Free Fish Printables and Montessori-Inspired Fish Activities

I love water themes in the summer, so now we’re studying fish! It’s also part of the vertebrate series I’m doing. So far, we’ve had amphibian and reptile units.

Here, you’ll find links to free fish printables used to prepare hands-on activities and a new Montessori-inspired fish pack for our newsletter subscribers’ resource library!

Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links (at no cost to you).

M0ntessori Shelves with Fish-Themed Activities

You’ll find Montessori-inspired fish-themed numbers, letters, and and more (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber) Note: The Montessori-inspired fish pack isn’t designed as a complete fish unit but as supplemental materials. I design the packs using realistic images that I’ve often looked for when preparing a unit study (such as font cards and phonogram cards featuring the letter and phonogram related to the theme and math cards with realistic images that fit the theme and can be adapted for math activities at a variety of levels.)

You could mix your fish-themed activities among your shelves according to curriculum area. Or you could have a special fish-themed area something like the one pictured. My shelves at the beginning of our unit have a mixture of skill levels. Many of the activities can be adapted for a variety of levels. Many of these are designed for early elementary as well as preschoolers. If you’re a homeschooler, just choose the activities that work for your child’s interests and ability levels. If you don’t have room for all the activities you’d like to do, simply rotate them.

Notice the framed art print Leaping Trout (1889) by Winslow Homer. It’s a free download from Wikimedia Commons. For our monthly featured art print, I purchased a Li’l DAVINCI art frame that opens in the front for easily changing a free art masterpiece printable or vintage illustration to fit with the month’s theme. The frame can be switched from horizontal to vertical without changing the hanger, which is perfect!

If you’re wondering about the rugs and rug box I use, both the rugs and wooden rug holder are from Montessori Services. I love the Montessori Services rugs and rug holder! I used to use an umbrella stand something like these. I loved that for 1-3 rugs, but I needed something different when I had more grandchildren and some projects that needed more than one rug.

Favorite Shelves, Trays, Baskets, and More for Montessori Homeschoolers

I often get asked about the trays, baskets, etc., that I use, so I published a post with many of the items. You can find lots of helpful resources here. They’re not all essential, so don’t feel you need to have everything. Just choose what’s best for your budget and your unique family’s needs. You’ll find more ideas in the Living Montessori Now Amazon shop

Fish-Themed Books for Kids

Even though I have books on shelves, I’m now keeping many of my themed books in a forward-facing display after placing a plant where the themed book basket was before. Most of my seasonal books are now in that book basket. 

For toddlers and preschoolers, about ¾ of the books I use are typically Montessori friendly (focusing on reality without smiling or talking animals or smiling or talking vehicles).  

Top Shelf of Main Themed Shelf: 

• Fish Everywhere. This isn’t one of Britta Teckentrup’s peek-through picture books, but it’s awesome anyway!
• Fish for Kids: A Junior Scientist’s Guide has information about the habitats of fish along with photos and details of a number of varieties of both freshwater and saltwater fish.
• Fish Pages from DK’s First Animal Encyclopedia
• The Ultimate Shark Field Guide with detailed watercolor illustrations
• Ocean: A Photicular Book was a New York Times bestseller. It’s a super-fun book for multiple ages to look at with images that use Photicular technology to make each image like a 3-D movie on the page. It also tells about each ocean animal, including vital statistics such as size, habitat, range, diet, life span in the wild, and threats. (Update: Ocean: A Photicular Book is such a fun book that it was the first thing my 5-year-old granddaughter, Sophia, got out to show her parents during our Father’s Day get-together!)

Top Shelf of Forward -Facing Display:

• The Big Book of the Blue (I love this series and have many of the books!)
• Down Down Down (Steve Jenkins books are awesome!)
• National Geographic Kids Weird Sea Creatures

2nd Shelf:

• National Geographic Kids Ocean Animals: Whos Who in the Deep Blue Sea
• About Fish: A Guide for Children
• Fantastic Fish (This series (I have and recommend the whole set) is great for young readers and preschoolers who are learning about animal classifications!)

3rd Shelf:

• Who Eats What? Food Chains and Food Webs
• DK’s Super Shark Encyclopedia: And Other Creatures of the Deep
• National Geographic Kids Can’t Get Enough Shark Stuff: Fun Facts, Awesome Info, Cool Games, Silly Jokes, and More! 

