7 DIY Shark Crafts for Ocean Adventures (That Won’t Bite)

Sharks get a bad rap. Thanks to a certain movie from the 70s, we’ve all been a little terrified of what’s lurking beneath the waves. But honestly? Sharks are just the coolest, most misunderstood goofballs of the ocean. They’re the reason we have a killer week every summer, and honestly, their aesthetic is unmatched.

I’ve got a bit of a shark problem myself. My bathroom is basically a museum of shark teeth I’ve collected (don’t ask where I got them), and my bookshelf is sagging under the weight of shark books. So, when my niece asked me to do some crafting with her last weekend, I knew we had to bring the apex predators to the craft table.

I’ve rounded up 7 of my absolute favorite DIY shark crafts that are perfect for your next ocean-themed adventure, whether it’s for a kids’ birthday party, a classroom project, or just a rainy Tuesday. These projects are all about fun, a little bit of mess, and zero chance of getting bitten. Let’s get started!

1. The Pool Noodle Shark: Your New Best Friend

Ever wondered what to do with those pool noodles at the end of summer besides shoving them back in the garage closet? I have the answer, and it’s glorious.

This craft is my absolute favorite because it’s ridiculously easy and results in a shark that’s bigger than most of the kids making it. It’s a total statement piece.

What You’ll Need:

• One pool noodle (any color, but gray is obviously superior)
• A sharpie (for drawing)
• White and black cardstock (or foam sheets, if you’re feeling fancy)
• Scissors (the sharper, the better)
• Duct tape or hot glue (I’m a hot glue gal myself, but if kids are involved, maybe stick with tape)

The “How-To”:

1. Shape the snout. Take your pool noodle and, about 3-4 inches from one end, use your hands to gently pinch the sides together. You want to create that classic pointed shark nose shape. Don’t worry if it doesn’t stay perfectly; we’re about to fix that.
2. Tape it up. Take a piece of duct tape and wrap it tightly around the pinched part to hold that new, pointy shape. It should now look like a shark torpedo.
3. Create the dorsal fin. Cut a triangle out of your gray or white cardstock. Make it decently sized—this is the shark’s main fin, after all!
4. Attach the fin. Cut a small slit on the top of the pool noodle (about midway down) and slide the base of your triangle fin into it. Secure it with a dab of hot glue or a little piece of tape. FYI, hot glue on a pool noodle is a bit of a gamble, but it usually holds if you’re careful!
5. Make the teeth and eyes. Cut out a row of jagged, scary (or silly) teeth from the white cardstock. For the eyes, cut out two white circles and two smaller black circles for the pupils.
6. Glue on the face. Attach the teeth to the front/bottom of the pointy end. Stick the eyes on the sides.
7. Go for a swim! You now have a pool noodle shark. Toss it in the pool, the bathtub, or just use it as a very aggressive room decoration. 😀

2. Shark Fin Bookmark: For Sharp Readers

If you’re like me, you’re always losing your place in a book. And if that book happens to be about sharks, why not use a shark to save your spot? It’s poetic, really.

These little guys are quick to make and are the perfect little gift for the bookworm in your life. Plus, they poke out of the top of your book looking super menacing.

Materials:

• Gray craft foam (this is key because it’s durable)
• A smaller piece of white craft foam
• Googly eyes (the wiggly kind are non-negotiable IMO)
• Scissors
• Craft glue

Let’s Make It:

1. Cut the shark body. From the gray foam, cut a simple shark shape. Think of a slightly curved triangle or a chubby “U” shape. The bottom should be flat or slightly curved. This needs to be about 3-4 inches tall.
2. Cut the belly. Cut a smaller, similar shape from the white foam. This will be the shark’s belly. Glue it onto the bottom half of the gray shark body.
3. Add the dorsal fin. If your shark body doesn’t have a pointy fin on top, cut a small triangle from the gray scraps and glue it to the back.
4. The face! Glue on those googly eyes. For the mouth, either cut a thin crescent shape from white foam for teeth, or simply draw a mouth with a sharpie and color in some teeth with white out or a white paint pen.
5. Final step. The key here is that the bottom of the shark should be a flat edge. This allows it to sit perfectly on the corner of a page. Slide it onto the page you want to save, and his little fin will be sticking up, warning other readers to back off.

