Octopuses are honestly one of the most fascinating creatures on the entire planet. Eight arms, three hearts, blue blood, and the ability to change colour in an instant.
Kids who discover octopuses become completely obsessed with them and that obsession translates into the most enthusiastic craft making you have ever seen.
And octopus crafts are brilliant because that eight arm shape works beautifully in so many different materials.
Paper, fabric, clay, recycled materials. Everything looks wonderful in octopus form. Every craft on this list is satisfying to make and genuinely lovely to display. And if you have been making amazing shark crafts lately, go check out 27 Shark Craft Ideas That Are Surprisingly Easy to Make because combining sharks and octopuses creates the most incredible ocean themed craft collection imaginable.
So let us get into these 17 octopus craft ideas that kids will genuinely want to make again and again.
1. Paper Plate Octopus
Paint a paper plate in a bright ocean colour. Cut eight strips of paper for arms and accordion fold each one so it springs and bounces. Attach the folded arms around the bottom edge of the plate. Add googly eyes and a smiling mouth.
Paper plate octopuses are absolutely charming and the springy accordion arms make them irresistible to touch and play with.
Kids immediately start making the arms bounce and spring the moment the craft is finished. Hang them from the ceiling and watch the arms move gently in any air current. Make them in different bright colours for a beautiful rainbow octopus collection that looks stunning displayed together.
For more wonderful springy and tactile ocean craft ideas that kids love playing with as much as making, go explore 29 Farm Animal Craft Ideas That Bring the Barnyard to Life because those projects combine that same satisfying tactile quality with beautiful and charming display results.
2. Toilet Roll Octopus
Paint a toilet paper roll in a bright colour. Cut eight equal strips from one end of the roll upward about halfway. Curl each strip around a pencil to create curling tentacles. Add googly eyes and a mouth to the uncut end.
Toilet roll octopuses are wonderfully quick and the curling tentacle effect is really satisfying.
The curled strips spring outward and downward in a way that looks genuinely like real octopus tentacles. Kids love the curling step and always want to make the curls as tight as possible.
Stand them upright with the tentacles spread out on a surface for a really charming three dimensional display.
3. Handprint Octopus
Paint both hands and press them onto paper with fingers spread wide and wrists overlapping. The eight fingers become the eight tentacles and the overlapping palms become the round head. Add eyes and a smile above the hand prints.
Handprint octopuses are incredibly clever and kids are always amazed by how perfectly their two hands create an octopus shape.
The symmetry of the two overlapping handprints creates a beautifully balanced octopus silhouette. Use bright ocean colours and add sucker dots along each finger tentacle for extra detail. These make genuinely wonderful keepsake artworks that parents treasure for years.
Go check out 21 One Year Old Activities That Keep Tiny Hands Busy for Hours because those handprint and sensory craft activities pair beautifully with octopus crafts for a full ocean themed making session that works for every age from babies upward.
4. Sock Octopus
Fill the toe section of a sock with stuffing and tie it off to create the round head. Cut the remaining sock into eight strips for tentacles. Stuff each strip lightly and tie off the ends. Add button eyes and a felt mouth.
Sock octopuses are wonderfully soft and squishable and kids absolutely love them.
The soft stuffed body feels really satisfying to hold and squeeze. The eight tentacles spread out naturally in a way that looks genuinely like a real octopus. Use brightly coloured or patterned socks for an instantly vibrant result.
Kids play with their sock octopuses for weeks after the craft session and often sleep with them as a soft toy companion.
5. Paper Bag Octopus
Stuff a small paper bag with scrunched newspaper and twist the top closed to form the head. Cut eight long strips from a second bag for tentacles. Attach the tentacle strips around the bottom of the head. Paint the whole octopus in bright colours.
Paper bag octopuses are wonderfully three dimensional and the painted finish looks really bold and striking.
The round stuffed head has a lovely solid quality that contrasts beautifully with the flowing painted tentacles. Add sucker circles along the tentacles using a cotton bud dipped in white paint for an impressive realistic detail.
These look absolutely brilliant displayed hanging from a string with the tentacles flowing downward.
For more wonderful three dimensional paper craft ideas that produce bold and striking results, go explore 31 Dinosaur Craft Ideas for Kids That Feel Roarsome because those projects use paper and card in equally creative three dimensional ways that kids find really satisfying and impressive.
6. Clay Octopus
Roll a ball of air dry clay for the head. Roll eight long thin sausages for the tentacles. Attach them around the bottom of the head and curl their tips upward. Press sucker patterns into each tentacle using the end of a pencil. Paint once dry.
