In this lesson, I am making a boat craft for kids. I am using quite simple materials and a straightforward design for this craft so that anyone can replicate it. Feel free to make any modifications you want, and, in the end, I even provide some extra bits you can add to the ship to make it look more authentic.

It took me around two hours to finish the whole craft so it is well suited for a summer camp or winter camp class. It can also be spread over a few days where students can work on a part of it each day.

This craft is a fun way to teach your students about boats and ships and can be adapted for many different lessons about boats and buoyancy.

Jump to the bottom to get a PPT of the Craft

The box and the materials I’m using

I’m using a plain box. I am also using scissors, glue, and tape. For the finishing touches, I am using paint. That includes a paintbrush and a palete. I chose these materials because they are easy to gather. I kept old boxes from past deliveries and bought some paint and glue.

The materials are also flexible. You can use poster paper or anything similar to that instead. I picked a box because I had some lying around the house. The box I chose looks like this.

Step 1 Open up the box

You can make a single cut on the box or you can just open it up and lay it out flat. This makes it easy to see how big the ship can be and it makes it easy to see how much material you have to work with.

Step 2 Draw a triangle on the box

The triangle will serve as the bottom of the boat. The triangle you draw will decide the size of the boat so make it as big or as small as you want it to be. I didn’t measure or use a ruler, I just eyeballed it.

Step 3 Cut out two triangles

Cut the triangle you just drew. Afterwards, cut another triangle, using the first one as the model. That way, they will both be around the same size.

The size of the triangle will determine how big the boat will be. Feel free to make the boat as big or as small as you want.

I used the first triangle as a model for the second triangle so that they are roughly the same size. These two triangles will serve as the base and the upper deck of your boat.

Step 4 Cut out the sides of the boat

The sides of the box make for great parts for the sides of the boat. Use the triangle you just cut out to measure out the length of the sides of the boat and cut them out.

Use the triangle to measure the width of the sides of your boat. I made it slightly longer so I would have some leeway just in case.

Extra: Keep all the scraps for decoration

All the scraps that are too small for the frame of the boat can be used for decorations in the end. The more scraps you have, the more you can decorate it in the end. This is great for the students because it will really stimulate their creativity when decorating.

Step 5 Tape the sides of the boat together

Tape the sides of the boat together so as to set the front of the boat. Don’t worry about how the box looks just yet because we will paint it later.

Step 6 Stick the bottom triangle on to the boat

Once you’ve taped the two rectangles together, you can fit in the triangle at the bottom. Hold on to the edge like I am on the photo to secure the triangle while you tape it. I didn’t have any help because this craft is suitable for just one person to do by themselves.

Don’t worry about how much tape you use. Once you paint the boat, you can’t see the tape.

Step 7 Tape the top triangle to make the deck

The top deck is just as easy to stick as the bottom deck. I use one hand to secure the top triangle and my other hand taped it into place.

It’s a little awkward placing the tape between the sides and the top triangle. Place a few pieces of tape first, just to secure it and then it’ll be easier to stick more on.

Step 8 Cut out the railing

Cut out squares on the top of the ship so that it looks like a railing. Afterwards, cut out two strips of cardboard and glue them to the top. This is so your imaginary sailors won’t fall over during rough sea storms!

Cut out a couple of strips. They were a little thin the first time I cut them so I recommend cutting them out a little thick so that there is more surface for the glue.

It wasn’t perfectly aligned but it didn’t matter in the end after I painted it. Tell your students not to worry about any lopsidedness in the craft.

Step 9 Cover up the back of the boat

At this point, you can choose what works best with your class. For simplicity’s sake, I chose to just cover up the back and add a window later. When I showed it to my students, they suggested adding an extra captain’s quarters inside. For my class, it was too much, but older students might enjoy the challenge.

Step 10 Make the sails

From those original triangle shapes I cut out in the beginning, I had these pieces left over. I decided that they were perfect for making the sails.

For the sails to stand up, you can make a bookend for each side. I taped the bottom of the bookends so they would be too lose and then I added the sail on top. I taped the bookends to the sail as well so that they would be sturdier.

Place the sails on the boat. I didn’t bother sticking the sails to the boat so that I could move the sails around later for painting or just for adjusting their position later on.

Extra: Decorate

There are many ways to adapt this craft for your needs and materials. This is the way I decorated it so it looks more like a boat. It is also a great way to stimulate your students’ imagination. They can pick different colors, styles and patterns for their boat.

I chose to paint the boat in a dark brown so it looks like an old timey ship. I painted the whole boat this color and added yellow streaks to make it look like it has planks. I had no issue painting over all of the tape and in the end, the tape just blended into the boat.

I cut out windows for the side and colored them blue. I didn’t have any references for my ship and just decorated it in a way that I thought would look good. It ended up resembling an old pirate ship but everyone is encouraged to decorate it their own way.

Here is the finished craft, all set to dry. After adding all of the elements, I started thinking about all of the possibilities for further decorating. For fast finishing students, they can make a little crew out of cardboard and stick it on or add a logo to the sails. I kept it simple but there are many ways to make this craft last longer in class.

If you want more ideas for crafts, stay tuned. I’ll be adding more soon!