Free octopus outlines and templates (16 PDFs)

Octopus outlines and templates

Here we have some more great resources for ocean arts and crafts fun. The pages in this collection of octopus outlines and templates can be used for all sorts of creative purposes. You find a variety of different octopus shapes and styles. There are cute printables for kids as well as more complex and realistic drawings that are suitable for teenagers and adults.

Octopuses, or octopi, are mysterious and somewhat bizarre sea creatures that are thought to be highly intelligent. They are somewhat impossibly flexible and are able to squeeze their bodies through the smallest of tight spaces. They can rapidly change into a wide array of colors to express their emotions, communicate, hide, and hunt. Well mentions a few more fascinating facts about these animals later. But first, let’s delve into the printable octopus craft resources available below.

Printable octopus outlines

To begin with, we have some basic octopus outlines. These are great for simple projects such as tracing for kids, coloring, and drawing in details. Just bear in mind that younger children may need assistance if you are going to cut the shapes out. The long, curvy limbs of an octopus do, however, make for great cutting practice for kids who are able. Adults and teens may find it easier to use a box cutter than scissors if you have one on hand.

If you do cut them out, these outlines (and the templates) make for great hanging mobiles. This is because their tentacles flop around and move back and forth, especially if printed on paper.

Did you know that an octopus has 3 hearts? These organs are used to pump the animal’s blue colored blood! They also have donut shaped brains and are smart enough to use things as tools and even open jars. There are around 300 different species of octopuses, but they generally only live to a maximum of 5 years in the natural world.

Printable octopus templates

Next, we have some more detailed octopus templates. These make for fantastic stenciling projects or illustrating posters and scrapbooks. They are again useful as coloring pages or for creating murals. A fun activity to do is to ask learners to draw a colorful sea scene on a separate piece of paper or card. Once they have completed this, they can cut out and stick one of the octopus templates on top of it to create a beautiful scene.

Note that there are plenty of other sea creature templates here at ESL Vault that you can use with these octopus drawings. There are free printable outlines and templates of fish, whales, stingrays, starfish, and more!

Octopus tentacle templates

Finally, we have some octopus tentacle templates if you are looking for something a bit different. The arms of these eight-legged creatures are covered in suckers, or suction caps that help them grip and hold onto things. There are usually two rows of suckers on each tentacle.

One cool thing that kids can do with these printables is make tentacle bookmarks. They can then use the bookmarks both at school and while reading at home. They can be colored in and stuck to card to make them stronger. You can either cut out the interesting shapes as they are, or draw a rectangular box around them to make more traditionally shaped bookmarks.