Clay octopuses are beautiful sculptural pieces that look genuinely professional.
The three dimensional form allows for real detail and expression that flat crafts cannot match. Kids who make clay octopuses develop real sculpting skills through the process of shaping, attaching, and texturing each element.
The finished painted octopus is something kids are genuinely proud to display permanently in their room.
7. Finger Knit Octopus
Finger knit eight long chains using colourful wool. Bundle them together and tie tightly in the centre. Stuff and form the tied section into a round head shape. Secure with more wool and add felt eyes.
Finger knit octopuses are brilliant for older kids who enjoy the meditative rhythm of finger knitting.
The process of creating eight individual tentacles is wonderfully satisfying and the assembly into a finished octopus is really rewarding.
Use variegated or multicoloured wool for tentacles that naturally shift through different colours along their length. The finished finger knit octopus looks genuinely beautiful and impressively complex for such a simple technique.
Go take a look at 27 Zoo Animal Craft Ideas for Kids That Spark Creativity for more wonderful wool and textile craft ideas that use finger knitting and yarn in equally creative and beautiful ways.
8. Bubble Wrap Octopus
Cut a round dome shape from bubble wrap for the head. Cut eight long tentacle shapes from more bubble wrap. Paint the bubble side in ocean colours. Assemble the octopus shape on paper and glue down. Add painted details.
Bubble wrap octopuses have a gorgeous natural texture that perfectly suggests the bumpy sucker covered surface of a real octopus.
The individual bubbles create a spotted pattern that looks really interesting and unusual. Paint over the assembled octopus with translucent ocean colours for a beautiful underwater effect.
These look stunning displayed on dark blue paper where the textured bubble wrap surface catches the light really beautifully.
9. Pom Pom Octopus
Make or buy a large pom pom in a bright colour for the head. Cut eight lengths of thick wool or ribbon for tentacles. Tie them all together and attach to the bottom of the pom pom. Add googly eyes.
Pom pom octopuses are wonderfully fluffy and kids find them completely irresistible.
The fluffy round head looks absolutely charming and the flowing tentacles add lovely movement and texture. Make them in rainbow colours for a really vibrant collection.
These are quick enough to make in large quantities for party favours or classroom gifts and the result is always completely adorable.
For more wonderful pom pom and fluffy craft ideas that produce results this charming and quick to make, go check out 23 Fish Craft Ideas for Kids That Are Perfect for Ocean Themes because those projects use pom poms and soft materials in equally creative and adorable ocean themed ways.
10. Watercolour Octopus
Wet a piece of watercolour paper. Paint a round head shape and eight flowing tentacle arms using wet on wet watercolour technique. Let the colours bleed and blend freely. Add sucker dots with white paint once dry.
Watercolour octopuses are absolutely beautiful and kids are always genuinely surprised by how professional their finished painting looks.
The wet on wet technique creates soft glowing colours with beautifully blurred edges that look genuinely like an octopus seen through water.
The flowing tentacle shapes are easy to paint with confident strokes that feel really bold and expressive. Display these framed on a white mount for a genuinely gallery worthy result.
11. Egg Carton Octopus
Cut four two cup sections from an egg carton and paint them all in the same bright colour. Stack and glue them in a cluster to form the head. Cut eight tentacle strips from card. Add googly eyes and attach the tentacles beneath the cluster.
Egg carton octopuses have a wonderfully bumpy textured surface that looks really interesting and unusual.
The stacked cup sections create a three dimensional head with real sculptural presence. The contrasting flat card tentacles create a nice material variety in the finished piece.
Paint sucker patterns along the tentacles with a cotton bud for extra realistic detail. These look great displayed on a shelf where the three dimensional quality can be fully appreciated.
Go explore 19 Rainbow Crafts for Kids That Brighten Any Rainy Day for more wonderful recycled material craft ideas that transform humble everyday materials into beautiful and impressive display pieces just like these egg carton octopuses.
12. Octopus Dreamcatcher
Create a hoop from bent wire or use a purchased craft hoop. Wrap with bright coloured wool. Weave a loose web across the inside. Attach eight long tentacle ribbons and bead strings hanging from the bottom.
Octopus dreamcatchers are absolutely stunning and kids love the idea of an octopus watching over them while they sleep.
The combination of the woven web body and the flowing bead tentacles creates something genuinely beautiful and meaningful.
