs by Natalie Lunis
• Don’t Worry, Little Crab by Chris Haughton
• Clem and Crab by Fiona Lumbers
• School’s In, Crabby! by Jonathan Fenske
• Crab and Snail: The Invisible Whale by Beth Ferry

These books are great picks for International Horseshoe Crab Appreciation Day, which is coming up on 20th June. While you’re at it, here are some fun crab crafts for kids to try – and learn about crabs on the way!

20 Creative Crab Crafts for Kids

1. Cute and Easy Origami Crab for Kids

Do you know how long a crab can survive? Well, small crabs live around 3-4 years, but larger crabs like the giant Japanese spider crab can live as long as 100 years! Speaking of Japanese crabs, here is a fun Origami crab craft that even beginners can try.

2. Cute Crab Papercraft for Kids

Kids will enjoy this cute crab papercraft, featuring claws, legs and large eyes on stalks! These eyes help crabs see all around them – a full 360 degrees! What’s more, when they’re hiding in the sand, these eyestalks work like periscopes to see what’s happening above ground.

3. Crab Corner Bookmark Papercraft

Did you know that not all crabs are ‘true’ crabs? Yes, there are false crabs too! True crabs have four pairs of walking legs and a tucked-in tail, whereas false crabs have three pairs of walking legs and a visible tail. It’s surprising to know that famous crabs like hermit crabs and horseshoe crabs are actually false crabs!

4. Paper Plate Crab and Turtle Summer Craft

Crabs can walk on sand, of course, but some may even hitchhike! The Columbus crab, for example, may hitch a ride on floating debris or on the back of a turtle. This way, they get a free ride and a free meal by feeding on the little organisms living on the turtle’s shell. But we’re sure the turtle and crab in this craft have a friendship based on better things!

5. 3D Crab Coloring Page Printable

Crabs appear on these 3D coloring pages, but they’ve been around for millions of years! Scientists say that the ancestors of horseshoe crabs lived 445 million years ago – that’s before the dinosaurs first appeared!

6. Printable Crab Pompom Mat

One advantage of making these crab crafts for kids is that you learn some fun facts about crabs, like the fact that horseshoe crabs have blue blood! Not in a royal way – crabs have hemocyanin in their blood, instead of the hemoglobin that gives our blood its red color.

7. Crab-Themed Playdough Mat

Encourage your kids to make the shape of a crab using playdough and these printable playdough mats. This set also features other summer-themed pictures, like beach balls and Popsicles.

8. Egg Carton Crab Craft

If you’re thinking of making crab crafts for kids using recycled materials, check out this egg carton craft from Hello Creative Family. These crabs seem to be walking forward, which is possible – not all crabs walk sideways, contrary to popular belief!

9. Crab Toilet Paper Roll Craft

Easy Peasy and Fun has this crab couple that looks like they’re celebrating something. Perhaps they think they’re large and powerful? Well, the record for the largest living crab species goes to the Japanese spider crab, which weighs approximately 40 pounds and has a leg span of nearly 4 metres!

10. Torn Paper Crab Craft For Kids

Since we’ve talked about the largest living crab, it’s only right to mention the smallest one too – the pea crab! True to its name, the pea crab is about the same size as a pea, and lives in the shells of oysters and clams, where they can be safe. Find out more about the pea crab as you make this fun craft from Simple Everyday Mom.

11. Handprint Crab Craft for Kids

It’s not obvious at first glance, but the crab legs in this craft from Big Family Blessings are actually handprints! Another thing that’s not obvious immediately is the special ability of horseshoe crabs to exhibit fluorescence. This is only visible under ultraviolet light, and horseshoe crab babies with almost transparent shells shine brighter than  the adult crabs.

12. DIY Seashell Crabs

Turns out sea shells are great materials to use when making crab crafts for kids, as Made to be a Momma shows us! This group of crabs looks like they’re heading somewhere together. By the way, a group of crabs is called a ‘cast’, so now you know what to call this group!

13. Crab Popsicle Stick Craft For Kids

We love how Kid Pillar has used Popsicle sticks to make a crab craft, complete with claws, legs, eyes and even a smile! However, you’ll notice there’s no nose – crabs usually use their antennae to detect smells. Some crabs, like the blue crab, have a special internal nose inside their bodies that is called the Jacobson’s organ.

14. Cute and Fun Crab Hat Craft For Kids

If you’d like to pretend to be a crab for a day, try out these printable paper crowns from Kids Craft Room. Don’t forget to talk to each other like crabs would – drumming and waving their pincers or rubbing their legs together!

15. Cute Crab Name Craft 

Crabs are really diverse, with over 6,800 known species existing today. They have some interesting names, like Sally Lightfoot Crab, Fiddler Crab, Mitten Crab, Coconut Crab and even Yeti Crab! Name a crab yourself using this fun crab craft from Simple Everyday Mom!

16. Upcycled Mini Craft Box Crab Craft

Baker Ross shows us that upcycling is a great way to make crab crafts for kids! Here, they turn a mini craft box into a crab, but you can use any small tin or can in a similar shape.

17. Paper Cup Crab Craft

One amazing thing crabs can do is moult. This is a process through which they shed their exoskeleton, either to recover from an injury or to grow. Kids can watch a video to learn more about this cool process – after making this cute crab craft from Easy Peasy and Fun!

18. Paper Plate Crab Craft

Paper plates are truly versatile, and this applies to making crab crafts for kids too! Arty Crafty Kids shows us how to make a crab out of a paper plate and a printable. Speaking of plates, crab meat is a delicacy in many cultures, and it is also quite nutritious, with high amounts of Vitamin B12 and Omega-3.

19. Cupcake Liner Crab Craft for Kids

I Heart Crafty Things has a fun craft that features a couple of crabs chilling by the beach. While most crabs spend their time near the sea, some species live largely on land, while others live near freshwater, like rivers.

20. Cute Puppet Crab Craft for Kids

If you want crabs that walk, try making these cool guys from Crafts by Ria! We’re not sure if they can go as fast as the ghost crab, though, which can run at 10 miles per hour. This is how they manage to escape from predators and stay safe!

We hope these crab crafts for kids have helped you learn a little about crabs and have given you an insight into their amazing world! We’re sure you can find something for kids of all ages, and most of these can be made with things you already have at home!