On this page, you will find 32 original boat and ship coloring pages that are all free to download and print! For this series, I illustrated a wide variety of maritime crafts, including small boats, fishing boats, large container ships, cruise ships, Navy ships, tugboats, lego-themed boats, plus tons more!
These printables are great for young kids who are fascinated with boats and want to do something creative with a nautical theme. Also, these pages can be used in the classroom or at home to teach children about all the different types of boats and ships that exist on the water.
Once the coloring pages have been completed, they can be used for wall art, banners, decorations for a ship-themed party, placemats, book covers, and even a backdrop for a fish tank!
All these PDF coloring pages are on standard US letter size, but they also fit perfectly onto A4 paper sizes. Enjoy!
10 Craft Ideas To Do With Boat & Ships Coloring Pages
Boats and ships are fascinating, and all children love to color them!
Below are some top ways to use those finished coloring pages to let them sail on.
1. Make Saling Postcards
For this craft, use card stock and simply cut it carefully into the size of a postcard. You can download templates if necessary.
The ship can then be glued to the backside of the postcard, and on the other side, a ruler can be used to make lines for the recipient’s address and the return address.
Youngsters can have extra fun by decorating the postcard with some freestyle art or some sailing-themed stickers.
2. Ships on the High Seas
This craft is perfect for classroom activities involving perception. Using blue poster board, the larger, the better, have the children draw waves, islands, and even fishes.
Then, have them color and cut out various size ships. The challenge is to place the vessels in the most appropriate place based on their size.
The smallest ones should be placed higher on the poster to indicate they are further away, and the larger ones should be positioned lower.
See which children catch on and choose the best position with regard to size and distance.
3. Ship in a Bottle
Decorate plain cotton with blue and silver glitter, and place it in one half of a plastic craft bottle that opens on both sides. These are easily found for a nominal price.
When the coloring page is finished, the ship should be cut out and glued to the cotton, and the other half of the bottle snapped in place.
Tie blue-and-white yarn around the neck of the bottle and display it on a shelf or the child’s bureau for a lovely ornament.
4. Watch a Ship Through a Nautical Telescope
Take the cardboard from an empty roll of wrapping paper, and decorate it with stars and crescent moons. Stickers work great for this.
When your child is finished with his or her ship, attach it to the end of the cardboard with a pipe cleaner so that it dangles down approximately 6 inches from the opening.
When your child looks through the other end of the tube, it will be as if he or she is watching a ship from a distance.
5. A New Take on the Traditional Paper Boat
A great way to preserve ship coloring pages is to make paper boats. Almost all children have done this before, so that part is easy.
Don’t stop there, though. Dress up this classic favorite by adding sails and a pirate flag.
Small craft sticks and white paper are all you need for the sails. They can be cut in square or triangular fashion and affixed to the boat with craft sticks.
A pirate flag can be drawn and attached to the boat with a toothpick for a great finishing touch.
6. Make an Abstract Model Ship
Have the youngsters cut a paper plate in half and color it blue.
Make three holes at the bottom, through which to thread three red straws.
Once the boat is finished, it should be cut from the coloring page and glued to the front of the straws. This requires crazy glue.
Cut triangles from white paper, and thread them over the top of the red straws for sails. The finished craft looks like a ship sailing on blue water!
7. Make a Nautical Ornament
For this fun craft, have the youngsters fill bottles with craft sand in various shades of blue or aqua.
Small craft flags can be made from ordinary construction paper of any color the children prefer, and these can be anchored into the bottle with craft sticks.
After the coloring page is complete, the ships can be cut out and glued onto the bottle with invisible glue for an attractive ornament for shelf or desk.
8. Ships in the Sky
Ships don’t typically float through the air, but with boat and ship coloring pages, anything’s possible.
For this engaging craft, have your youngster cut out four to five different boats and ships from finished coloring pages.
Each cutout should be given one hole so that it can be threaded onto a string. Unlike a mobile, however, they should be threaded vertically, one on top of the other.
The top of the string can then be tied to a hanger or non-damaging wall hook for an interesting hanging ornament.
9. Classroom Fun Around the World
This craft is fun and educational for youngsters of all ages. All you need are the coloring pages, a large world map, and some thumbtacks.
Have each child color a ship or boat and cut it from the page, followed by a discussion about various bodies of water.
The children can take turns being given the name of a specific ocean or river.
They then get to take their ship to the map and see if they can tack it onto the correct body of water.
10. Bon Voyage Baggage Tags
What could be more appropriate for a luggage tag than a ship? For this easy craft, carefully color and cut out the boat and laminate it with glassine or acrylic spray.
Before laminating, however, a ruler should be used to make three black lines with a sharpie for the owner’s name and address.
Punch a hole and use a craft bubble link chain to turn the colored ship into a real luggage tag!