A Super Build A Shark Craft (Preschool Printable)

Baby Shark, do do do do do do… and now that song is stuck in your head for the rest of the day. You’re welcome! But honestly, that song exists for a reason – kids are absolutely obsessed with sharks! So why not channel that enthusiasm into some learning? This build-a-shark craft is the perfect way to do exactly that.

It’s a simple craft in which your kids will need to cut out and correctly put together the pieces to make a cute shark.

This craft is great for toddlers and preschoolers because it’s so easy to do!

As your little ones cut, sort and piece their shark together, they’re building some really important early skills like fine motor control, scissor technique, spatial awareness and concentration.

And there’s a color and a plain template – so your little ones can create and customize their own super sharks!

It could also make a lovely activity for anyone having a shark or undersea themed party! And would be perfect for Shark Awareness Day on July 14th or as part of your Shark Week activities in late July!

Other ‘build-a-‘ characters you may want to check out:

• Build a Puffin
• Build A Polar Bear
• Build A Penguin
• Build A Narwhal

Or you can check out all the cut and paste crafts here.

What Skills Can Your Children Learn And Practice?

When making this build a shark craft, your children will have the chance to practice and develop some skills such as:

• Cutting Skills – if you feel they’re ready, you can let them have a go at cutting out the pieces all by themselves – they’ll need to be careful and have good scissor control if they want to cut out the pieces neatly
• Fine Motor Skills – when they’re sticking and picking up and moving the parts and placing them where they need to go
• Body Knowledge – great for the little ones to think about how the different parts of an animal’s body fit together
• Pencil Control – if you print off the black and white version they can practice their pencil control and develop hand strength through coloring.

This simple shark craft will also give them a chance to practice their concentration and perseverance skills as they may find it tricky to place the pieces exactly where they want them to go.

How To Prepare This Build a shark Craft

If you’re a member, you can download the shark templates by clicking on the download box at the bottom of the page – I’ve made a color and a black and white version!

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Other materials you’ll need:

• Safety scissors
• Card Stock or Craft Paper
• Glue
• Some coloring pencils, pens or other artsy materials

Once you’ve downloaded the templates, you’ll need to print them off onto paper or card.

Then, you can cut them out. Or if you’d like your children to get some cutting practice, you can let them have a go.

Then you can stick all the pieces together to build your shark.

It can be really nice to let you’re kids have a bit of free rein here and see if they can work it out – kind of like a puzzle.

If they’re struggling, the order I’d do it in is:

1. Stick the eyes on the body
2. Stick the mouth on the body
3. Stick the tail on the body
4. Stick the three fins on the body

(I expect you could have worked that out but I do like to be thorough…)

The finished one should look something like this:

If you want to you could always laminate them and use them as a puzzle. That way the different parts would be kept nice and they can use them again and again.

Let your kids practice their cutting and sticking skills in a simple and fun way!

But Wait… There’s Also A Black And White Build A Shark Craft!

I’ve also made a black and white version which would be an awesome way for your little ones to practice their coloring skills and personalize their sharks in their own way!

So why not crack out the pens, crayons, paints or collage (or all of them if you’re feeling adventurous) and let your kids get creative!

Some Other Ways You Could Use This Shark Craft

Parts of a Shark: As your children build, use it as a chance to name the parts of a shark’s body – dorsal fin, pectoral fin, tail fin, snout, draw on some gills etc. Label them on the finished craft if your little ones are able. A great little intro to science vocabulary and it sticks because they built it themselves!

Sh is for Shark: Once your little ones have finished building, use their shark as a jumping-off point for some phonics fun. Say the digraph ‘sh’ together, write sh, and brainstorm other words that have sh – sheep, shop, shapes! Builds phonemic awareness and letter recognition in a way that actually feels exciting.

Shark Sensory Hunt: Laminate the pieces and hide them in a tray of blue-dyed rice, water beads, or shredded blue tissue paper “ocean waves.” Your children will need to dig through to find each piece before they can put their shark back together. Great for sensory exploration and builds fine motor skills and focus as they search and sort.

Baby Shark Movement Game: Before sticking anything down, lay all the pieces out. Put on Baby Shark and every time a new shark is mentioned (Baby, Mama, Daddy, Grandma, Grandpa) your little ones do a different action and stick one piece down. Baby shark = snap hands together, mama shark = big arm stretch, daddy shark = jump etc…  Adds a bit of fun movement to your crafting session AND builds listening skills!

Shark Week Display: One for the classrooms! Shark Week happens every summer and this could be a great activity for it! Once everyone’s built their shark, create an ocean wall display together – each child adds their shark to a shared underwater scene, with their name and one shark fact they’ve learned if they’re able. Great for building a sense of pride and community.

How Many Teeth?: Did you know sharks can have up to 300 teeth at a time – and keep growing new ones their whole lives?! Share this fact with your little ones before or after building, then count together using small objects like dried pasta or pebbles as “teeth” lined up on the shark’s mouth. A fun way to practice some counting and one-to-one correspondence.

Describe and Build: A partner activity! Lay all the pieces out face-up. One child describes a piece without pointing (“it’s triangle-shaped and goes on the top…”) while their partner finds it and places it. Take turns until the shark is complete. Brilliant for vocabulary, listening, and turn-taking.

Ocean Habitat Scene: Get your little ones to stick their finished shark onto a plain piece of paper and draw or collage an ocean habitat around it – fish, coral, seaweed, a sunken treasure chest… Great for creative expression and links beautifully to a science or ocean animals unit.

Shark Puppet Show: Laminate the finished shark and attach a popsicle stick to the back. Now it’s a puppet! Your little ones can use it in imaginative play, put on a show, or use it to retell a story. Great for language development, storytelling, and creative play.

Whether you use this as a simple cut and paste craft, a centerpiece for your Shark Week activities, part of an ocean animals unit, or the star of a puppet show – I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.

Enjoy – and let’s nurture those neurons!