Colourful group of DIY pom pom fish

Pom Pom Fish

These pom pom fish are soooo cute!! Best of all, this colourful fish craft is also super easy and fun to make. All you need is your hand to make a pom pom – no special tools required!

Print out our free template and trace the fins, tail, and mouth, or you can create your own shapes. These soft and fluffy fish are so bright and cheerful, you’ll want to make a whole school of them!

Colourful group of DIY pom pom fish

 

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How to Make a Pom Pom Fish

These fluffy pom pom fish are SO CUTE! Use simple craft supplies and our free template to make this easy fish craft.
Author: Debbie Chapman

Equipment:

Check Out The Video Tutorial:

Looking for more pom pom crafts? Here’s a few of our favourites:Pom Pom SheepHow to Make Pom Pom BunniesPom Pom Ice Cream ConesPom Pom Penguins

Instructions:

Step 1: Find what you need

  • Gather your supplies and materials.
    Pom Pom Fish SuppliesPom Pom Fish Supplies

Step 2: Wrap yarn around your fingers

  • Choose your first colour of yarn. This will become the front, middle, and back of your fish.Cut a piece of yarn about 12 inches long and slide it between your middle and index finger.
    Pom Pom FishPom Pom Fish
  • Wrap the same colour of yarn (orange, for us) around three of your fingers 60 times. Cut the yarn off from the ball. (Children may need to wrap the yarn around 4 of their fingers to make the same size pom pom).
    Pom Pom FishPom Pom Fish
  • Choose a second colour of yarn (blue, for us) and wrap it around your fingers 30 times, beside the first colour. Again, cut it off.
    Pom Pom FishPom Pom Fish
  • Go back to colour 1 (orange) and wrap it around your fingers 40 times before cutting it.
    Pom Pom FishPom Pom Fish
  • Wrap colour 2 (blue) around your fingers 30 times before cutting it.
    Pom Pom FishPom Pom Fish
  • Finally, wrap colour 1 (orange) around your fingers 40 times and cut it off from the ball.
    Pom Pom FishPom Pom Fish

Step 3: Form the pom pom

  • Tie the 12 inch piece of yarn around the wrapped yarn and then carefully slide the yarn bundle off your hand.Now pull the yarn tight and tie it in a double knot around the center of the bundle.
    Pom Pom FishPom Pom Fish
  • Using sharp scissors (or fabric scissors), cut through the loops of yarn to create a rough pom pom shape.
    Pom Pom FishPom Pom Fish
  • Give the pom pom a “haircut”, trimming and shaping it until it’s a nice, even ball shape.
    Pom Pom FishPom Pom Fish

Step 4: Cut and attach the fish’s fins, tail, and mouth

  • Print out the pom pom fish template (link in the list of supplies above) and cut out all the pieces.
    Pom Pom FishPom Pom Fish
  • Trace the fins, tail, and mouth onto felt and then cut out these pieces.
    Pom Pom FishPom Pom Fish
  • To attach the fish’s fins you’ll need to separate the yarn to create a little trench for the felt to slide into – otherwise the pieces will not stay in place.Choose the top of your pom pom fish and do this along the center.
    Pom Pom FishPom Pom Fish
  • Add hot glue to both sides of the dorsal (top) fin, along the straight edge.
    Pom Pom FishPom Pom Fish
  • Place the dorsal fin in the little trench you made and then press the yarn back together to glue the fin in place.
    Pom Pom FishPom Pom Fish
  • Use the same method to attach the fish’s tail at the back, just below the dorsal fin.
    Pom Pom FishPom Pom Fish
  • Attach the pectoral (side) fins on either side of the fish, roughly in the center. Then add the fish’s mouth to the front center.
    Pom Pom FishPom Pom Fish
  • Use more hot glue to add googly eyes to the front of the fish, above the mouth.
    Pom Pom FishPom Pom Fish
  • Your pom pom fish is complete!
    Pom Pom FishPom Pom Fish

Helpful Tip:

  • Experiment with different colour combinations, because fish come in all the colours of the rainbow. You could even make a pom pom fish with 3 or 4 colours!

Yarn fish craft set out on a plain backgroundYarn fish craft set out on a plain background

Download our free pom pom fish template:

Click on the link below to download our free, printable pom pom fish template! The PDF file will open in a new window. Then simply print the template onto regular 8.5 x 11 (letter size) paper.

>>> Pom Pom Fish Template <<<

Closeup of a purple and yellow pom pom fish craftCloseup of a purple and yellow pom pom fish craft

Do I need a pom pom maker to make a pom pom fish?

You definitely don’t need to buy a special tool to make a pom pom. We like to avoid using extra gadgets if possible, and you can make an awesome pom pom using just your hand!

If you like to keep both hands free, you can definitely buy a plastic pom pom maker from a craft store like Michaels or on Amazon. Or you can cut a rectangle out of cardboard and wrap your yarn around the cardboard instead of your fingers.

Pom pom fish sitting on a blue backgroundPom pom fish sitting on a blue background

What type of yarn is best for making pom pom fish?

We used a medium weight acrylic yarn (Craft Smart yarn from Michaels) and it worked really well! Acrylic yarn is nice for making pom poms because it doesn’t split at the end like cotton yarn does.

Chunky yarn is also a great option for making pom poms, because you only have to wrap the yarn around your fingers half as many times!

What else can I use to decorate the pom pom fish?

Instead of googly eyes, glue black beads or buttons for the fishy’s eyes! And if you don’t have felt, try using a craft foam sheet to make the fins, tail, and mouth. You could even cut and bend pipe cleaners to make these parts!

How to make a pom pom fishHow to make a pom pom fish

These fish pom pom are soft, fluffy, and a lot of fun to play with! Add these fish to a garland or mobile, or use a shoe box to create an ocean diorama to put them on display. So fun!

Easy DIY pom pom fishEasy DIY pom pom fish

Here’s even more pom pom craft ideas:

Pom Pom Penguins

Grey and white pom pom penguin standing beside a black and white penguinGrey and white pom pom penguin standing beside a black and white penguin

DIY Pom Pom Dragons

How to Train Your Dragon pom pom dragonsHow to Train Your Dragon pom pom dragons

Pom Pom Ice Cream Cones

Pom pom ice cream craftPom pom ice cream craft

How to Make Pom Pom Chicks

Two pom pom chicks standing beside each otherTwo pom pom chicks standing beside each other

Our book Low-Mess Crafts for Kids is loaded with 72 fun and simple craft ideas for kids! The projects are fun, easy and most importantly low-mess, so the clean up is simple!

Low Mess Crafts for Kids BookLow Mess Crafts for Kids Book

Where to buy:

You can purchase Low-Mess Crafts for Kids from Amazon, or wherever books are sold:

Amazon  |  Barnes and Noble  |  Books-A-Million  |  Indiebound  |  Amazon Canada

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