Fish Activities for Children

Sharks and Minnows

• This game is a great way to keep an entire group of kids entertained and exercising. Designate one child as the shark, and the rest of the group as minnows. Have the minnows line up against one wall of the room. When the shark calls out "Minnows!" the minnows need to run to the opposite wall without being tagged by the shark. Any minnow who is tagged becomes a shark, which means that there are several sharks at the beginning of the next round. The last minnow to become a shark wins--and becomes the first shark in the next game.

Magnet Fishing

• Trace an outline of a small fish on a piece of construction paper. Cut out the fish and attach a small magnet to its side. Then take a long stick and tie a piece of yarn to the end of it. Attach a second magnet to the other end of the string to form a fishing rod. Challenge your child to use the fishing rod to catch the fish. You can create more fish in various colors and make the different fish worth a certain number of points. You can even let your child decorate the fish before attaching the magnet.

Fish Training

• If your child has a pet fish, read her the story of Kyle Pomerleau, who trained his goldfish to do tricks. Kyle's fish could swim through a hoop, swim upside down, and even play football--all on command! Read more about this innovative young fish trainer, and challenge your child to safely try to train her fish as well. Come up with a list of tricks that the fish might be able to do, and choose the easiest one for the first training session.