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This One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish Dr. Seuss Craft is easy to make with your preschooler and kindergartner and perfect for Dr. Seuss’ Birthday or National Read Across America Day.
One of my favorite Dr. Seuss books to read to my preschooler is One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish. This amazing little book teaches kids so many things, such as opposites, colors, and counting. Plus, as with all Dr. Seuss books, the rhymes just make the book so fun to read out loud!
Here is a cute One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue craft for preschoolers and kindergartners. This simple paper craft is a great opportunity to have your kids practice their scissor skills. They can arrange the fish on the paper plate however they want to make their own little aquarium!
How to Make the One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish Dr. Seuss Craft
Supplies:
- Free One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish template
- Colored construction papers
- Googly eyes
- Paper plate
- Black marker
- White school glue
- Pencil
- Scissors
Instructions:
1. Download and print the One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish template. Cut out all the pieces.
2. Trace the template pattern on colored construction paper. For all the fish, select a darker shade of the same color that you use for the body for the fin. You can use yellow or white construction paper for the One Fish, green for the Two Fish, and of course red for the Red Fish and blue for the Blue Fish.
Cut out all the template pieces.
3. Glue the fin cutout on the fish body. Make sure that the fin is pointing the right way with the “arrow” pointing toward the head of the fish.
4. Glue the googly eyes on the fish’s head. Then use a black marker to draw a mouth on all of your fish.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for all the fish.
6. Cut a circle out of blue paper that would fill the inner portion of the paper plate. If you want to be precise, you can use an additional paper plate, cut off its edges, and use it as the circle template for the blue construction paper.
Glue the blue circle on the inner part of the paper plate.
7. Glue the paper fish on the paper plate ocean to complete your One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish craft! You can also leave the fish loose and have your kids play with them while reading the book!
This Dr. Seuss craft can also serve as a simple fishbowl craft. Feel free to trace and cut out more paper fish to glue on the paper plate. Let your kids use their creativity and decorate their fishbowl with paint, pom poms, cotton balls, etc.
Why This Craft Works So Well for Dr. Seuss Day
This One Fish Two Fish craft hits a sweet spot that a lot of Dr. Seuss Day activities miss – it’s easy enough for preschoolers to do most of the work themselves, but the finished result looks like something you’d actually want to hang on the wall.
My daughter did hers mostly independently at age five. I traced the template pieces for her, and she handled the cutting, gluing, and decorating. She was so proud of that little fishbowl.
A few reasons this one keeps coming back to our Dr. Seuss Day lineup:
- It connects directly to the book. The one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish are all right there on the page. Kids instantly recognize them and love spotting each one as they glue them down.
- It teaches color and counting without feeling like a lesson. Four fish, four colors, and a whole lot of “wait, which one goes here?” That’s math and literacy happening in real time.
- It works as a reading activity. My kids would point at each fish while we reread the book together. You’d be surprised how much they retained.
Best Ages for This Craft
This Dr. Seuss One Fish Two Fish craft works best for kids ages 3–6, but here’s how to adjust it by age:
- Ages 3–4: Trace and pre-cut the template pieces for them. Let them handle the gluing and arranging – that’s where the fun is anyway.
- Ages 5–6: They can trace and cut the pieces themselves with a little supervision on the curves. Great scissor skills practice.
- Ages 7+: Challenge them to add their own fish designs, draw a seabed scene, or write their own rhyming fish names on each one.
When to Use This Craft
Obviously, Dr. Seuss Day (March 2) and Read Across America Week are the big moments for this one. But honestly? It works any time you pull the book off the shelf. Some families use it for:
- Fun counting activity for preschool math class
- Ocean or under-the-sea themed units
- Color recognition activities for preschool
- A simple paper plate craft for a rainy afternoon
How to Download the One Fish Two Fish Printable Template
Want the template ready to print?
I turned this into a free printable so you don’t have to trace anything. Just print, cut, and craft – your kids can take it from there.
It’ll land in your inbox in about 30 seconds.
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