Shark Teeth Counting Craft – Fun Toddler Activity to Learn Numbers
Inspired by my toddler’s curiosity about sharks, we decided to do a simple shark craft to learn how to count! Have you seen the popular Disney movies, Finding Nemo and Finding Dory? My toddler has been thinking about those sharks nonstop ever since. So this Counting Shark Teeth Craft was a fun way to feed her wonder while making something cute and educational together.
Bilingual shark craft to learn language
Since we’re raising bilingual children and learning Chinese together, I like to take notes on new words and phrases that we practice saying and reading together. Here are some of the key shark body parts that we learned in simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese, Pinyin, and English:
- 鲨鱼 / 鯊魚 (shāyú / shark)
- 尖 (jiān / sharp, pointy)
- 牙齿 / 牙齒 (yáchǐ / teeth)
- 鱼 / 魚 (yú / fish)
Do you remember the three “vegetarian” sharks in Finding Nemo? My toddler has asked a million questions about them! While making our Counting Shark Teeth craft, we also reviewed some fun shark facts:
- 鲨鱼有尖尖的牙齿 / 鯊魚有尖尖的牙齒 (Shāyú yǒu jiānjiān de yáchǐ / Sharks have sharp teeth).
- 几乎所有的鲨鱼都喜欢吃鱼 /幾乎所有的鯊魚都喜歡吃魚 (Jīhū suǒyǒu de shāyú dōu xǐhuān chī yú / Almost all sharks like to eat fish).
- 鲨鱼不是素食动物 / 鯊魚不是素食動物 (Shāyú bùshì sùshí dòngwù / Sharks are not vegetarian animals).
Preschool shark craft inspiration
This shark activity inspired by a cute shark newspaper craft from the I Heart Crafty Things blog! To maximize learning, we added Chinese numbers to review counting in our minority language.
What you need for the Counting Shark Teeth activity
- Construction paper – blue, gray, black, white, and orange
- Scissors
- Marker and pen
How to set up the Counting Shark Teeth activity:
- Cut a wavy edge on bottom of blue construction paper
- Fold up bottom edge
- Cut gray construction paper – this will be the shark’s face.
- Insert gray paper into pocket and glue onto blue paper
- Cut out eyes from black and white paper, glue onto shark face
- Cut out a shark mouth from black paper, glue onto shark
- Cut shark teeth from white paper
- Write numbers on the teeth in your preferred language. For example 一，二，三，四，五…
- Glue shark teeth onto paper while counting out loud!
At the bottom of the craft, you can see that I created a pocket for the ocean for more open-ended play after the craft was complete. My daughter made extra fish and stored them in the pocket!
Have you made this shark teeth craft with your kids?
If you try this Counting Shark Teeth activity with your children or students, please let us know in the comments! We’d love to hear about your experience!
