The Ultimate Gift Guide for Kids Who Love the Ocean
With over 225,000 identified species (and millions more not yet discovered!), the ocean is one of the most fascinating places on Earth. It’s a world of the known and unknown, color and darkness, so it’s no surprise that the ocean fascinates kids of all ages!
If your child loves the ocean or marine animals, we’ve got you covered! Take a deep breath and dive right in as we share the 50+ best gifts and toys for every future oceanographer.
From buckets of sea creatures to games, bath toys, and sticker books, we have something for every age group and price point.
The best gifts for kids promote learning, creativity, and imagination, and we have many options for your little one.
For more fun gift ideas for kids of all ages, check out the Themed Gift Guides.
Gifts for Toddlers
Sea Creature Chunky Peg Puzzle
A sea of bright and cheerful sea creatures await! Chunky shapes for chunky fingers that encourage hand-eye coordination, this peg puzzle is made with high-quality wood and will be a fun addition to any child’s collection.
The 11 easy-to-grasp puzzle pieces are the perfect way to encourage natural curiosity about animals. Full-color pictures underneath each piece offer visual clues for littles.
Even the smallest ocean explorers will enjoy this puzzle.
Buy It: Amazon
Ocean Life Water Reveal
Dive into this deep-sea adventure with your little ones!
Adorable underwater scenes waiting to be uncovered. Use water to reveal the picture in vibrant color, let it dry, and do it all again. No mess, no stress!
Each of the four picture boards has a search-and-find activity and an educational fact for endless fun.
Buy It: Amazon
The Ocean Touch and Explore
The interactive board book series explores the ocean’s different environments, describes sea creatures and how they adapt to their surroundings, and examines the relationship between humans, marine life, and the environment.
The pages come to life as young readers touch shiny scales, bumpy barnacles, and even a shark’s sandpapery skin!
Crawling Crab
Your baby will get hours of fun with this crab-tastic crawling toy!
It scurries like a real crab and even reverses direction as it nears an obstacle. The lights and sounds add to the fun, motivating your little one to chase it.
Buy It: Amazon
Learning Resources Under the Sea Counter
The ocean is calling! This 72-piece set of colorful counters includes whales, sharks, sea lions, octopuses, stingrays, and sea turtles!
See how quickly little ones discover all the animals as they mix and match while learning early math skills like counting, sorting, and patterning.
It comes in a storage bucket and includes an activity guide for six simple games.
Buckle Toys Blue Whale
This all-in-one fun, learning, and educational activity toy is a great way to help develop fine motor skills, cognitive abilities, hand-eye coordination, and problem-solving.
Zip open a pocket to store treasures inside and explore six colorful clasps that open and close. An engaging toy that’s easy to take on the go!
Skip Hop Shark Backpack
Whimsical details and durable materials make this backpack a fin-tastic pack for on-the-go!
The mesh side pockets adjust to fit your little one’s drink, and the front pouch is ideal for snacks and other small travel necessities. The padded straps are comfy for little ones, and the write-on nametag keeps the backpack from getting lost.
Buy It: Amazon
Pretex Shark Plush Toy with Sea Friends
This adorable shark can hold your child’s favorite plushies inside its tummy. It is an excellent travel companion and bedtime buddy!
Includes five cute sea animal friends — an octopus, stingray fish, killer whale, turtle, and crab.
Buy It: Amazon
Melissa & Doug Rollables Ocean Slide
Embark on imaginative ocean adventures with this wavy wooden slide into the sea! The three rollable characters are easy for toddlers to grasp, firm enough to roll, and soft enough to squeeze.
Introduce cause and effect and encourage sensory, fine motor, and problem-solving skills.
Buy It: Amazon
Little Tikes Splash Beach Water Table
This water table is large enough for multiple kids to swirl, splash, and play together. Attach a hose for a water fountain that shoots over 8 feet high! It has a lighthouse waterfall, a slide tower, and multiple fun accessories.
Folds compactly, making it ideal for small yards or off-season storage.
Manhattan Toy Deep Sea Adventure Activity Center
Send imaginations to great depths with this activity center! It’s packed with motor skill activities for your little one to explore and grow.
Dive in for fun as you help your child explore ocean-themed activities, including sea creature gliders, springy coral flaps, spinning gears, bead runs, and clacking clams.
Gifts for Preschoolers
Munchkin Fishin Bath Toy
Your little one will fall for this fishing toy hook, line, and sinker. The three bobbing fish float with magnets on top for easy fishing with the magnetic hook as little ones improve their hand-eye coordination. Fun for the bath or the water table!
Ocean Animals Preschool Activity Book
Oceanic magic! Discover new ways to learn and play with the help of colorful creatures under the sea. Children will dive into learning with 75+ ocean-themed activities in this colorful book, including word searches, mazes, matching games, coloring activities, and more.
Perfectly sized for on-the-go entertainment.
Green Toys Submarine
Now that your kiddo has developed a love for the environment and the ocean, support their passion with a toy made using 100% earth-friendly materials, like plastic milk jugs!
