Ocean Sensory & Toddler Storytime
Get ready to swim, splash, and play! Choose two of the following ocean-themed sensory storytime books and pair them with a few of these songs, crafts, and sensory play ideas for more engagement and fun in your next Toddler or Sensory Storytime for ages two and up.
Visit The Youth Desk’s Sensory Storytime page for a complete sensory storytime overview and more detailed guidance.
Ocean Toddler & Sensory Storytime Books
Ocean Sensory Storytime Songs & Rhymes
Here are my favorite ocean and under-the-sea-themed songs and rhymes for toddlers and children of all abilities.
The Goldfish by The Laurie Berkner Band
Play the song and sing and dance along!
The Fish in the Sea with Scarves
Sing to the tune of “The Wheels on the Bus” and encourage kids to swish scarves along with you. Placing a picture of each sea creature (fish, waves, dolphins, sand) on a flannel or magnet board is also helpful.
The fish in the sea go swish, swish, swish (wave scarf side to side)
Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish
The fish in the sea go swish, swish, swish
All day long
The waves on the sea go up and down (wave scarf up and down)…
The dolphins in the sea swim round and round (wave scarf in a circle)…
The sand in the sea drifts down, down, down (slowly lower scarf or throw scarf and watch it drift to the floor)…
Five Little Jellyfish Flannel Board
Place five colorful jellyfish on a board and take one away when appropriate. You can also swap out jellyfish for starfish, dolphins, etc.
Five little jellyfish swimming by the shore
The yellow one got lost and that left four
Four little jellyfish swimming in the sea
The blue one swam far, far away and that left three
Three little jellyfish in the ocean so blue
The red one took a seahorse ride and that left two
Two little jellyfish swimming in the sun
The orange one took a dive and that left one
One little green jellyfish swimming all alone
It was time for him to go home and that left none!
(Credit: Narrating Tales of Preschool Storytime)
Bubble Bubble Pop
Place flannel or cardstock printouts of colorful fish on a board as you sing.
One little red fish swimming in the water (Hold up one finger, then swim hands)
Swimming in the water, swimming in the water (Swim hands)
One little red fish swimming in the water (Hold up one finger, then swim hands)
Bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble, POP! (Cup hands like holding a bubble and make them bigger, bigger, and clap!)
Two little yellow fish…
Three little blue fish…
Sharky-Pokey
Put your shark fins in, put your shark fins out
Put your shark fins in and swim them all about
Do the sharky-pokey and swim yourself around
That’s what it’s all about
Put your teeth in…chomp them all bout…
Put your tail fins in…shake it all about…
Ocean Sensory Play & Craft Activities
Ending Sensory Storytime with free play provides children and their caregivers with an excellent opportunity to explore and socialize. Set out any puppets or flannel board pieces you used during storytime for attendees to enjoy, and offer one of these great ocean-themed play activities.
Beach Sand Sensory Bin
Fill a bin with play sand, beach toys, and shells, and let kids scoop, sort, and sift. Kinetic Sand is my favorite sand for filling small bins, but Play Sand is more economical for larger ones, such as water tables or kiddie pools.
Painting Seashells
Provide each child with a seashell on a paper plate, a paintbrush, and dollops of paint. Place a container of baby wipes at each table for easy cleanup, and provide families with Ziploc bags or Dixie Cups to take their wet shells home to reduce mess. This 30-pack of white scallop shells from Amazon works great, or get wild with this multi-pack of mixed sea shells. Another option is to offer watercolor paint in an eyedropper. Instead of using a brush, your little artists can squeeze the eye droppers and watch the colors drip and blend. More tips for watercolor painting shells can be found at the blog Fun-A-Day, but know that even washable paint works on shells!
Ocean Playdough
Invite children to squeeze, mold, and create with seashells and playdough. In addition to being fun, manipulating playdough is a great way to build hand strength. In lieu of shells, you could use toy fish or other sea creatures.
Beach Bucket Toss
Set out 3-4 sand pails and a few objects to toss into them, such as balls, bean bags, or cute sea creatures.
