Almost all children and especially the boys are enthusiastic about the numerous stories about pirates and hidden treasures. For this reason, the scavenger hunt is one of the most popular games at children's birthdays and parties. The collected treasures should then be hidden and stored accordingly. For this purpose, you can make a treasure chest for your child and decorate it beautifully. This means that all gold coins and jewels are properly stored and well hidden. Treasure hunting is also more fun with a homemade treasure chest, because no one knows exactly what it looks like. How you can make a treasure chest yourself and which materials are best suited for this, you will find out in the article.
Make a treasure chest out of an egg box
The pirates from the stories are always looking for great treasures, which are often hidden in a decorated treasure chest on a lonely treasure island. The treasure chests are usually made of wood and have a large lock that can only be opened with the right key. Since a wooden treasure chest is much more complicated to make yourself, we have found a few alternatives to wood that are much simpler and at the same time suitable for crafting with children. For example, you can spice up the empty egg box and use it to create a real treasure chest. The procedure is super simple and even the little ones can help.
You only need a few materials for this creative craft project and is therefore considered very affordable. Here is the short list of materials:
- an egg box or other small cardboard box
- brown and gold acrylic paint
- Malerpinsel
- black pen
- Decorations and embellishments of your choice (e.g. splints, decorative jewels, stickers, etc.)
The egg box for six eggs is best suited for this craft idea because they most resemble a treasure chest. First, you or the child should paint the egg box. We recommend the brown color because it creates a wood look. Paint the box both outside and inside and let it dry thoroughly. Then you can decorate the lid with gold stripes and paint a few screws on it with the pen. Paint the closure of the box gold to create a lock.
You can also paint the inside of the treasure chest gold or leave it brown. Alternatively, it can be covered with a silky fabric or some tissue paper to protect the treasures. The compartments in the egg box are perfect for golden coins, which you can also make yourself. For example, you can cut out cardboard in a round shape and paint it with gold paint.
Tip: With a little 3D paint you can make beautiful gold pieces with engraving for the treasure chest. To do this, apply the 3D paint before painting the cardboard and use it to draw any symbols, such as skulls or various initials. Allow to dry overnight and then paint the cardboard gold.
DIY large cardboard treasure chest for fun children's games
In general, the larger the box, the more treasure you can find or store in it. If you want to make a larger treasure chest, cardboard is the best material for it. You can use cardboard to create treasure chests of any size and paint and decorate them in a variety of ways. In addition, you do not have to buy this material; you can use old boxes made from various items.
The defects in a cardboard treasure chest can easily be hidden with suitable decoration, so that the chest always looks good. You decide for yourself whether to paint it with paint, cover it with fabric or decorate it using the napkin technique. The filling can be just as varied. From golden coins to gold pieces to various jewelry and other valuables. The main thing is that the box is beautifully filled and brings great joy to its finder.
In the picture you will find simple instructions on how to make a beautiful treasure chest out of a box of diapers. Of course, the technique works with any other box, as long as it is rectangular and deep enough. To make it easier to paint and decorate the cardboard box, it is first disassembled and then reassembled with the outer side facing in. All you have to do is glue the edges and the base is ready.
To make a typical lid, you will need another piece of cardboard. First cut two semicircles of equal size from it, which will be the two ends of the lid. Now cut out a rectangle of a suitable size and create a curve. Attach the large piece to the ends and the lid is finished.
Once the two parts of the treasure chest are ready, you should put them together. If possible, work from the inside to avoid marring the exterior of the box. When you're done making the treasure chest, let's move on to the decoration. Brown is the perfect color here because it creates a wood look. However, you can choose any other color for the pirate treasure chest. The decoration is purely a matter of taste and can be tailored to your child's preferences.
If the cardboard used doesn't look good even with paint, you can also cover it up. Wrapping paper works quite well in this case. To decorate, you can use various gift ribbons and make a very special treasure chest.
The homemade treasure chest offers many wonderful ideas for a children's birthday party with a pirate theme. You can use treasure chests as table decorations at the pirate party and fill them with sweets or party favors. The treasure chest creates a real atmosphere and combines perfectly with other pirate motifs. The box is also perfect for a treasure hunt game. It can be filled with treasures and hidden somewhere in the garden or in the apartment. Then the children can use a treasure map to search for the treasure and have a lot of fun doing it.
Small wooden treasure chest
You can also make a treasure chest out of wood, but the exact shape of the chest is much more difficult. That's why we've presented a simple idea that doesn't look like a real treasure chest, but is great for children's little treasures. This little box is constructed using just painted popsicle sticks tied together with glue. Depending on the number of popsicle sticks you use, you can make a shallow or deeper treasure chest. A lid can then be made from the same material and decorated with different stickers.
Alternatively, you can buy a simple wooden box and decorate it as a treasure chest. It's best to leave the task to the children. To do this, provide them with colors that are suitable for wood. If desired, the treasure chest can be personalized with the child's name to make it more personal.
A treasure chest can also be used for children to store their own treasures, such as coins, marbles, and other items that have great meaning to them. Little girls usually already have some jewelry and can easily hide it in the wooden treasure chest.
Make a treasure chest out of cardboard and paper
Simple treasure chests can also be made from cardboard or paper and are perfect for children's fun games. For example, you can print out a simple, free craft template from the Internet and make the treasure chest according to the instructions given. This means you can't be wrong with the measurements and the craft always looks good.
You can make an equally simple treasure chest using a shoebox as material. Shoe boxes are ideal for household use and for crafting with children because they offer plenty of storage space and you can make beautiful things out of them. You can also make a treasure chest out of a shoebox because it has the right shape. You can make a super quick chest yourself or with the children by covering the shoebox with brown paper and decorating the corners with yellow colored paper. With a small yellow lock, the simple shoe box is quickly transformed into a great treasure chest.
However, if you would like to make a more eye-catching treasure chest, you can further decorate the shoebox and round off the treasure chest with a matching lid. In addition to colored paper, you can also do thisUse foam rubber. The material is easy to work with and you can use it to dress up the sides and make a creative keyhole. Let your creativity run wild.
If you want to paint the shoebox instead, you should first cover it with papier-mâché. The surface of the shoebox is usually difficult to paint, which is made much easier with papier-mâché. You can also create the typical vault for the treasure chest by gluing a curved object to the shoebox lid and again covering it with papier-mâché. Continue decorating the lid with glittering foam rubber and the great pirate treasure chest is ready.
To make simple treasure chests, you can even use standard paper bags by folding them in a convenient way. First open the bag and stand it upright. Then cut down all four corners, leaving the bottom 6-7 centimeters uncut. Now fold the smaller edges inwards, as well as one of the larger ones. Then design the remaining side as the lid of the treasure chest, as shown in the picture. Just decorate with handles and a keyhole and the simple treasure chest is ready.
