Sharks became my son’s obsession in First Grade. Kindergarten was his Lego obsession which definitely continued into First grade, but in First Grade he met some friends in California who loved sharks and his inkling of an interest blossomed. They formed a “fish club” at school and suddenly he was pouring over Shark books late into the night. Four years later, heading into Fifth grade he’s still obsessed and absolutely knows more about sharks than I do. 

If you have a kiddo who is obsessed with these incredible creatures – then these Shark Week ideas are for you! This post is a round up of all of the fun shark activities we’ve done over the course of many ideas, more than you’ll likely do in one week. 

Note: You can certainly do these ANY time of the year – not just during shark week! 

Shark Week Unit Ideas

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Field Trip Ideas

If it’s possible, going to see real live sharks is an exciting addition to a Shark Unit. We’re lucky to be able to snorkel with sharks and see them in the nearby aquariums here in San Diego. 

Aquarium

Depending on where you are, your access to aquariums and aquariums with sharks will vary obviously. If you can get to an aquarium and see these guys in real life though it is a great experience.

Right now, here in the San Diego County area we were able to see three kinds of reef sharks at the AquaLife aquarium at Legoland and little sharks at the Birch Aquarium (they’re outside in a little area curtained off from the play area.)

Sea World – San Diego

This is kind of the ultimate aquarium. My son was beyond excited that he not only got to see some cool sharks – like black tipped reef sharks – but he also got to touch sharks in the touch tanks by the entrance. We were about 100 yards into the park when he smiled up at me and said “I already really like this place Mom!”

Shark Activity Ideas

Learning anything and everything about sharks seemed to be our general plan for our Shark Unit. Here are some shark activities to get you started.

Literacy Activities

• Awesome Children’s Books about Sharks from My Storytime Corner 
• Comparing and Contrasting Fiction and Non-Fiction Books
  Comparing and contrasting two books is one of our first grade learning objectives. We also did this with two ocean animals, but for this activity I simply put out a sheet of paper for each kid with a space for writing or drawing something that was the same and something that was different. Then we had a bigger discussion together and grew our lists.
• Shark Word Find Puzzle from Jinxy Kids – these would be great spelling words as well if you’re looking for a related Spelling Word list. 

read also: Preschool Ocean animals unit ideas

Art Activities

• Learn to Draw Sharks with a shark drawing book
• Learn to Draw Sharks with this video tutorial on Art for Kids Hub. 
• Learn to Draw a Shark printable from Kid Activities Blog
• Under the Sea Mural – we used the 3 Day Collaborative Mural idea from Artful Parent
• Giant Shark Suncatcher Craft from And Next Comes L is another fun potentially collaborative project.
• Shark Chalk Pastel Drawings from Nourishing My Scholar
• Easy Shark Origami from Hawaii Travel with Kids
• Paper Plate Shark craft from Kid Activities Blog
• Shark Bookmark Craft from Big Family Blessings – this is super cute! Or print and color these shark bookmarks from Picklebums
• Cut and Glue Shark Craft from Kiddy Charts – I think this is best for kindergarten/first graders.
• Chomping Foam Shark Puppet from The Soccer Mom Blog

STEM Activities

• Ocean Life LEGO Building – start with these LEGO building ideas post here.
• Shark Week Fast Facts Printable from 3 Boys and a Dog
• Play Games to learn about the food cycle and more. We love playing CHOMP. It’s a quick, easy and fun card game that includes sharks. We also love Professor Noggins Trivia Oceans game. It includes sharks along with a whole host of other marine life. 
• Shark Toys and Water Beads Sensory Bin
• Observing + Drawing Favorite Ocean Animals – pick an animal and observe them at your local aquarium.
• Learn about their characteristics. Like how do sharks float?
• Math & Science Shark Printables from Every Star is Different
• Measure Sharks – Pull out your favorite shark book, a tape measure and some chalk. Measure your favorite kinds of sharks and draw them out on the drive way. 
• Shark Worksheets from Living Life and Learning 
  
  Awesome Ocean Science by Cindy A. Littlefield
  Find Online
  A whole book of kid’s science experiments about the ocean! Fascinating information and fun hands on activities.  5+
• Watch Octonauts Episodes about Sharks 
  Season 1 (episodes 7, 8, 22), Season 2 (episode 1) and Season 3 (episode 7)
• Play in Ocean Oobleck from Glitter on a Dime
• Sharks Unit Study printable pack from Rock Your Homeschool. This is a really detailed, thorough packet for kids who want to go a little deeper.
• Shark Life Cycle with Mama Teaches

Social Studies Activities

• Map Where Sharks Live

Gross Motor Activities

• Play “Great White Shark” at the pool.
  It is Marco Polo except the person searching is a shark instead. If you think saying shark at the pool is going to be too alarming to others (note: do not play this game at the beach) then you can just say “Hammer” and “Head” or some other variation on a shark name.
• Shark Circuit Training
  Make up a workout circuit that’s shark themed. We did a leg focused one that included shark munchies (jumping jacks), shark swims (running in place), shark chompers (shark leg raises). Be creative. How can you move your bodies like a shark and workout?
• Play What Did the Shark Eat?
  There are 3 ways to play this game from Your Therapy Source which can work on a variety of skills. 

Cute Shark-ish Snack Ideas

• Shark-Cuterie Board from Simplistically Living
• Ocean Blue Lemonade Popsicles from Play Party Plan
• Shark Lollipops from In The Kids Kitchen
• Shark Covered Oreos from In The Kids Kitchen

Browse All Of Our Unit Ideas