Somewhere between “what should we do today?” and “please stop climbing the furniture” lives the perfect paper plate craft. This treasure chest paper plate craft is exactly that: simple enough for little hands, cute enough for the fridge, and done before anyone gets restless.
A pile of gold peeks out of the chest, topped with paper gems and a little lock. Perfect for pirate week.
What You Need for This Paper Plate Treasure Chest Craft
Treasure Chest Paper Plate Craft (visual directions + template)
Get the printablePaper plate
View on AmazonBrown paint
View on AmazonPaintbrush
View on AmazonYellow and colored construction paper
View on AmazonKid scissors
View on AmazonGlue stick
View on AmazonBlack marker
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How to Make a Paper Plate Treasure Chest
Cut the chest pieces
Use the template to cut the paper plate into the top and bottom of the chest.
Paint them brown
Paint both pieces brown and let them dry so nothing smudges later.
Cut out the gold
Cut the pile of gold from yellow paper using the template.
Glue the chest together
Glue the two chest pieces together with the gold tucked in the middle so it peeks out the top.
Cut the gems and lock
Cut gem shapes and a lock from colored paper.
Add the gems and lock
Glue the gems across the gold and the lock on the front of the chest.
Draw the details
Use a black marker to add wood lines, hinges and any extra decorations.
Ways to Use It
- Hide a real “treasure” behind it for a pirate scavenger hunt
- Pair with the pirate paper plate craft
- Count the gems for an easy math moment
- Hang it on a pirate bulletin board
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Paper Plate Treasure Chest Craft for Preschool, Pre-K and Kindergarten
Preschool
Paint, glue and decorate. You handle the tricky cutting, and kids point to each picture step as they go.
Pre-K
Trace the template and cut the straight lines. Follow the visual steps in order.
Kindergarten and up
Cut out every piece, add their own details, and retell the steps in order.
Get the Printable Visual Directions
Doing this with a group? The printable has picture steps for every part of the treasure chest, plus a template you can trace.
What’s included
- A picture supply list
- Visual step-by-step directions
- Photo step cards
- A printable template
- Instant PDF download, nothing is shipped
Perfect for
- Preschool and kindergarten classrooms
- Special education and speech therapy
- Following directions practice
- Thematic units
- Homeschool art time
Paper Plate Treasure Chest Craft FAQ
Sure. Glue on sequins, foil coins or craft gems for extra sparkle.
Ages 3 to 6. Preschoolers paint and glue with a little help, and kindergartners can trace and cut the pieces themselves.
Yes. Crayons, markers or torn construction paper work too and are less messy.
You can freehand the pieces, but the template and picture steps help kids work on their own and make it easy to do with a class.
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