Ahoy there, mateys! Pirates are endlessly entertaining to kids. From the eye patches and peglegs to their funny way of talking, kids just love learning about and acting like pirates. Pirate crafts are great for preschoolers on Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19th), for parties, or any day of the year.
We compiled a list of some of the best pirate crafts for preschoolers here for your convenience. From slime and handprints to pirate hooks and sensory bottles, you’ll find a variety of hands-on pirate crafts to choose from.
Great Pirate Preschool Crafts
Whether you want to get messy or just use materials around the house to keep your child busy crafting, these activities will fit the bill. Just put on your hook, grab your sword, and bring your imagination onto the pirate ship as you and your child make these fun, engaging pirate preschool crafts.
What’s a pirate without water and treasure? This great craft provides both. Sensory bottles are great to create and even better to help kids focus and calm down when life gets a little overwhelming. This site provides instructions for 3 types of pirate sensory bottles on their page. Adding the ingredients is great for practice with fine motor skills and requires a good amount of focus.
The first bottle is the Sunken Treasure bottle. This bottle has sand, glitter, tiny shells, beads, sequins, and/or plastic jewels added to a water bottle. After your child has added everything they need, help fill the water bottle, add some blue food coloring (if desired), and glue the lid on to prevent spills.
The second type of bottle is the Water Bead Bottle. For this bottle, have your child add dried water beads to the jar. Add a bit of water to allow the beads to rehydrate. Then add beads, gems, small shells, and glitter. The third bottle this article suggests is the Floating Treasure bottle. The secret to this is some clear glue. The glue makes objects inside move a bit slower. Start with ½ cup of clear glue and then fill to ¾ full with water. Have your child(ren) add anything they want to the water, including gems, shells, sequins, glitter, small toys, etc. Glue the lid on and give it a shake. Kids will love watching the objects float and slowly sink to the bottom.
Use any of these bottles for a fun, interactive craft that kids can keep playing with for days on end. For more detailed information, check out Fun-a-day.com.
Materials
- Water bottles
- Glitter
- Craft sand
- Beads/Gems/Jewels
- Shells
- Dried blue water beads
- Clear glue
- Glue gun (to secure the lid)
Argh! Let’s make a pirate puppet. This paper bag pirate is perfect to go along with pirate stories or for whenever the mood strikes. First, print out the pirate template provided by MessyLittleMonster.com. Cut out all template pieces, trace onto colored paper(s), and cut out each piece. You will also need a block of colored construction paper (any color for your pirate’s shirt) and some long thin pieces to be the stripes of the shirt. Also, cut a long piece of brown for your pirate’s belt. You can also cut a hat or vest out of construction paper if desired.
Cut earrings and a belt out of gold craft foam. Start assembling your pirate by gluing each piece into its proper place. Add eyes, hats, a nose and mouth, belt, buckle, hat, bandana, sword, hook, and mustache, as desired to create the perfect pirate puppet. Now your child can act out their favorite pirate stories with their new puppet.
Materials:
- Paper bag
- Pirate templates
- Construction paper (various colors)
- Glue
- Scissors
- Marker
- Gold craft foam or construction paper
These adorable wooden spoon pirates are another pretend play option. Let kids act out their pirate adventures with a fun character or have them play along as you read their favorite tall tales.
Start by cutting out a bandana and a hat for your pirate. An adult may want to pre-cut these for younger kids and just have them do the assembly. Older preschoolers can practice their fine motor skills by cutting a pre-drawn shape out of paper. Glue these to the spoon end. Hold these in place for at least 30 seconds to ensure they adhere completely.
Glue on googly eyes and use white chalk to draw a skull and crossbones or dots on the black hat or bandana. Lastly, add as many details as desired to bring out the character of your pirate. This can include facial hair, a nose, and mouth, a mustache, and/or tufts of hair. Use a permanent marker to color your spoon handle any color(s) you want. Make it as unique as you are. For more details, visit IHeartCraftyThings.
