Cardboard Pirate Ship From a Box

Make a cardboard pirate ship from an empty box, a paper tube, and a few art supplies. Perfect for playtime with stuffed animals or dolls.

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Ahoy! It’s time to set sail for adventure on your own cardboard pirate ship. We used a smaller Amazon shipping box that measures approximately 11x13x6 inches.

You can make your pirate ship with a smaller box. You’ll probably need to trim your paper tube and sails smaller.

You can also make your pirate ship much larger – big enough for a child to sit in! You’ll need a much bigger box and probably need to swap the paper towel tube for a gift wrap tube.

Pirate ship craft tips

• This is an open-ended craft! We showed how we made this cardboard pirate ship and included tips for variations, but get creative and use the supplies you have.
• We kept this design simple, but you can make your ship more historically accurate with more details. Add more masts and sails. Use a paper cup to create a crow’s nest atop one sail. Cut cotton cord to attach as rigging. Cut an anchor shape from cardboard, then wrap it in aluminum foil and attach it to the ship with more cord.
• Make a tiny crew of pirates to sail the ship.
• Make more accessories for your cardboard pirate ship, like a treasure chest, steering wheel, or cannons.
• Make this pirate flag to add to the top of the mast!

How to make a cardboard pirate ship

Supplies

• cardboard box
• paper towel tube
• brown craft paper (Note: We used kraft paper sheets, but you may find a roll of thinner brown paper easier!)
• white card stock
• pencil
• scissors
• glue
• crayons or markers

Instructions

1. Cut the box.

First, choose the bow (front) and stem (back) of your pirate ship. Fold the back and side flaps in and mark where they overlap. Cut the side flaps and remove the part that doesn’t line up with the back flap. Fold the side flaps in again with the back flap over them. Glue the back to the side flaps to create the deck.

Trim the bow flap into a triangle.

2. Wrap the box in paper.

Next, decide whether you need to cover the body of your box ship. If your box is plain brown and only has a few labels, you might be able to remove them. If your box has writing all over it, you may want to cover the outside in brown kraft paper.

Wrap the back half of the box like a gift. Cut pieces to cover the sides of the front half. Don’t worry about covering the triangle bow or the bottom of the box. We recommend gluing the paper to the box, but you can use clear tape if you prefer. Remember that you won’t be able to draw on the tape.

As an alternative, you can paint the outside of the box instead. Allow the paint to dry completely before moving on to the next step.

3. Decorate the ship.

Use crayons or markers to add details to the pirate ship. Draw round porthole windows on the sides. Add lines to make the ship look wooden.

4. Make the mast and sails.

A paper towel tube and white paper make a sail. Cut 4 notches about 1/2-inch in one end of the paper tube. Fold those flaps back and glue them to the deck of the ship. Add a rectangle of white paper for a sail. Again, let all the glue dry.

You can keep adding more little details or use this little cardboard pirate ship now! Set sail on an adventure with action figures of tiny plushies.

Printable instructions

Cardboard Pirate Ship

Print

Active Time 30 minutes

Dry Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Materials

• cardboard box
• paper towel tube
• brown craft paper
• white card stock
• pencil
• scissors
• glue
• crayons or markers

Instructions

1. Cut the box.
   First, choose the bow (front) and stem (back) of your pirate ship. Fold the back and side flaps in and mark where they overlap. Cut the side flaps and remove the part that doesn't line up with the back flap. Fold the side flaps in again with the back flap over them. Glue the back to the side flaps to create the deck. Trim the bow flap into a triangle.
2. Wrap the box in paper.
   Next, decide whether you need to cover the body of your box ship. If your box is plain brown and only has a few labels, you might be able to remove them. If your box has writing all over it, you may want to cover the outside in brown kraft paper. Wrap the back half of the box like a gift. Cut pieces to cover the sides of the front half. Don't worry about covering the triangle bow or the bottom of the box. We recommend gluing the paper to the box, but you can use clear tape if you prefer. Remember that you won't be able to draw on the tape.
3. Decorate the ship.
   Use crayons or markers to add details to the pirate ship. Draw round porthole windows on the sides. Add lines to make the ship look wooden.
4. Make the mast and sails.
   A paper towel tube and white paper make a sail. Cut 4 notches about 1/2-inch in one end of the paper tube. Fold those flaps back and glue them to the deck of the ship. Add a rectangle of white paper for a sail. Again, let all the glue dry.

More fun ideas from Backyard Summer Camp:

• DIY Cardboard Box Fort Ideas for Your Kids
• 18 Pirate Books for Kids – Fiction and Nonfiction
• 19 Genius Recycled Art Projects For Kids