4th Shelf:

• Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean’s Most Fearless Scientist (This award-winning tells the story of Eugenie Clark who spent her life studying zoology and working to prove that sharks weren’t mindless killers but beautiful animals that should be appreciated and protected. Recommended for ages 4-8.)
• American Museum of Natural History Sharks Board Book (gorgeous book for toddlers and preschoolers with interesting facts, stunning photographs, and cutout pages showing the relative sizes of the various types of sharks)
• Run Salmon Run

Bottom Shelf

• Salmon Stream
• Over in the Ocean in a Coral Reef
• Remembering Blue Fish

Some other animal and fish books we’re using:

• Tree of Life: The Incredible Biodiversity of Life on Earth
• DK Smithsonian Animal Book 
• National Geographic Kids Little Kids First Big Book of Animals
• The Animal Book: A Visual Encyclopedia of Life on Earth is great for plant and animal classification as well as animal themes.
• DK Smithsonian Animal Book 
• Animalium: Welcome to the Museum
• Nature Anatomy
• Ocean Anatomy
• Fish pages from My Encyclopedia of Very Important Things
• Books from my Best Ocean Books for Kids post.

You can see lots of the fish books as they’re published here.

Fish Everywhere Book with Parts of a Fish Puzzle and Booklet Making

The book is Fish Everywhere. This isn’t one of Britta Teckentrup’s peek-through picture books, but it’s awesome anyway!

Free Printables: Parts of a Fish Printables from All Day Primary (There are a variety of parts of a fish printables. I used the fish 3-part cards, writing sheets (for booklet making), and definition cards. There are options for a number of ages and levels. The labels for the puzzle are cut out from the Parts of the Fish Definitions Stage 2. 

The Montessori fish puzzle can be used in a variety of ways. For older kids, I like to have them build the puzzle outside the frame and/or add labels to the parts of the fish.

Fish for Kids Book with Freshwater Fish 3-Part Cards

Free Printable: Freshwater Fish of North America 3-Part Cards by Hayley Painter

Fish for Kids: A Junior Scientist’s Guide has information about the habitats of fish along with photos and details of a number of varieties of both freshwater and saltwater fish.

Fish Pages from First Animal Encyclopedia with Salmon and Shark Materials in the Background

I’ve often used pages from DK’s First Animal Encyclopedia (the book on our book easel). The book has lots of great 2-page spreads.  See below for information about the salmon life cycle and shark word problem materials in the background. 

Free Printables: /f/ for fish and /sh/ in fish phonogram for salt or sand writing tray (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber). They come in print, D’Nealian, and cursive.

You’ll see a variety of simple letter writing trays in my previous unit study posts. I often used the wooden tray from the Melissa & Doug Lace and Trace Shapes. You can use whatever tray or container work best for you, though.

The sandpaper letters I use are available in print or cursive.

I typically now use this lovely spelling/alphabet tray from FamilyTreeWW on Etsy. I like it for writing more than one letter or spelling words. (Note: If that sand tray is currently unavailable, you’ll find lots of other options for Montessori sand trays on Etsy.)

I added a clownfish and blue tang from the Safari Ltd. Coral Reef TOOB and moray eel from the Ocean TOOB.  I used the eel to write in the spelling tray. I like to add a variety of writing tools to keep things interesting!

If you would like help with introducing phonetic sounds, introducing objects with sounds, or beginning phonics in general, check out my DIY Beginning Montessori Phonics with Preschoolers.

Eel /ee/ Phonogram

Free Printable: /ee/ phonogram in eel (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber)

These are the double sandpaper letters I use.

Matching Cursive Discus Fish Alphabet Cards to Print Discus Fish Alphabet Cards

Free Printable: Discus fish alphabet cards in manuscript and cursive (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber)

I often like to use this activity with a cursive tracing board. I got the 2-sided version (with capital letters on one side and lowercase on the other), since capital cursive letters aren’t commonly seen on written materials. The one I got isn’t available right now, but there are a number of lovely cursive tracing boards on Etsy.

After tracing the letters on the tracing board, the child places the manuscript letters in alphabetical order. Then the cursive letters are matched to the manuscript letters.

Fish and Bead Bars Skip Counting by 2’s

 Free Printable: Clownfish numbers 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber). 

I used our number 2 bead bars along with some wooden fish buttons I had for a simple skip counting activity.

There are so many different activities you can prepare using the math cards! You’ll find many ideas in our previous units.