Materials:
- Wooden spoon
- Permanent markers
- Glue
- Colored construction paper or cardstock
- Googly eyes
- White chalk
- Scissors
Yo, ho, ho. Here’s a fun craft that won’t take many materials at all. Cut out a half circle and 2 strips for the pirate’s head scarf. Cut and glue, or draw circles to decorate the head scarf. Draw and cut out black pieces of paper for eyebrows, a mustache, and a smile. If necessary, an adult can cut these out for young kids. Glue all the pieces to the paper plate in the proper order, including the head scarf, ties, eyes, eyebrows, mustache, and pom pom nose.
Next, cut strips of colored paper out of construction paper and cut a second paper plate in half. Glue the strips onto the half plate, leaving a space between each so that it looks like a striped shirt. Trim any overhanging paper to size. Glue the head onto the half plate so that it sits on the smaller side. Lastly, add a piece of felt and tuck it under the pirate’s “chin” to act as a scarf (if desired). That’s all there is to it. For pictures and more ideas, check out FindingDebra.
Materials:
- 2 white paper plates
- Construction paper or cardstock in various colors (red, black, white, and blue are used in the example)
- Scissors
- Glue
- Dark red felt (if desired)
- Googly eyes
- Red pom pom
What’s better than making a pirate from a paper plate? Making a pirate ship, of course. All you need for this fun craft is the template and simple supplies you likely have on hand. The first step is to paint the paper plate brown and print the template. Trace the shapes onto colored paper (2 yellow rectangles, 6 black circle windows, and one black sail). Add a skull and crossbones to the sail. Next, bend the plate in half. Glue three black windows onto each yellow rectangle and attach one rectangle to each half of the plate so it is identical from either side.
Lastly, attach the sail to a craft stick and secure the craft stick to the middle of the plate. You may need to cut a small hole for the stick to slide into so it stays. That’s all there is to it. Now you’re ready to display or use in pretend play and storytelling. This idea found on NonToyGifts is a great prop for pirate stories, which nearly always feature a pirate ship.
Materials:
- 1 paper plate
- Brown paint
- Yellow, black, and white construction paper or cardstock
- Craft stick
- Glue
- Scissors
- Pirate ship template
- Paintbrush
Every pirate needs a hook! Whether you are having a pirate-themed party or your child wants to bring out the full pirate experience, this pirate hook craft from TheTiptoeFairy is an excellent choice. This will require some help from an adult but kids will love being able to customize each piece along the way.
First, grab a paper cup. If your cup is not yet black, go ahead and paint the entire cup black. Once the cup is black and the paint is dry, (or if the cup was already black) paint a gold band around the open end of the cup. Either print the hook template or draw a large question mark without the dot onto a piece of cardboard and cut it out. Due to the thickness of cardboard, an adult may need to cut it if the child has trouble. Cut a slit in the bottom of the cup that is just large enough for the end of the hook to attach to.
Use aluminum foil cut into 1-inch strips to cover the entire length of the hook, leaving one inch at the bottom uncovered. Secure this with tape. Now, insert the non-foiled end of the hook into the slit in the cup. Bend the end flat inside the cup and secure it with tape. The final step is to add any decorations you desire. Use sequins, self-adhesive rhinestones, stickers, twine, or anything else you feel fits your hook. Be creative and make it as unique as you!
Materials:
- Paper cup (preferably black)
- Black and metallic gold paint
- Paintbrush
- Cardboard
- Hook template
- Aluminum foil
- Tape
- Scissors
- Adhesive rhinestones or sequins
This “handy” craft is easy to make and can be a fun keepsake to take home from a party, for use as a decoration, or to use to act out your favorite pirate tales. Start by tracing your child’s hand onto paper that mimics their skin color. Download the template from SimpleEverydayMom, if desired. Draw a line from the base of the thumb to the outer edge of the hand to create the skull cap and color this section whatever color you desire.