This submarine has a handle, a wide mouth opening for scooping and pouring, and a spinning propeller for endless fun in the water. Plus, like all Green Toys, it’s easy to clean in the dishwasher – a necessity for bath toys!
First Sticker Art: In the Ocean
This magical sticker art book is perfect for all kids drawn to the ocean, with 20 fun paint-by-sticker activities that let little ones build their numbers and shapes skills while having a blast. Find giant, colorful stickers perfect for little hands to create a penguin, octopus, crab, turtle, sea horse, and so much more!
An excellent choice for long car trips, flights, or times when you’re stuck at home looking for an easy, no-mess arts and crafts project.
LEGO Creator 3-in-1 Dolphin and Turtle Set
With LEGO Creator sets, little builders can make not just one but THREE fun creations! With this set, choose between three duos – a dolphin and turtle, a seahorse and sea snail, or a fish and a crab.
All three toys come with stands for kids to display in their bedrooms after playtime.
Melissa & Doug Magnetic Fishing Puzzle
This puzzle is the ultimate catch-and-release game! Use the magnetic pole to catch the ten colorful sea creatures, then release them back to the sea by placing the wooden puzzle pieces in the space they belong.
A great way to develop hand-eye coordination and matching skills.
Manhattan Toy 12” Octopus
Brave the waves with this adorable octopus plush toy! This sealife chum is made for comfort and play, featuring lifelike arms with a curly fabric underneath that mimics the texture of tentacles.
Give it a squeeze, snuggle up to its soft plush fur, or dive into their world of pretend play.
National Geographic Kids First Big Book of the Ocean
Immerse your child in the vast world of underwater animals! This Big Book of the Ocean is filled with fun facts about the ocean’s high-interest animals, such as dolphins, sharks, sea otters, and penguins.
With over 100 adorable photos and simple text, it will quickly become a favorite at storytime, bedtime, and any other time.
Crayola Scribble Scrubbie Little Ocean Pets
Set off on a wild adventure with a shark, octopus, whale, and clownfish. Little ones can color and customize their ocean pet figurines and then wash them, starting the process all over again.
Have a blast decorating and caring for these cute animals while enabling kiddos to gain confidence in their drawing skills.
Petit Collage Ocean Life Floor Puzzle
This floor puzzle is bold and colorful, and once complete, it has plenty of fun creatures to spot! The 24 puzzle pieces are big and sturdy, perfect for little hands.
Made with recycled paper printed with non-toxic, environmentally friendly ink, this puzzle is not only good for kids – it’s good for the planet too.
Buy It: Amazon
Creativity for Kids Sensory Bin: Ocean and Sand
Let the ocean come to you with this self-contained play bin that offers the ultimate sensory experience! Scoop, sort, dig and build with easy clean-up and endless hands-on play.
Includes 2 lbs of soft play sand, ocean animal toys, water beads, and various sensory tools, all conveniently packed in a bin with a lid for easy storage.
Entertain your preschooler as they explore their sense of touch, building fine motor skills and promoting cognitive development.
Boley Great Sea Creatures
See the world’s most awe-inspiring sea creatures like never before!
This set of eight includes a variety of sharks and whales, plus a dolphin, each with realistic details and lifelike colors. They are made of soft plastic to withstand rough play, and each creature’s name is printed on the bottom, so your kiddo can become an enthusiast in no time!
Buy It: Amazon
MagnaTiles Arctic Animals
Introduce your child to the arctic world with this new collection of Magna-Tiles. Each set includes first-of-their-kind movable magnetic animals: a penguin, whale, seal, and a mama + baby polar bear.
Kids will love using their creativity to build a habitat for the arctic creatures, then engage in imaginative play with the animals, all while developing STEM concepts.
Melissa & Doug Giant Shark
Duh-Dun, Duh-Dun, Duh-Dunnn!
Discover the wonders of the ocean with this giant plush shark from Melissa & Doug. The realistic-looking plush measures 3 feet long, with beautiful markings and realistic details.
Kids can snuggle their shark during story time, engage in pretend play, and even read a story to their fuzzy friend.
Buy It: Amazon
Matchbox Marine Rescue Shark Ship
The shark is on the loose! And only your little one can save the day with this rescue set. Not only does the ship float, but it also rolls on land, so nothing stops kids from rescuing the cars from the car-chomping shark.
The set includes a crane arm, a chomping shark, a helicopter, and two water-safe cars.
Buy It: Target
Wonder & Wise Submarine Playhouse Tent
This play tent is perfect for the little ones who love to see the world beneath the sea! Kids will love the front mesh windows, the roll-up entrance, and the plush propeller. And who can resist a working periscope?
Don’t be surprised if your little one doesn’t want to return to land once aboard their submarine!
Buy It: Target
Gifts for Kids
Shark Attack! Mad Libs
If your kiddo loves sharks and enjoys laughing, they’ll love to sink their teeth into these Mad Libs! Write in the missing words and watch your imagination come alive as you build 21 silly tales about the ocean’s most feared creatures.
Play alone or in a group. Play at home, or take in on the road.