The making process is wonderfully meditative and kids who enjoy detailed careful work find this project completely absorbing. These make really impressive bedroom decorations and heartfelt handmade gifts.
13. Stocking Octopus
Pull a colourful stocking over a balloon. Tie off sections to create a round head shape. Cut the remaining stocking into eight strips for tentacles. Tie small knots along each strip to create sucker bumps. Add googly eyes.
Stocking octopuses have a beautiful stretchy quality that looks really organic and interesting.
The knots along each tentacle create a bumpy surface that looks genuinely like real octopus suckers. The stretchy stocking material gives the whole creature a wonderfully tactile quality that kids love exploring with their hands.
Pop the balloon once the knots are tied for a soft and squishable finished octopus.
For more wonderful stocking and fabric craft ideas that use unexpected materials in creative and beautiful ways, go check out 2 Movement Activities for Kids That Burn Energy Fast because that post shows how creative thinking about everyday materials leads to the most brilliant and satisfying results.
14. Octopus Kite
Cut a large round octopus head shape from thin plastic or tissue paper. Attach eight long ribbon tentacles to the bottom edge. Add a kite string to the top. Run into the wind and watch your octopus fly.
An octopus kite is one of those brilliant craft projects that combines making with outdoor active play.
The flying octopus with streaming tentacles looks absolutely magical against a blue sky.
Kids invest completely in a kite they made themselves and run harder and try longer than they ever would with a bought kite.
The moment the octopus catches the wind and soars upward is always met with genuine joy and excitement.
15. Giant Collaborative Octopus
Create a giant octopus as a group project. One group paints the large round head. Eight individual children each decorate one tentacle completely in their own unique style. Assemble all the elements together into one giant octopus.
Giant collaborative octopuses are absolutely spectacular and the variety of tentacle styles always looks really beautiful.
Each child contributes a whole tentacle which feels like a genuinely significant personal contribution to the group piece.
The combination of eight completely different decorating styles across the eight tentacles gives the finished octopus a wonderfully eclectic and vibrant quality that no single artist could achieve alone.
Go take a look at 4 Screen-Free Activities for Kids Parents Will Love for more wonderful collaborative and group creative activity ideas that celebrate individual contributions within a shared and beautiful collective creative result.
16. Octopus Wind Sock
Cut a large rectangle of bright fabric or paper. Roll into a cylinder and secure. Cut eight long strips from the bottom edge for tentacles. Attach a string handle at the top. Hang outside and watch it spin and dance in the wind.
Octopus wind socks are brilliant outdoor decorations that kids love making and watching.
The eight tentacle strips spin and spiral in the wind in a way that looks genuinely like a swimming octopus. Use brightly coloured or metallic materials for the most eye catching result.
Hang a group of different coloured octopus wind socks together for a really spectacular garden display that looks beautiful and moves wonderfully in a breeze.
For more wonderful outdoor decoration and wind based craft ideas that create this same beautiful kinetic outdoor effect, go explore 5 Party Games for Kids That Everyone Will Be Talking About because those ideas show how simple outdoor installations can transform any garden space into a genuinely magical place for kids to play and explore.
17. Octopus Sensory Bottle
Fill a clear bottle with blue tinted water. Add a small octopus figure or a pom pom octopus made from wool. Add purple and pink glitter, small star sequins, and tiny shell beads. Seal tightly.
Octopus sensory bottles are absolutely mesmerising and deeply calming for children of all ages.
Tipping and shaking the bottle and watching the little octopus swirl through the glittery water is genuinely soothing and fascinating.
The combination of the tinted water, the swirling glitter, and the moving octopus creates a miniature ocean world that kids love watching for long stretches of time. These make beautiful bedroom decorations and brilliant calm down tools.
Final Thoughts
Octopus crafts are genuinely brilliant because that eight arm shape is so distinctive, so fun to make, and so satisfying to see finished.
Every technique on this list produces an octopus that kids are proud of and genuinely excited to show everyone. And because octopuses are so fascinating in real life, every craft session naturally leads to brilliant conversations about these incredible creatures and the amazing ocean world they live in.
So gather your brightest colours, find your googly eyes, and start making the most wonderful octopus collection your craft table has ever seen.
And when you are ready for even more brilliant ocean and creature themed creative adventures, go check out 29 Fun Sleepover Activities Your Kids Will Never Forget because those ideas are the perfect way to combine a brilliant ocean themed craft session with a full evening of fun and memorable activities that kids will talk about for a very long time.