Draw another curved line across the base of all of the fingers. This will be the pirate’s beard. Color this black or brown. Cut a hat, skull, and eye patch out of construction paper using the template or creating your own. Glue the skull to the hat and then glue this to the top of the skull cap. Add one googly eye below the bandana and add the eye patch to the opposite eye. (For a visual, check out the website above.) Lastly, draw a nose and a mouth onto your pirate and you’re all done!
Materials:
- Colored construction paper (white, black, skin-color)
- Colored markers
- Googly eye
- Scissors
- Glue
- Pirate template(optional)
Slime is fun, allows for sensory learning, and is a great science activity. Playing with slime can help increase critical thinking as well as provides tactile stimulation, engaging kids in several ways at once. It also feels more like play than learning. Start by mixing ½ cup of water and ½ cup of clear glue into a bowl. Add yellow food coloring and glitter and stir until combined. Add ½ cup of laundry starch and mix.
Note: this will appear goopy but will change into a more slime-like consistency as you stretch and play with it.
To avoid a mess, an adult may want to work with the slime until it dries out some. But kids can also do this step, just be prepared for sticky, messy hands, which can be part of the fun. Lastly, add gems, jewels, or gold coins to complete your “treasure”. Use this for play or have kids sort and count the different types or colors of gems. Thanks to Steamsational.com for this fun idea. Check them out for more details and pictures.
Materials:
- Clear glue
- Water
- Yellow food coloring
- Glitter
- Liquid laundry starch
- Gems, jewels, gold coins (optional)
- Bowl
Shiver me timbers! You can’t be a respectable pirate without a hat. Thankfully, this craft requires few materials and is quick and easy. Grab a sheet of black construction paper and fold the outside edges inward to form equal thirds. Trace the shape of a pirate hat on the two outside portions of the paper. Cut the sides of the center third to the width of your paper cup.
Now, paint or color the paper cup black. Using a marker will speed up the drying time but paint provides better coverage, so it’s up to you. Place glue all along the rim of the cup and glue to the inner section of your black construction paper. Next, cut a skull and crossbones out of white construction paper and add them to the front of your hat. Add eyes with a black marker. All that’s left is to glue the two flaps to the cup and let it dry. Now you have a great pirate hat for a party or pretend play. Check out Easy-Crafts-For-Kids for more details.
Materials:
- Black and white construction paper
- Paper or Styrofoam cup
- Black paint or marker
- Paintbrush
- Scissors
- Glue
Toilet paper rolls are a craft staple and are an excellent way of recycling materials. Grab a couple empty rolls and make your pirate and parrot friend for pretend play or to decorate. Check out ArtsyCraftsyMom for more details and ideas.
Cut strips of brown, red, and black out of construction paper and glue these to the first cardboard roll. Start with brown for the pirate’s skin, then add red for a shirt, and finally black pants at the bottom. Use patterned crepe paper to the top as a bandana. Now, draw scary, friendly, or crazy facial features onto the brown paper portion. Don’t forget to add an eye patch and beard stubble. Carefully tear the edge of the black paper to make the pirate look disheveled and add a crepe paper scarf to match the bandana. The messier, the better!
For the parrot, use half a toilet paper roll covered in green paper. Tape some feathers to the sides and one on the inside for the parrot’s head. Lastly, add a beak and googly eyes to the front of the roll. Now your pirate has a best buddy! Let the fun begin.
Materials:
- Cardboard toilet paper rolls
- Patterned crepe paper
- Colored construction paper (example includes brown, red, black, green, and yellow)
- Markers
- Scissors
- Glue
- Feathers
- Googly eyes
- Tape
Conclusion
Avast ye, mateys! We’ve included a bunch of crafts to make for your pirate theme. Pick one or all to add to your daily fun! Kids will love the variety of crafts and all are great for story retelling or pretend play. Craft away and then turn your lads and lassies loose and let their imaginations run wild. Argh, thanks for stopping in!
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