Craft tutorials and free templates

Here fishy fishy…

By KateOn

I‘ve been making a couple of little fishing games for my sons for christmas. They are very easy to make and, I think, will go down a treat.

I made a plastic set to play with in water (a bucket, bath, pan, paddling pool). And another set to play with on dry land.

All you need is a stick, some thread (or string/wool), a magnet, some paperclips and some paper or plastic for the fish. Click on the ‘read more’ link below for more details.

By the way, if you make any of my projects, let me know and I will add you to the ‘you create’ list on the right-hand side of this page. (Please send me a link to a photo or post on your blog).

My printer conked out so I cut all my fishy bones out by hand (see below)! If you fancy a quicker approach I’ve included a template for you to print off.

You will need:

♥ a stick for each player
♥ some thread (or string/wool)
♥ a magnet
♥ plastic (for the ‘wet’ version)
♥ paper (for the dry version)
♥ paperclips
♥ holepunch
♥ superglue

1. First of all you need to collect a good stick to use as a fishing pole. I used a craft knife to shave off all the nobbles!
2. Tie your string to one end of the pole.
3. At the other end of the pole you need to attach a bead which has a magnet glued to it. The bead is important as it adds some weight to the end of the string which is pretty important if you are playing in water.
4. You can use any kind of plastic to make fish for the ‘wet’ version of this game. We seem to collect no end of the stuff in our recycle bin! Once you have cut out some fish shapes, punch a hole in the ‘nose’ and attach a paperclip – easy!
5. For the dry version you simply have to cut out some fish. If you want a pdf template click here. (For best results set your printer to ‘photo’ quality). Again, punch a hole in the ‘nose’ and attach a paperclip. I’ve added some dots to the reverse side of our fish so that it doubles up as a counting game.

If you have the time and inclination to make a ‘working’ fishing rod then check out this beautiful tutorial at imaginechildhood.

PLEASE REMEMBER
Because of all the small bits, this game is not really suitable for under 3’s
Please remember to fully supervise your kids around water at all times.

42 thoughts on “Here fishy fishy…”

  3. ooh, a template would be fabulous! I agree with Squeaks, these are the nicest example of little fish! I’ve been looking for one for ages that I could use in my Spanish classroom, and these would be fantastic!

  4. Love this! The template would be great. What a great site you have. Made your play dough last week and it was so much fun!

  5. Great site! Lovely and gorgeous fishes! I’d like to print the template! Just a beautiful present for my daughter Carmela! Great fun!

  6. I am THRILLED to have discovered your site! I only wish I had found it a bit earlier as there are so many ideas I’d love to try for Christmas! I love your creativity and again, thanks for the inspiration!!!

  8. Hi Justine, your comment made me laugh…glad you like them. Have an ace party. Dr Seuss theme sounds v cool. Would love to think that green eggs and ham are on the menu!

  14. I did the same some months ago- but with cardboard onto which I glued paper my daughter coloured. I like the plastic version for the bathtub and the other ones look very nice too!

  17. Hi Rachel and Andrea,

    Sorry for the delay in response…the plastic is some colored acetate that I have had for years. I made some other fish from empty milk bottles (and other plastic food packaging) and they were great…not as pretty but great nonetheless!

  18. Hi Kate,

    I have just discovered your site, as a child care worker and studying to be a teacher there are some great resources here. Just as a game suggestion in a large or small group these could have songs or actions written on them, and each time they are fished out of the pond the songs could be sung or actions done (as part of a fitness activity even). Love the site and the ideas!!

    Thanks, Dee

  20. Hi Kate,
    I just did this, last night and my daughter loved it. I used some lids from ice cream boxes to make the fish and a big wooden spoon for the rod (because I totally forgot to search for a stick) and they turned out great. You can see them here: http://laurafrunza.com/2011/07/14/festivalul-vacantei-ziua-4-joc-cu-pestisori-si-undita-magnetica/
    The article is in Romanian, but the pictures are clear and I also added a video of my daughter fishing and saying “Let’s catch some fishies” in her 3 year old language. Thanx for sharing this with us!

  22. Great post! Lovely ideas. Excellent option as a game for any age group, get-together or parties. Now I know what good use to put that pear tree branch that I just stopped my husband from putting out for the recycle truck 🙂 !

  24. Hello from Australia. Thanks for all the wonderful ideas. I am a piano teacher and like to include games and craft in my teaching. Just about to start working on a fishing game – so finding your site (via Handmade Living magazine) was great timing!

  28. Hi Cathy…if the page has a comments section then the post i open in full…therefore the ‘read-more’ section isn’t visible. Hope that makes sense.

    I used some sheets of coloured plastic to make the fish (available from ebay). You can use plastic packaging though…just as good, and it’s free.

    Good luck!

  31. NOT SURE HOW OLD THIS COMMENT IS, BUT I STUMBLED ON THIS POST RECENTLY. I FOUND SOME PLASTIC COLORED Portfolio folders AT Walmart (COULD BE FOUND AT ANY OFFICE SUPPLY) The folders were only 50 cents and I was able to find 6 different colors. It would make enough for 2 pages of each color.

  33. I’m REALLY hoping those awesome colors print out with the template!!! Then I can just cut around and laminate!!! Done…that simple!!!
    THANKS!!!

  36. These fish are great and the perfect for my chore chart. :] Thank you for making the template it is wonderful.

  37. That’s so lovely. My daughter likes fishing games. She used to play with strings. I’m going to make one dry version for her today. Thanks a lot for the lovely idea

  38. Which local and/or online stores have the plastic sheets and magnets? I have construction paper, laminating pouches and a magnet roll, but not the magnets that you used. Is this activity for toddlers as well as preschoolers?

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