Little Mermaid Activities for Preschoolers
We’re kicking off our Disney Preschool at Home with A-A-Ariel and 23 fun and easy Little Mermaid Activities for Preschoolers. This is perfect for the mermaid lover or little girl in your life. The first activity we do at the start of the week is color our super letter theme sheet for “A” letter identification practice. You can also download the entire Disney ABC set below to follow along with us.
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Planning a Little Mermaid party? Check out these mermaid party ideas and Little Mermaid party activities too!
Mermaid Magic: Themed Books to Read
Books are great, but spending tons of money and space to store them is not. In lieu of buying tons of books for each week’s theme, I am using e-books found on Amazon FreeTime. With over 16,000 books, apps and games for kids, and as little as $3.99 a month, this is a great resource for homeschooling parents. If you use this link to sign up you can also receive a free 30 day trial to test it out. All of these books are available for download via Amazon FreeTime.
- Part of their World
- Legend of the Blue Mermaid
- The Pout Pout Fish
- Misunderstood Shark
- What Can Live in the Ocean
- Shark Surprise (Don’t Judge a Fish by it’s fin!)
Mermaid Activity Sensory Bin
Sensory activities are tons of fun and a great way to encourage creativity and independent play. Our ocean themed bins included rice (dyed blue), rocks, sea shells, gems and shell shaped pasta. I also included an Ariel and Flounder toy to stick with our Little Mermaid theme. For my Kindergartener, I drew numbers and letters on the sea shells for her to review.
Bubbles Counting Game
We practiced our counting skills by popping bubbles. I used this bubble machine and turned on ‘Under the Sea’. We had a contest to see who could pop the most bubbles and also practice counting.
Awesome Mermaid Crafts: DIY Paper Plate Jellyfish
For our art activity this week, we made jellyfish using paper plates, paper, ribbons, googly eyes and glue. To make the swirling tentacles, I drew a circle design for my daughter to cut along.
We glued the paper and ribbon and then sandwiched the other half of the paper plate on top, also securing with staples along the bottom to ensure everything stayed together. Many of these craft supplies we already had at home. This fun craft was great for working on fine motor skills.
Treasure Map Hunt
This week we discussed the importance of being able to follow a map to find something. What better way to implement this lesson than to make treasure maps! I hand drew an easy map for each child.
My Kindergartener had sight words to find, while my 3 yr old had numbers to follow in sequential order. I used sticky notes to label things in our home and at the end, they found our treasure box and were able to pick out a prize. They had such a great time during this mermaid game activity.
Mermaid Body Trace Activity
I used banner paper to trace my daughters’ bodies. Instead of giving them two separate legs, I had them keep their knees/ankles together and turned their feet into a mermaid tail. I supplied them with water color paints to design their masterpiece.
This is a simple craft that kept them busy for a while. They spent two hours painting their life size mermaid portraits, so a total win for us!
Simple Addition with Jewel Counters
For my 3 year old, these acrylic jewels were the perfect way to practice counting, but for my Kindergartener we worked on addition skills up to 10. These gems were a huge hit and are incredibly affordable. I plan to use these with lots of our themes so they’re also a great investment long term.
5-Day Lesson Plan with The Little Mermaid: Exploring Imagination and the Ocean
Day 1: Introduction to Ariel and the Ocean
- Craft: Make a Paper Plate Mermaid Twirler -or- Jellyfish Paper Plate Craft
- Use paper plates and a free printable template to create a mermaid.
- Activity: Introduce The Little Mermaid Story
- Read a Little Mermaid picture book or tell the story.
- Snack: “Under the Sea” Fruit Snacks
- Enjoy fish-shaped fruit.
Day 2: Mermaid Party Etiquette and Creativity
- Craft: Create a Mermaid Wand
- Use craft sticks, ribbon, and glitter for a fun mermaid wand.
- Educational Activity: Discuss Manners
- Talk about polite behavior like Ariel at the human dinner table.
- Snack: Mermaid Tea Party
- Serve “ocean” blue punch and mini sandwiches.
Day 3: Ariel’s Underwater Math and Creativity
- Craft: Craft a Magic Seashell Necklace
- Use beads and string to make a seashell necklace.
- Educational Activity: Count and Sort “Sea Treasures”
- Use colored beads or buttons for sorting and counting.
- Snack: “Starfish” Sandwiches
- Cut sandwiches into star shapes.
Day 4: Kindness and Helping Others
- Activity: Discuss Kindness
- Talk about helping friends, just like Ariel helps her friends.
- Craft: Make “Kindness Shells”
- Write positive messages on paper shells.
- Snack: Cheese and Apples
- Enjoy cheese and apples like Ariel’s friends Flounder and Sebastian.
Day 5: Enchanted Mermaid Hunt and Dress-Up Day
- Activity: Mermaid Treasure Hunt
- Hide treasures around the house for a fun hunt.
- Craft: Decorate Your Own Mermaid Tiara
- Use craft supplies to make a mermaid tiara.
- Snack: “Mermaid Tail” Cookies
- Enjoy cookies shaped like mermaid tails.
Throughout the week, your little one will immerse themselves in Ariel’s world, exploring imagination, manners, and the joy of storytelling. End the week with a magical Little Mermaid movie night!
Each of these creative ideas is designed for preschoolers to captivate their imagination and instill important values while having fun. Enjoy this enchanting week of learning and play!
More Fun Mermaid Crafts & Themed Activities for Preschoolers
Here are some more fun activities and cute mermaid crafts for preschoolers and young children. These ideas could easily be incorporated into a Little Mermaid week of lessons or even a mermaid birthday party for kids of all ages.
Jellyfish in a Bottle or Mason Jars
Toilet Paper Rolls Mermaid Craft
DIY Mermaid Crafts: Paper Plate Collage
Wavy Popsicle Stick Mermaid Puppet
Disney Preschool at Home
A – Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) -or- Ariel (Little Mermaid)
B – Belle (Beauty and the Beast)
C – Cinderella
D – Dumbo
E – Eva (Wall-E)
F – Fairies
G – Genie
H – Hei Hei (Moana)
I – Inside Out
J – Jack Skellington
K – Kevin (Up)
L – Lilo or Lightning McQueen
M – Monster’s Inc
N – Nemo (Finding Nemo)
O – Olaf (Frozen)
P – Pascal (Tangled)
Q – Queen of Hearts (Alice in Wonderland)
R – Raya
S – Snow White
T – Tiana (The Princess and the Frog)
U – Ursula
V – Vanellope von Schweetz (Wreck-It Ralph)
W – Woody
X – Rex (Toy Story)
Y – Yzma (The Emperor’s New Groove)
Z – Zootopia
***All copyrights and trademarks of the character images and references used belong to their respective owners. This is not a licensed product. I do not claim ownership to any of the characters/graphics used in this free printable download. I do not claim ownership of any of the movies or characters mentioned in my preschool at home activities.
