We love paper bag crafts, and one of our favorites is this explorer satchel and map made from only one paper grocery bag! Kids will love pretending to be explorers or pirates on a treasure hunt with their own exploration kit.

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Playing and creating with brown grocery bags has always been a classic activity for kids. Today I’m excited to share one of the many possibilities you can do with just one brown paper bag~ creating a treasure hunt set complete with a satchel and two treasure maps! Creating this set with your child not only provides props encouraging dress-up play, but also allows for lots of fine motor practice too. (This post contains affiliate links.)

Paper Bag Crafts: Satchel and Map Craft for Kids

Materials for Paper Bag Craft

• 1  large brown paper grocery bag
• Scissors
• Tape
• Thin yarn (like this)
• Black marker
• Single Hole Punch (This one is our favorite! So easy to use!)
• Plastic sewing needle (optional)

How to Make Satchel and Maps

1. Cut down the sides of the paper bag.

2. Cut off the two skinny pieces on the side. (Save these for later!)

3. Now cut off the top and bottom of your rectangle, removing the handles.

4. Fold down the corners of one side of your paper rectangle and tape down. This will form the top of the satchel.

5. Fold the remaining part of the rectangle in half.

6. Punch holes along each side for your child to sew closed. I attached some yarn to a large plastic needle for Lucy to use. If you don’t have a needle, you can just wrap tape around the end of the yarn to make it easier for your child to thread through the holes. Sew up each side.

7. Next, tie a large piece of yarn through the top hole on each side of the satchel to use as a handle.

8. Now it’s time to make the treasure maps to go inside the satchel. Grab those two leftover pieces of paper from step 2. Crumple the paper up over and over until it gets soft and looks worn. Use a black marker to draw your map.

Now your ready to play! Put your maps and any other necessary items for a treasure hunt inside your satchel and head outside to do some exploring!