Shark Activity For Kids

High-interest topics encourage kids to dive into learning with all of their energy. Excited kids are engaged kids, and sharks fascinate many kids. So, sharks are a perfect topic to explore with your students. That’s why I’m sharing this fun shark skin craft activity today!

This shark freebie is a really cool activity that integrates art, science, and writing. Have you ever wondered what a shark feels like? They are fish, but they don’t have scales in the same way that fish do. If you’ve ever touched a shark, you know they are somewhat rough and bumpy. In fact, they feel a lot like sandpaper.

Use the activity to talk about what sharks feel like. Sharks have a type of scales that aren’t like most fish. They’re covered in dermal denticles. If you run your hand in the direction the denticles lay, the skin feels fairly smooth. If you run your hand in the opposite direction, the skin will feel rough, bumpy, gritty, and scratchy.

In this activity, kids use a black marker to draw an outline of a shark. They then color a sheet of sandpaper with crayons, which the teacher or another adult helper irons onto their drawings. The crayon will transfer onto their drawings, giving their sharks a rough and bumpy feel.

After making the craft and discussing shark skin, your students can fill in the graphic organizer and write a paragraph summarizing what they know about shark skin.

Snag the fantastic free shark activity here.

It’s from my All About Sharks Mini Book. If you’re looking to dove deeper into sharks with your class, you can check it out here.

If you enjoyed this shark skin activity, you might also like these Arctic animal activities or this butterfly life cycle craft.