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Transform a simple paper cup into an adorable paper cup fish. A fun ocean craft kids will love making with our free template.
It’s summertime, and you know what that means – it’s the perfect season for exploring and getting creative! If you can’t go to the sea, why not bring the sea to your home? Here’s a fun, easy, and innovative way to create your own ocean art at home. This clever and cute Paper Cup Fish Craft turns a plain paper cup into a magical ocean fish. Your kids will love making these adorable ocean creatures! It’s super easy with our free template too!
How do you make a paper cup fish?
We were inspired by a similar idea we saw on Pinterest where you can take a paper cup and cut out a fish tail, fins and a cute heart mouth simply from one paper cup!
We created an easy template to make the fish parts. After you trace those on a paper cup, feel free to decorate your paper fish as you wish! We used simple paints to to add a cute face and fin details. But you can also add decorative details such as glitter or sequins!
You can also glue on googly eyes instead of drawing them on to make them easier for younger kids.
What to do with your ocean craft after?
These would be adorable to make a shoebox or cereal box aquarium with afterwards. Decorate with paper kelp or draw a sea scene with markers or paint.
You could also string fish together and make a cute ocean garland.
This fish craft would be an adorable under the sea craft activity as well!
Paper Cup Fish Craft – Materials:
- Free template (download in our craft instructions below)
- Acrylic paints or paint markers
- Scissors
- Paper cup (ours was sized 8cm height, 7cm diameter opening)
**You can use any size paper cup but keep in mind our template is sized to the paper cup size we used. So use our template as a guide to make your own cut-outs if your cup size is larger.
Instructions
1. Watch the video in the post see how to make this paper cup fish. It's simple if you see the steps visually! 2. As an overview, you will paint your cup if you choose. Then place the template over the cup - heart on one side, two fins to the left and right of heart and tail opposite of the heart. 3. Cut around the template and then flatten out the fins, tail, and heart. 4. Color in details by using paint, markers, or paint markers. Your fish is now ready to swim! **You can use any size paper cup but keep in mind our template is sized to the paper cup size we used. So use our template as a guide to make your own cut-outs if your cup size is larger. Paper Cup Fish Craft With Free Template
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Instructions
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Final Thoughts
There you have it, your very own Paper Cup Fish Craft! This craft is not only fun and simple, but it also provides an excellent opportunity for you and your children to learn more and explore the deep blue sea! This would be so fun to make alongside reading an ocean or fish picture book!
Agnes Hsu is a mom of three and has been inspiring parents and kids to get creative with easy activities and family friendly recipes for over 10 years. She shares her love for creative play and kids food to her 2MM+ followers online. Agnes' commitment to playful learning and kindness has not only raised funds for charity but also earned features in prestigious nationwide publications.