Did you know that 14th July is Shark Awareness Day? Celebrate this special creature with some fun and easy shark crafts for kids – even the little ones!

When it comes to special awareness days for animals, we tend to focus on animals like tigers, elephants or penguins. When it comes to sharks, we’re immediately reminded of scenes from the movie, Jaws, and we’d rather not talk about them!

On the surface, it may seem like we’re the ones who have to run in fear, but unfortunately (for the sharks), it’s the sharks who are in greater danger from us. Sharks are a crucial part of the aquatic ecosystem, and humans have been disturbing this delicate balance by killing sharks indiscriminately. 

Since 14th July is Shark Awareness Day, it’s the perfect opportunity to learn more about these amazing, though scary, creatures and to know how we can do our bit to spread awareness. These crafts are all very simple ones, and even little kids can join in the crafting fun.

10 Fun and Easy Shark Crafts for Kids

1. Clothespin Shark Craft

Since we’ve already talked about the movie ‘Jaws’, let’s just get it out of the way by featuring a clothespin shark craft from Super Simple. The clothespin helps open the shark’s mouth quite wide – wide enough to feast on little fishies!

2. S for Shark Recycled CD Craft

Another way to protect our oceans and the animals in it is to reduce the amount of waste we generate, and one of the easiest ways to do this is to reuse things to make crafts! Here we’ve used an old CD to make a shark craft – just look at that expression!

3. Paper Plate Shark Puppets

Keeping in with the Jaws theme again, Kids Craft Room has a shark puppet craft made with paper plates. All these mouth opening crafts may make you wonder about the shark’s active bones, but the truth is that they don’t have any bones – not a single one!

4. Snapping Shark Craft

Don’t get too close to a shark or get ready to be snapped into that mouth! Every type of shark has a distinct kind of teeth, and you can make out what type from the bite they leave on their victims. Check out the instructions for this project from Tea Time Monkeys.

5. Cupcake Liner Shark Craft

Not all sharks have to snap – some of them just smile menacingly, like this one from I Heart Crafty Things! They use cupcake liners to make up all of the shark’s body parts, and it’s quite impressive. By the way, did you know that whale skin feels like sandpaper?

6. Shark Cootie Catcher

Cootie Catchers are the perfect way to recreate the shark’s mouth snapping, and Easy Peasy and Fun makes the most of this with this adorable craft! This is super easy to make – just check out the instructions on the website.

7. Newspaper Shark Craft

Recycled crafts are a big hit here, and we love this newspaper shark from I Heart Crafty Things. I don’t know why, but this is the craft that reminds me the most of ‘Jaws’ – maybe its the appearance of the shark popping out of the water!

8. DIY Shark Headband

Reading more about sharks may make you so impressed that you decide to become one, at lest temporarily. If that sounds like you, you’ve got just what you need at Simple Everyday Mom – a shark headband!

9. Origami Shark Bookmark

If you’re need something to hold your place in your book, may we suggest this Origami shark bookmark from Kids Activities Blog. I can’t think of a more appropriate bookmark for a horror novel!

10. Swimming Shark Craft

Sharks can swim a long way without stopping, going as far as 2,500 miles – not even stopping to eat or sleep! Super Simple has a bunch of wide awake sharks, getting ready to set out on a long journey as a family.

Aren’t you intrigued to learn more about sharks? They truly are impressive animals, especially when you consider the fact that they’re older than dinosaurs! These crafts will give us a chance to learn more about these animals, that aren’t usually covered in school lessons.