3. Paper Plate Shark: The Classic, But Better

Okay, I know what you’re thinking. “A paper plate shark? Groundbreaking.” But hold your horses! This isn’t your average, flimsy preschool craft. We’re adding a little dimension to make it pop.

This is the perfect project if you have a bunch of paper plates lying around and need a 10-minute win.

Grab This Stuff:

• One sturdy paper plate
• Gray paint and a paintbrush
• Scissors
• Black and white construction paper
• Glue stick
• A black marker

Craft Time:

1. Paint it gray. Go to town on that plate. You might need two coats to cover up the “plate-y” look. Let it dry completely. (This is the longest part, I won’t lie to you.)
2. Cut a wedge. Once dry, fold the plate in half. Now, cut a triangle-shaped wedge out of the folded side. When you open the plate, you’ll have a neat, symmetrical mouth-shaped gap.
3. Create the teeth. Unfold the plate and cut a row of zig-zag teeth from your white paper. Glue this along the inside edge of the “mouth” on one half of the plate.
4. Re-fold and secure. Fold the plate back in half, so the teeth are now on the inside of the mouth.
5. Eyes and fins. Cut out eyes from the black and white paper and glue them onto the top half of the plate (the shark’s head). From your leftover gray paper (or more painted plate scraps), cut out a dorsal fin and some side pectoral fins. Glue the dorsal fin on the top back, and the side fins on the inside or outside of the fold.
6. Voila! You have a snapping shark puppet! Stick your hand in the back and make him chomp. Hours of entertainment, guaranteed.

4. Shark Cootie Catcher / Fortune Teller

Let’s take a trip back to the 90s playground. The fortune teller, or cootie catcher, was the pinnacle of elementary school technology. It’s time to give it a shark-themed upgrade.

This is a great boredom buster. Instead of predicting true love or a long life, your shark can predict what kind of fish you’ll eat for dinner or if you’re destined to be a great white.

You Will Need:

• One square piece of paper (origami paper is perfect, but you can cut computer paper into a square)
• Markers or crayons
• Scissors (optional)

Fold It Up:

1. Start with a square. If you’re using rectangular paper, fold one corner over to make a triangle and cut off the excess strip. Now you have a square!
2. Fold in half diagonally both ways, then unfold so you have an “X” crease.
3. Fold all four corners into the center. This makes a smaller square.
4. Flip it over. Fold all four corners into the center again. You should now have an even smaller square.
5. Fold it in half (both ways) to make the pockets.
6. The Shark-ification: Now for the fun part. Color the outside flaps gray. On the four inner flaps (the ones your fingers go into), draw some pointy teeth. Open it up and on the eight inner triangles, draw different ocean creatures (fish, squid, a surfer’s silhouette… kidding! …mostly). On the very outer points, write numbers 1-8.
7. Pinch and Play. Put your fingers into the pockets and bring the points together. Now you have a chomping shark head ready to tell your future!

5. The “Baby Shark” Finger Puppets

I know, I know. The song is going to be stuck in your head for a week just from reading this. You’re welcome. But if you have little ones (or if you’re an adult who unironically loves the song, no judgment here), these finger puppets are a must.

They are tiny, adorable, and perfect for a sing-along that will either delight or annoy everyone in a 50-mile radius.

Materials:

• Colored felt (gray, blue, pink, and white)
• Fabric glue or a hot glue gun
• Scissors
• A black sharpie or small googly eyes

Making the Family:

1. Cut the bodies. For each puppet, cut a simple shark fin shape out of gray felt. It should look like a triangle with a rounded bottom. The bottom needs to be long enough to wrap around a finger.
2. Add the bellies. Cut smaller, similar shapes from white felt and glue them onto the front of the gray bodies.
3. The faces. Glue on tiny googly eyes, or draw them with a sharpie. Use a pink felt scrap to cut out tiny mouths for Mommy Shark and Baby Shark. For Daddy Shark, maybe give him a toothy grin.
4. Add the fins. For the smaller sharks (Baby and Mommy), just the one top fin is fine. For Daddy Shark, cut a tiny extra fin and glue it on top of his head. For Grandma and Grandpa, maybe add some white felt “eyebrows” or spectacles.
5. Form the ring. Once the glue is dry, put a dab of glue on one inside edge of the puppet’s bottom and press it against the other side, forming a ring that fits around your finger. Use a clothespin to hold it while it dries.
6. Do do do do do do. Put on a show. You have no excuse now.

