Grab your scissors, glue, and get ready to dive into an underwater world of creativity with these exciting octopus craft ideas! Not only are octopuses fascinating creatures, but they are also a lot of fun as the star of a craft or other octopus activities.
Whether your students are learning about the ocean, getting excited about marine animals, or simply in the mood for a fun art project, octopus crafts are a surefire way to engage their imagination and bring the ocean floor to life.
So, roll up your sleeves, take a trip under the sea, and let your creativity swirl like an octopus spinning through the ocean currents.
13 Creative and Cute Octopus Craft Ideas for the Classroom
You’ll find the list of our favorite octopus craft ideas below, but before we get to the octopus crafts for kids, here are a few fun facts you might not know about our ocean friend the octopus!
Octopus Information for Kids
Here are some fun octopus facts to share with your students while they are trying out these octopus craft ideas!
No Bones About It!
Octopuses are true invertebrates, meaning they have no bones in their body.
This incredible feature allows them to gracefully slip into minuscule spaces and crevices, staying out of reach from predators.
A Trio of Hearts
Not just one or two, but three hearts pump life through an octopus’s body.
Two branchial hearts send blood to the gills for oxygenation, while the systemic heart distributes this oxygen-rich blood throughout its being.
Interestingly, the systemic heart pauses its rhythm while an octopus swims, revealing their preference for crawling to escape predators.
Octopus Books for the Classroom
Here are some of our favorite non-fiction octopus books for kids to learn more fun facts about octopuses!
  |   |   |
  |   |   |
Blue Blooded Beauties
Adapted to the deep sea, octopuses boast blue blood! Unlike humans, they have copper-based blood, which gives it a distinctive hue and helps them survive in the ocean’s dark depths.
Masters of Disguise
Get ready to be astonished! Octopuses are true disguise geniuses, capable of changing the color and texture of their skin in mere seconds.
This remarkable skill allows them to seamlessly blend with their surroundings, making them elusive targets for would-be hunters.
Brains Galore!
Octopuses aren’t just brainy; they have a total of nine brains.
Alongside their central brain, each of their eight arms has a mini-brain, granting them the incredible ability to process information and independently control movements in each arm. Multitasking at its finest!
Intellectual Superstars
Widely regarded as one of the most intelligent non-human species, octopuses have both short-term and long-term memory capabilities.
Their learning abilities extend to both observation and experience, enabling them to exhibit stunning cognitive feats.
Venomous Hunters
A stealthy hunter indeed! Most octopuses, except for the Cirroteuthidae species, possess venom.
Octopuses use this potent weapon to paralyze their prey, securing a delicious meal.
Nurturing Mothers
The female octopus lays an impressive number of eggs, up to 400,000.
She diligently guards and cares for her precious brood until they hatch, often foregoing eating during this critical period.
Speedy Swimmers
Don’t underestimate an octopus’ grace. Octopuses can jet-propel themselves by expelling water from their bodies, reaching swift speeds of up to 25 miles per hour.
Octopus Lesson Resources
Use these octopus classroom supplies and products to go along with your octopus STEM lessons!
  |   |   |   |
 |  |  |  |
  |   |   |   |
If you need more inspiration for your octopus lessons, check out these octopus lesson plans!
Brief Lives, Lasting Impressions
Depending on the species, octopuses can live anywhere from six months to a few years. The remarkable Giant Pacific Octopus boasts a more extended life span, living up to five years.
Amazing Vision
Octopuses prove that living in the deep ocean doesn’t mean compromising on eyesight.
Their excellent vision allows them to detect polarized light, enhancing their perception of contrast and giving them an edge in spotting both prey and predators.
Octopus STEM Kits
These octopus STEM kits teach kids how different parts of an octopus works and offer another fun hands-on octopus STEM activity for kids to learn about the amazing octopus!
|   |
  |   |
If you need even more extensions for your octopus STEM activities, check out these octopus lesson plans!
Add an Educational Element to Your Octopus Craft Ideas
Combined with these octopus craft ideas, you can also add some of the activities below to learn more about the octopus!
- Octopus Activity for Kids: Build a LEGO Octopus with Bricks You Already Have!
- Exciting Under the Sea Octopus STEM Activities for Kids!
- Why Doesn’t An Octopus Have Bones? Octopus Science Experiment
- Adaptations of Octopuses Lesson
Octopus Shirts for Teachers
Check out these super fun octopus shirts you can wear during your octopus lessons!
 |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |
What Do Kids Learn Doing Crafts?
Crafting isn’t just a fun way for kids to spend their time; it also comes with a multitude of benefits that can contribute significantly to a child’s development. Here are some of the main things kids learn doing octopus craft ideas.
Working on crafts helps children develop fine motor skills. Cutting with scissors, drawing, painting, and threading beads on a string all require control and precision.
Crafting activities can significantly improve a child’s hand-eye coordination. Activities like cutting out shapes or coloring within lines require children to use their vision in coordination with their hand movements.
Crafts often require kids to follow certain steps in a specific order. This helps them learn to concentrate, focus on the task at hand, and develop patience.
Many craft activities involve skills like counting, recognizing shapes and colors, and following instructions, all of which are useful in academic learning, which is why we almost always include a craft or design element in our projects at STEAMsational!
The Best Octopus Craft Ideas for Kids of All Ages
Here is the list of some of the most fun and most accurate octopus crafts for kids that you’ll find anywhere online!
13 Creative Octopus Crafts for Kids
If you are tired of the same 4 octopus craft ideas, then you'll be pleased to see that the octopus crafts on this list are new and different octopus art activities!
Check out this list of octopus themed crafts and start planning your octopus lesson plans now!
Discover how to build a LEGO octopus using classic bricks. Our step-by-step guide makes creating your marine masterpiece easy and fun.
Learn and craft at the same time! Learn how to make a 3D octopus craft that shows every stage of an octopus' life cycle.
Create a model of octopus chromatophores and explore how they work to change the color and appearance of octopuses. It's a fun learning octopus craft!
Octonation is an excellent resource for learning about octopuses and their octopus activity book for kids is perfect for octopus craft ideas!
Make the most realistic octopus craft possible out of pipe cleaners or chenille stems using this easy octopus craft tutorial!
This realistic octopus can be made from polymer clay and baked or you can make it from reusable dough.
This octopus coloring book has realistic octopus images that you can print and distribute as an easy octopus craft!
Make adorable octopuses with easy with a simple octopus resin mold!
Follow along with this tutorial to learn how to make a more realistic-looking paper octopus craft.
This tutorial can teach kids how to make a semi-realistic octopus craft from play dough or other reusable dough!
This octopus art project is easy and has a printable template, making it an ideal activity to engage your students and keep them occupied during class time.
Follow this tutorial to create a realistic octopus that can really move!