Water Bottle Ocean Stickers
Add adventure to your life with these trendy water bottle stickers, perfect for any kid who loves the ocean or sea creatures!
Great for adding a personal touch to any smooth surface – think gaming systems, tablets, notebooks, laptops, water bottles, and more.
Buy It: Amazon
Sticker by Letter: Ocean Fun
Keep their brains engaged while creating cool art with this sticker activity book!
Each ocean-themed image is divided into spaces that correspond to a specific letter. Find the sticker with the corresponding letter, peel it, and place it in the right spot. Watch as a colorful image emerges from the original unfinished illustration.
Perler Beads Ocean Buddies
Bring imagination into your home and create one-of-a-kind ocean animals!
This easy kid’s craft has three unique pegboard shapes: an octopus, a fish, and a dolphin. Place the beads on the pegboards, then use a household iron to fuse the beads and complete your craft!
Terra by Battat Tropical Fish World
A fun and educational toy for your budding marine biologist, these miniature sea animals are the perfect addition to your child’s collection! Their size makes them a fun addition to the bath, sensory table, or water table. And when playtime is over, all 60 creatures fit inside the included tub.
Buy It: Amazon
Lego Creator 3-in-1 Deep Sea Creatures
Uncover the secrets of the deep blue sea with this LEGO Creator shark playset! Build three unique creations with this set – a shark, an octopus, and an angler fish – for triple the fun!
Guess in 10 Underwater Animals
Is the animal a mammal? Does it have a shell? Ask up to ten questions to guess the underwater animal in this fun family game.
You’ll have fun learning about the ocean and sea creatures, including their habitats, what they eat, and how they survive. Play in teams or go head-to-head.
Buy It: Amazon
National Geographic Kids Ultimate Oceanpedia
From tsunamis to sea turtles, learn about our oceans’ creatures, science, and ecology! This book travels through all parts of the ocean and explains how it affects our world through photos, illustrations, and diagrams. It includes a mini ocean atlas and, of course, kids’ favorite weird-but-true facts.
A complete ocean reference book for your future oceanographer!
Mudpuppy Ocean Life Search and Find Puzzle
The search-and-find puzzle is the perfect challenge for kids who love the ocean and its exotic animals. Kids put the 64-piece puzzle together, then find the 40 hidden sea creatures and marine life for double the fun.
Kids will love the colorful artwork of the diverse sea creatures – it makes an excellent gift for a child who loves the ocean!
Shark Lady by Jess Keating
Shark Lady is the story of Eugenie Clark, a pioneering ocean scientist. She started studying sharks when women didn’t think women should be scientists. After earning several college degrees and making numerous discoveries, she earned the nickname “Shark Lady.”
An inspiring story that includes a timeline of Eugenie’s life, complete with shark facts!
National Geographic Kids Ocean Animal Dig Kit
Excavate a sea creature figure from each seashell and identify the creatures inside with the full-color learning guide. This activity set includes facts about the six ocean animals hidden inside the 12 seashells and encourages an interest in scientific discovery through hands-on learning.
Buy It: Amazon
National Geographic Kids Coral Reef Figure Set
Think of this tub as an underwater adventure in a box for your future marine biologist! This 42-piece set includes various ocean creatures, including clownfish, parrotfish, moray eel, manta ray, starfish, and more, that fit inside the container when playtime is over.
Buy It: Amazon
Kiwi Co Environmental Science: Oil Cleanup
Learn how oil spills affect the ocean and sea life and how to clean them up with this hands-on learning kit!
Your future environmental scientist will follow step-by-step instructions to learn different cleanup techniques, including scooping the oil and trapping it in a floating broom. Plus, the critters need a cleanup too!
Silver Lilly Animal Tail Blanket
A jaw-some gift idea for any shark-loving kid! Once they are tucked inside, they will look like they are escaping the jaws of a shark. Your little one will feel ferocious while lounging around in the coziest fleece.
Buy It: Amazon
Ocean Bingo
Who doesn’t love to play bingo? This family-friendly game is packed with ocean creatures for hours of bingo fun.
You’ll meet 64 weird, wonderful, and beautiful species that call the ocean home. Mark off each one as it’s called, and be the first to shout BINGO!
Buy It: Amazon
Plus Plus Ocean Playset
Create an underwater world with this 70-piece ocean set. Plus-Plus bricks are one shape with endless building possibilities – create flat mosaics or 3D builds of your favorite ocean creatures.
This bundle includes a shark, dolphin, jellyfish, sea turtle, and clownfish.
Buy It: Amazon
Sea Creature Mini Waffle Maker
Make 3D ocean animal-shaped waffles using the Sea Creature Mini Waffle Maker. This fun electric pancake maker features a variety of sea friends that will brighten up your mornings and add to breakfast fun!
Kids’ Waterproof Camera
This waterproof camera toy is perfect for your kids to learn about photography. With the waterproof case installed, they can take pictures up to 98 meters underwater! They can also try their hands at different functions, including applying various filters and frames and playing games.
Buy It: Amazon