6. Wine Cork Shark: For the Adult Crafters

This one is for the grown-ups. After the kids are in bed, and you’ve finished that bottle of wine (for the craft, obviously), you can make these impossibly cute little sharks. They’re the perfect size for a bookshelf knick-knack or even a homemade ornament for a beach-themed Christmas tree.

I made a few of these last year, and I have to say, they are ridiculously satisfying to make.

What You Need:

• Clean, dry wine corks (natural cork works best)
• A sharp craft knife (please be careful, I sliced my finger open on the first one I made… sarcasm intended, but seriously, be safe)
• Gray and white acrylic paint
• A tiny paintbrush
• Black marker or micro-tip paint pen
• Tacky glue

Steps to Shark Greatness:

1. Shape the nose. This is the tricky part. Using your craft knife, very carefully whittle one end of the cork to a rounded point. You’re basically creating the shark’s snout. Go slow and take off small bits at a time.
2. Paint it gray. Give your shark a couple of coats of gray paint. Let it dry thoroughly between coats.
3. Paint the belly. Paint the bottom third or so of the cork white to create the classic shark underbelly. Try to get a clean line where the gray meets the white.
4. Create the fins. From thin cardboard or a thick piece of paper, cut out tiny fin shapes. You’ll need one dorsal fin for the top and two small pectoral fins for the sides. Paint these gray.
5. Attach the fins. Using your tacky glue, carefully attach the dorsal fin to the top back of the cork and the two pectoral fins to the sides.
6. Add the face. Use your black marker or paint pen to add two tiny, beady eyes on the sides of the snout. You can also add a small gill line with the marker.
7. Admire your tiny predator. He’s small, but he’s fierce. These also make great little place card holders for a dinner party. Just write the guest’s name on a tiny piece of paper and have the shark hold it in his mouth.

7. Rock Shark: The Pet That Won’t Die

This is for all of us who have killed a houseplant or a goldfish. The rock shark requires zero maintenance, won’t try to eat your other pets, and is always happy to see you. Plus, it’s a great excuse to go outside and find a cool rock.

Seriously, this is the ultimate low-effort, high-reward craft.

Gather Your Supplies:

• One smooth, oval or egg-shaped rock (from your garden, a beach, or a craft store)
• Gray acrylic paint
• White acrylic paint
• Black acrylic paint (or a black sharpie)
• Paintbrushes
• Optional: Clear sealer (to make it shiny and waterproof)

Let’s Paint a Pet:

1. Clean your rock. Wash off any dirt and let it dry completely. A dirty rock is a sad rock.
2. Base coat. Paint the entire rock gray. You might need a couple of coats for full coverage. Set it aside to dry. This is a great time to find another rock to paint because you know you’re going to want to make a whole family.
3. Paint the belly. On the bottom half of one side of the rock, paint a white, oval-shaped belly.
4. Eyes and gills. Paint two white circles for the eyes on the top half of the rock. Once dry, add a smaller black dot in the middle for the pupil. With your black paint or sharpie, draw a small curved line for the gill slit near the back of the “head.”
5. The mouth (optional). You can give your shark a tiny smile, or if you’re feeling bold, a slightly open mouth with a tiny pointed tooth.
6. Seal the deal. If you want your pet to last forever, spray it with a clear acrylic sealer. This will protect your hard work and give it a nice sheen.
7. Name your new friend. Mine is named Gerald. He lives on my desk and keeps me company while I work. He’s the best coworker I’ve ever had.

Time to Get Crafty!

So there you have it—seven ways to bring the ocean’s top predators into your home without needing a massive saltwater tank. Whether you’re a pool noodle master or a rock-painting pro, there’s a shark craft here with your name on it.

Which one are you going to try first? Personally, I’m leaning towards making another batch of wine cork sharks. I might need to buy a few more bottles of wine for “research purposes,” obviously. 😉

Happy crafting, my fellow ocean adventurers! Go make something awesome, and don’t forget to tag me in your creations—I’d love to see your sharky masterpieces!