Mermaid-Inspired Kids Activities

Life with girls can be filled with glitter, twirls, tulle, and mermaid tails. Our life is! My 2 daughters are especially enchanted by mermaids. Over the years we’ve collected mermaid pillows, blankets, costumes, and tiny treasures that bring a little bit of ocean magic into our home.

I remember being a child and wondering about mermaids myself. What do they eat? Where do they live? What adventures do they have? Part of the fun is that mermaids are completely pretend, which means kids can let their imaginations run wild. Here are some of our favorite ways to play mermaids, create shimmering adventures, and enjoy ocean-inspired fun as a family.

DIY Mermaid Treasure Game

One of our favorite activities is a homemade mermaid treasure game. It’s simple to set up, customizable, and gets kids moving. All you need is some colorful paper, a handful of mermaid or ocean toys, and a few sparkly treasures.

Game Set-Up:

First, cut out “tiles” from colored paper, lay them out to create a pathway, and create a start and finish for your game.

Write fun mermaid-inspired actions on the back of each tile, such as twirl in the ocean, sing like a mermaid, do a flip (somersault), or find something sparkly.

Place each tile blank side up to hide the secret actions.

Hide a sea creature pal or crystal along the pathway. If someone lands on a tile with a creature or crystal, they get to collect it (+10 points per treasure). If you don’t want to keep score, kids will still love gathering treasures as they move along the pathway.

Place an additional treasure at the end of the game pathway, a final bonus for each person to reach it.

Game Rules:

To begin playing this mermaid treasure game, roll the dice. Move your mermaid piece forward the number of tiles the dice indicates. When you land on a tile, flip it over and complete the action. This may require twirling like a starfish or singing a mermaid song!

Keep playing until you reach the treasure at the end of the pathway. The winner can be the first to finish or the one who collected the most treasures along the way. Bonus points for most creative mermaid song or silliest starfish move!

Every round is different, which makes this game something my girls ask to play again and again. You can keep adding new actions, create themed tiles, or even play in teams. The best part? This game is all about laughter, imagination, and making memories together.

Splashlings Mermaids & Ocean Friends

To bring our game to life, we love using Splashlings. These are tiny mermaids and ocean friends from TPF Toys and available at Walmart. Each set includes collectible mermaids with bright hair, sparkly details, and sweet expressions. Additionally, the sets come with a variety of ocean pals such as fish, shells, and treasure pets. Some even have color-changing features, which adds a fun surprise!

My girls adore trading creatures, collecting their favorites, and storing treasures inside the starfish and shell containers. They especially loved discovering the surprise mermaids hidden in their Splashlings shells. Those big reveals are always a hit!

These Splashlings sets are adorable gifts, fun collectibles, and the perfect addition to our mermaid treasure game.

Mermaid-Inspired Snacks

Of course, no underwater adventure is complete without mermaid snacks. After swimming through imaginary oceans and collecting treasures, our little mermaids are always hungry! We’ve created silly ocean treats such as:

Sea straws (veggie straws)
Shrimp fruit (grapes)
Seaweed cakes (rice crispy treats)
Seaberries (blueberries)
Coral knots (pretzels)

Sensory Mermaid Glitter Slime

One of our favorite mermaid-inspired activities is making glitter slime. It’s sparkly, stretchy, and so much fun for little hands! This recipe is borax-free, which makes it a gentler option for kids. Furthermore, it holds together well so you don’t end up with as much slime on clothes or the floor. Homemade slime is perfect for a rainy day activity, or even as a craft station at a mermaid-themed birthday party!

Basic Slime Recipe

• 1 cup clear glue
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• contact solution (with ingredients boric acid and sodium borate)
• food coloring / glitter (optional)

DIY Slime Directions

In a bowl, combine 1 cup school glue and 1/2 tsp. baking soda and stir until smooth.

Add food coloring and glitter for that magical mermaid sparkle. You can also toss in sequins or confetti for extra sensory fun.

Slowly mix in a few squirts of contact solution. The slime will start looking stringy as the liquid reacts with the glue.

Keep stirring until it’s ready to pick up and stretch. The more you play with it, the stretcher it becomes. Homemade slime is so satisfying!

Slime Tips for Playtime

Have kids wash their hands before and after playing to keep the slime clean.

Store slime in an airtight container, it will last for several weeks of play.

Try making different colors of slime and let kids experiment with mixing them together to discover new shades. This is a fun way to also learn about color mixing.

My kids love pulling out our DIY glitter slime during our homeschool routine. It doubles as a sensory break and a creative project.

Rest Time After Play

After all that excitement, it can be hard for little ones to wind down. My girls (ages 2 and 4) share a room, so naps can be tricky. One thing that helps is our BabyOasis sound machine, which plays gentle sounds like ocean waves, rain, or a heartbeat. The soothing music helps them relax after busy mornings of play, and I love that it’s rechargeable and portable for travel.

Mermaid Fashion Fun

To top it all off, my daughter loves dressing up in her American Girl WellieWisher Camille outfit, which matches her doll who also loves the ocean. The shimmery aqua tulle and striped skirt feel straight out of the sea, and the quality has held up beautifully even after plenty of washes. Matching her doll in this outfit makes the experience extra magical. Additionally, I made my girls’ WellieWisher dolls mermaid tails to add to their make-believe play. So fun and cute!

Mermaids have brought so much imagination and joy into our home. From DIY games to collectible toys, from silly snacks to sparkly outfits, these activities always spark creativity and laughter. My girls have taught me that pretend play is more than just fun, it’s a sweet way to build memories, practice kindness, and share adventures together.

🌊 Which Splashling or mermaid-inspired activity would be your little one’s favorite?

Katie Wallace

Hi, I’m Katie! I live with my husband and 4 kids in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. I love Jesus, coffee, creative projects, photography, and traveling. I’ve previously worked as a web designer, journalist, and barista. I hope you enjoy our creative projects and family adventures!