Dive Into an Under the Sea Classroom Theme This School Year

Are you diving deep underwater with your classroom theme in 2024? This under the sea theme decor bundle has you covered with themed printables for your bulletin boards, labeling, student awards and more!

Download this bundle of printables, plus a PowerPoint presentation that you can upload to your Google Drive to theme your slide decks, and pair it with oceanic decor throughout the classroom.

How to Create an Under the Sea Classroom

Under the sea decor is among the most versatile classroom themes. It’s fun for pre-K and kindergarten students who will enjoy the adventure of learning in a room filled with their favorite marine animals, and it opens the door for countless learning experiences for upper elementary students too — whether you’re talking about protecting our oceans from plastic pollution in science class or exploring the world’s five oceans in geography!

Here are just a few ideas to help build the complete under the sea theme in your classroom this year:

1. Turn your classroom library into a beachside hangout. Use soft pillows or cushions in shades of blue and green to resemble the ocean, then add a small tent or canopy decorated with seashells and a fishing net for added effect. Name it the Reader’s Reef to complete the theme.
2. Incorporate your theme into your learning centers.  For math, use seashells or fish-shaped manipulatives for counting or sorting activities. In ELA, create a “Shipwrecked Spelling” center, or use our “Fishy Find” words game where students “fish” for sight words!
3. Rename your teacher desk as the “captain’s deck.”
4. Create a submarine porthole with one of your windows. Do you have a window on your classroom door or a window that faces outside? You can create a fun porthole for students to look through as if they were in a submarine! Cut the center from a paper plate, and paint the plate black. Place the plate at the center of the window and use blue window paint or window paint markers to add the ocean around the “hole.” Add some of the marine creature cut-out decorations from this theme bundle, and you have a fun feature your students will love!

Under the Sea Bulletin Board Ideas to Welcome Students Back to School

This theme bundle has two options when it comes to printable bulletin board letters, so why not plan bulletin boards throughout the school year that go with your under the sea theme? Here are a few ideas from the Teach Starter team to get you inspired!

• Let’s Make Waves
• Kindness Is Cool in This School (feature a school of fish!)
• Perseverance = Just Keep Swimming
• This Class is Turtle-y Awesome
• Diving Into the Sea of Knowledge
• Under the Sea, We Learn Happily
• We’re Exploring the Depths of Learning
• We’re So Happy to “Sea” You
• Our Class Is Fin-tastic
• Learning is Fin-tastic
• In This Class, We Swim Together
• Making Waves With Our Education
• This Class Is Making a Splash

Under the Sea Group Names to Use for Student Groups

Are you looking to name your student groups to fit the ocean classroom theme? Grab your scuba gear, and dive into this fun list!

• Orcas
• Blue whales
• Humpbacks
• Narwals
• Belugas
• Dolphins
• Seals
• Jellyfish

More Teaching Resources With an Ocean Theme

Don’t stop there! We’ve compiled some of our favorite teaching resources featuring ocean-going creatures that you can add to your teacher toolkit. We hope your school year goes swimmingly!

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Jellyfish Classroom Birthday Bulletin Board

Print everything you need for an under-the-sea-themed birthday bulletin board for your classroom.

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Ocean Writing Center

Build stronger vocabulary and writing skills with an ocean-themed writing center.

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Ocean Pollution Art Activity

Inspire discussions about ocean pollution and environmental impact with an Earth Day art project.