Are you ready to celebrate the amazing turtle? Then, look no further than this Turtle Craft for Preschool! Print your turtle templates and break out your creative supplies! This craft is great for building fine motor skills and boosting creativity. While we should always feel free to celebrate the turtle, a great time is May 23rd, which is World Turtle Day! Come check out some great turtle books, turtle facts, and your printable turtle craft.
Materials Needed:
cardstock paper/printable turtle cutouts (print below!)
Dot Dot markers/crayons/glitter/watercolors
Turtle Craft for Preschool!
Step 1: Print your turtle template onto cardstock paper. There are two templates from which to choose. One template is a turtle with a plain shell, this give your the chance to decorate the shell any way you like. The second template is a turtle with a patterned shell, this gives you the chance to color in a fun design. Use scissors to cut out your chosen template.
Step 2: Decorate your turtle! This is the fun part! Use whatever creative supplies you like the best. My personal favorite supply to use with this craft is Dot Dot markers. Remember, you can also use poms poms, glitter, markers, watercolors, crayons, nuudles, and more! This craft goes great with a lesson about the color green. Use specifically green supplies to color in your turtle.
Step 3: Use scissors to cut across the dotted line on your turtle’s shell. Once you’ve cut to the middle of the shell, use tape shift the dotted line to the right. Use a piece of tape to stick the shell in place. Now, your turtle has a real curvy shell!
Show Off Your Turtle Craft!
Be sure to hang your turtle somewhere that needs a bit of turtle cheer! If you did this craft with your entire class, be sure to pin your turtles with tacks to a large display board! Head to All Turtles to discover what World Turtle Day is all about. Discover turtle facts, turtle species, where you can adopt a turtle, and 16 ways to draw a turtle! Check out the Shark Craft for Preschool for another exciting under water animal craft!
Turtle Books for Preschool
A great way to celebrate the exciting turtle is by picking up a good book! Reading with your little ones is a great way to build vocabulary skills, build a social connection, and discover potential interests! Read “Turtle Island”, “The Box Turtle”, and “Turtle in a Tree”. These books are great to read to round out your turtle lesson!
10 Simple Turtle Facts for Preschool
1. Turtles don’t have teeth. They use their beak-like mouths to grasp at food.
2. Turtle shells are made of over 50 bones fused together. Check out this video full of turtle facts!
3. Turtles vary in size, some are small and some are large. The largest turtle ever was found to weigh 2,019 pounds!
4. Half of the turtles in the ocean have ingested plastic, mistaking it for food. This is why we must work hard to keep our oceans clean! We should never throw trash into the ocean.
5. There are 7 species of marine turtle.
6. Marine turtles have been around a long time. They lived alongside the dinosaurs!
7. Turtle beaks are made out of keratin. That’s the same stuff our finger nails are made out of!
8. Turtles have light and spongy bones that help them to float.
9. Turtles lay eggs and bury them in the sand. When it’s time little turtles hatch from the eggs.
10. Turtles live in the ocean and eat a variety of things including: seaweed, crab, fish, shrimp, and sea mollusks.
Grab My Favorite Supplies!
The best supplies for this craft are cardstock paper, Dot Dot markers, and watercolors!
Print your Free Turtle Craft Template below!
We hope you enjoyed this Turtle Craft for Preschool! Be sure to head to the entire Preschool Craft Library for tons of great printable crafts!