Magnetic Fishing Game with Fish Word Building

Free Printable: Reading and Building Words Under the Sea from JDaniel4’s Mom

This was a fun activity to prepare, and a fun activity for my 5-year-old grandson, Caleb! (My granddaughters haven’t seen it yet, but I’m sure they’ll be interested in it, too!) Caleb was instantly drawn to this on the shelf. It can be used for creating 3-letter phonetic words using the vowels on the printable. I hid the letters for fish, wish, and dish in the sand. I used the magnetic wand fishing rod from our previous magnetic fishing sensory bin.

This time, I just used a small container of blue sand on the shelf, but a sensory bin or table works perfectly, too. Caleb loved the activity, and I’ll vary it throughout the month. You can use magnetic fishing activities to focus on a wide variety of skills! 

You’ll find more resources and free printables in this fishing with magnets sensory bin post! You’ll notice the different ways to use the printable from JDaniel 4’s Mom, depending on age and phonics level!

Fish Pattern Block Printables

I used translucent pattern blocks for our light table in one basket and Spielgaben wooden parquetry tablets in another. Any regular pattern blocks would work.

Shelf with Life Cycle of a Salmon, Shark Story Problems with Montessori Golden Beads, and Fish Geoboard Design

These printables aren’t free, but they’re great for a fish unit!

My Mega Bundles has lovely watercolor printable packs as well as seasonal mega bundles. Right now, My Mega Bundles has 60% off their new Ocean Study Pack for ages 6-12 (with some activities for preschoolers, too) and new Dinosaur Study Pack for ages 3-12. On the easel, I have a Life Cycle of a Salmon poster along with 2 salmon information pages, parts of a salmon labeling activity, and parts of a salmon control page from the Ocean Study Pack. I used the simpler life cycle wooden tray materials that I already had to go with the life cycle information. You can buy salmon life cycle figures, which I would have done if my grandkids were a bit younger.

The Every Star Is Different Montessori-Inspired Shark Unit Printable Pack for preschool through elementary has lots of high-interest activities. I love and am using the shark word problems with Montessori golden beads. They’re such a fun way to focus on word problems! You can use small printed number cards for the answer or have the child write the problems and answers on another paper. I have The Ultimate Shark Field Guide with detailed watercolor illustrations available for learning more about the sharks in the word problems.

Ocean: A Photicular Book is such a fun book with moving pictures! (Update: Ocean: A Photicular Book is such a fun book that it was the first thing my 5-year-old granddaughter, Sophia, got out to show her parents during our Father’s Day get-together!) I put the book out with our geoboard, including a fish pattern for inspiration. 

Free Montessori-Inspired Fish Pack

 

Montessori-Inspired Fish Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber).

More Fish Resources:

Fish Science on Amazon

Montessori-Inspired Ocean Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my newsletter to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber).

• Free Ocean Printables and Montessori-Inspired Ocean Activities
• Montessori-Inspired Ocean Unit
• Montessori-Inspired Resources for World Oceans Day
  Montessori-Inspired Ocean Math Activities

• The Ultimate, Montessori-Inspired Shark Unit Study
• Shells and Starfish Activities + Free Printable from Montessori By Mom
• Free Shark Printables and Montessori-Inspired Shark Activities
• Shark Water-Bead Number or Letter Sensory Bin
• Farm, Zoo, & Ocean Animal Sensory Bottles for Babies and Toddlers
• Coral Reef Kit and Sensory Bin
• DIY Coral Reef Water Table with Practical Life Activities
• Free Ocean Songs and Educational Videos
• Free Guided Ocean Meditations for Kids {Mindfulness Resources}
• Free Guided Ocean Meditations {Mindfulness Resources for Teens and Adults}
• Free Ocean Animal Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)

• Non-Scary and Montessori-Friendly Resources for a Shark Tooth Dig
• The Best Ocean Books for Kids
• How to Make a Simple Ocean Animal Water Table or Sensory Bin Featuring Sharks
• Ocean-themed, Editable Name and Word Tracing Pack in Print or Cursive

Helpful Animal Classification Posts

• Living and Non-Living
• Plant and Animal Sorting
• Montessori Animal Classification
• Free Zoo Printables and Montessori-Inspired Zoo Activities
• Montessori-Inspired Animal Units
• Montessori Vertebrate Resources for Preschool Through Elementary
• Free Amphibian Printables and Montessori-Inspired Amphibian Activities
• Montessori Invertebrate Resources for Preschool Through Elementary

If you’d like ideas for calendar-based themes throughout June and July, see my June Themed Activities for Kids and July Themed Activities for Kids.

Have fun studying fish!

Learn more about my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to. Teach Grace and Courtesy!

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