Starfish Lessons for Kids

Sea Star Science for Kids “Starfish”

This blog will focus on teaching young learners about the wonderful sea creatures known as starfish, or sea stars!

Starfish or Sea Star?

Starfish are not really a type of fish. Many scientists are trying to use the term sea star as it is more correct terminology for these beautiful sea creatures. Either term is acceptable and using them both interchangeably is accepted. Even National Geographic refers to these lovely creatures as starfish.

Children are intrigued by starfish and this post is filled with resources you might want to implement into your lesson plans. Included are videos, online books, and free downloads. This mini-exploration can be done in 2-5 days.

We research topics and choose safe content for kids. This content can save teachers, parents, grandparents and nannies, both time and money. Pick and choose what works for your student’s needs and curiosities.

Starfish

Starfish are pretty amazing creatures. Here are some cool facts kids will want to know:

There are around 2,000 species of sea stars
They can regrow an arm (ray) if they lose one
They do not have blood
Most have only five rays, others can have many more arms
They only live in salt water
They come in a variety of colors
Starfish are carnivorous
Sea stars only see light or dark
They are not fish; more closely related to sea urchins and sand dollars

Engage (Day 1)

When starting mini-explorations reading a book is a wonderful way to explore the level of interest your children have in any given topic. There are so many things to learn and children are more engaged when they are interested in the topic.

Starfish (Read Aloud)

Starfish is a lovely introductory book written by Edith Thacher Hurd. It is part of the Let’s-Read-And-Find-Out-About-Science series, and was first published by HarperCollins in 1962. This online reading is a newer publication, yet the text has remained. The book explores how they move, eat, and where they live. Enjoy!

Coloring and Questions Reinforcement

After children watch the video, give them a copy of this free coloring page and have a discussion about some of the things they learned. Ask open ended questions; here are a couple to get you started:

Where do starfish live?
What color is a starfish?
How many arms does a starfish have?
How many legs? (have some fun)
What is a starfish arm called?
What do they eat?
How do they eat?
What happens if a starfish loses an arm?
What does a starfish feel like?

FREE Starfish Coloring Page

10 Cool Sea Stars for Kids

If your kids want more, here is a quick slide show that shares a little more information about ten of the many species of sea stars.

Explore (Day 2)

Take kids on a virtual field trip to explore some beautiful starfish. Check out this cool video from Jonathan Bird’s YouTube Channel BlueWorldTV.

“At first glance, starfish, more properly called sea stars, aren’t doing much of anything. But Jonathan’s investigations reveal a slow-motion predator that hunts and attacks its prey. Traveling the world, Jonathan investigates sea stars from the tropics to the Antarctic and uses time-lapse photography to reveal an amazing complexity to the world of the sea star.” – Excerpt BlueWorldTV.

Sea Stars

After taking this virtual field trip, ask some more questions to reinforce what your children have learned. Here are some examples to get you started:

How can a starfish survive without a brain?
Where do starfish live?
How do starfish get around?
What was your favorite starfish? Why?

How to Make a Play-Doh Starfish

Next, have some hands-on fun making starfish out of play dough. If you don’t have any play dough on hand, check out how we make play dough from scratch.

This YouTube Channel has many different color and styles of starfish. Kids like to watch videos like this as it can assist them with some ideas on how they can create their own models.

Explore (Day 3)

The following day your kids will be wondering what you have planned about starfish. Technology is wonderful and engaging tool for young learners. Check out these videos for exploring sea stars.

Amazing World of Starfish

Next, is a cool video presented by Scuba Jack. The relevant content stops around 1:45. It is still a worthy video, as it shows an animation of an arm regrowing, which I thought was neat.

Make a Bread Starfish

Make a bread starfish is a 3D art project kids can make with some bread and some glue. Directions and pattern are available for FREE download from Fun Educational Art Projects.

Elaborate (Day 4)

There are so many different avenues you could take depending on your child’s interests. Here are some was to elaborate on what they have already explored about starfish.

Sunflower Seastar: Terrifying Predator?

In this quick clip from National Geographic is shows how a sunflower sea star can detach a arm to get away from a crab.

How to Paint a Starfish

If you have read my other blogs, you have met Rob from Art for Kids Hub. In this video he teaches young learners how to paint a starfish. Sit back and relax as Rob teaches your child creates a starfish masterpiece.

Starfish Art Lesson

Alternatively, if you are looking for an art lesson with a little less mess potential check out this FREE download from Little Budding Artist.

Extend (Day 5)

Today we will wrap up our starfish mini-unit with some reinforcement. Allowing young learners to have a couple of choices produces better results. Perhaps they might collect some facts about starfish and write about what they learned. Retelling in a dramatic play about sea stars in circle time or anything creative to assess what your child can recall.

Star of the Sea: A Day in the Life of a Starfish

Closing with another read aloud book is exciting for children. Star of the Sea: A Day in the Life of a Starfish written by Janet Halfmann is perfect for young learners. They will realize how much they have learned about starfish and truly understand what this starfish was going through in a day. Here is an online reading if you can’t get to the library.

Starry Arms Counting by Fives

Add a little starfish math to your lesson. Starry Arms Counting by Fives is a neat book for counting by fives and features starfish.

Starfish Syllables

Check out this cute starfish FREEBIE from Sailing Into Second.

Final Thoughts

This post is a starting point and guide to share some cool and free resources about starfish the stars of the sea.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog post. If you found this helpful and would like to follow us and learn about our lesson planning resources, we are on social media @STEMHAX. We would love to hear from you.

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Starfish Lessons for Kids

Sea Star Science for Kids “Starfish”

Starfish or Sea Star?

Starfish

Engage (Day 1)