Learn how to make a treasure map for kids using supplies around the house for an easy craft that you can play with for years!
Grab your little explorers and get ready to embark on an adventure with a treasure map that they can help make! It’s a perfect activity to let kids be creative, and then when it’s done, they can use it over and over for fun play activities!
This project is part of my Kid’s Craft camp! Make sure to click on the image to see all 50 craft ideas!
Supplies to make a treasure map
- Brown craft paper (you can use the paper that comes inside packages)
- rice
- pirate stickers
- markers or crayons
I tried out some new watercolor markers with this project (you color like regular markers and then add water to get it to spread. Watercolor paints would also look really great on this map because it has the aged affect! Play around with different mediums!
How to DIY a treasure map
Step 1: We like to make our maps look aged and old! So we start by ripping the edges. We even add a few holes here and there!
Step 2: Take a cup of rice and dump it in the middle of the map! (This is the fun part!)
Step 3: Take a pen and outline the rice. This is your continents and islands. The more detail you add, the cooler it looks!
Step 4: Wipe away the rice revealing your map.
Step 5: Color the map. I like to distress the edges with brown marker or brown watercolor. I found these fun watercolor markers. You color in like marker and then go over where you colored with a wet paintbrush to get a watercolor look.
Step 5: Add in any fun details you want to include in your treasure map. You can draw it so it matches the decor in your house, put the couch as a mountain, the table as a pond etc. That way your kid can follow it around the house to look for treasure!
and of course you need to add in a compass.
Step 6: After you have all the details included, I scrunch it up a quite a few times to make it look like it’s traveled across the oceans a few time!
Things to include on a treasure map
Here is a list of other things you might want to include!
- Compass
- X marks the spot for treasure
- treasure chest
- islands
- mountains
- palm trees
- hills
- forests
- mermaid Lagooon
- pirate ship
- skull and crossbones
- volcano
Play with the treasure map
To make the treasure map extra fun, we created a periscope (thanks Jake and the Never Land Pirates for teaching me what that is!) It’s a paper towel tube with some brown paper on it.
We paired it with some gold coins (you could even buy the chocolate covered gold coins!)
Save for later
Too busy to get crafting today? No problem! Pin this post to remind yourself about this project later! Sharing my projects helps me reach more people, allowing me to continue sharing free content!
The BEST kid crafts and activities
and when I say kids, I mean kids of all ages!
- black glue art
- salt art
- hot rocks
- Yarn bracelets
- DIY window clings with puff paint
- Play dough activity mats
- Melted crayon art
- magic wallet
- Learn to make black scratch paper
- Melted Crayon Suncatcher
- Pressed Flowers Jar
- Bleeding Tissue craft
If you are looking for more fun kids’ crafts- my craft camp has two weeks full of fun projects that you will love to do as well!
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