Make-Your-Own Map Grid
Gridded blank space to draw a map.
The Make-Your-Own Map Grid is a full-page blank grid printed with evenly spaced squares and a coordinate border — letters along the top and numbers down the side — giving students a ready-made framework for drawing any map from scratch. Grades 2–7 use it for everything from fantasy island creation to scale drawings of the school campus or neighbourhood. The grid removes the anxiety of a blank page by providing structure without dictating content. Teachers combine this template with the Map Key / Legend Template and the Compass Rose Template to build a complete three-piece mapping toolkit. Having the grid pre-ruled to scale means students can focus on geographic thinking — what to include, where to place features, how to show distance — rather than spending lesson time drawing straight lines. The coordinate border introduces basic grid reference skills that transfer directly to atlas work and graph reading in maths.
Learning objectives
- Plan and draw an original map with intentional layout and scale
- Use grid references to locate and describe map features
- Practise applying cartographic conventions including a title, scale, and legend
- Develop spatial planning skills by organising features across a defined area
- Connect mapping to real-world geography, history, or creative writing contexts
- Reinforce coordinate literacy that supports maths and science graph work
How to use this template
- Download and print the grid on A4 or letter paper — landscape orientation works well for wide maps.
- Decide on a map theme and lightly pencil in major features (coastlines, roads, rivers) before inking.
- Add symbols and colour according to a self-made legend (use the Map Key template alongside).
- Label the coordinate border and write a title and compass rose in unused margin space.
- Attach a completed legend and display, or store in a geography portfolio.
Classroom & home ideas
- Fantasy world-building: students design a fictional island for a creative writing or literacy unit, mapping every location mentioned in their story.
- Community mapping: use the grid to draw the street layout of the school neighbourhood from memory, then compare to a real map online.
- History unit: recreate a simplified map of an ancient civilisation (Egypt along the Nile, Roman roads in Britain) using era-appropriate symbols.
- Maths integration: assign a scale (1 square = 10 metres) and have students estimate real distances between features using the grid.
- Collaborative class map: each pair draws one region of a larger imaginary continent, then grids are joined together on a display board.
Skills & curriculum links
Frequently asked questions
How many grid squares does the template have?
The template is printed with a 20 × 14 grid, giving 280 equal squares on a standard A4 or letter page — enough detail for most primary and middle-school mapping tasks.
Can I assign a specific scale to the grid squares?
Yes. You decide the scale that fits your project. For a classroom layout, 1 square might equal 1 metre; for a continent map, 1 square might represent 500 km.
Is the coordinate border suitable for teaching grid references?
Yes. The letter-and-number border mirrors how atlases and OS maps use grid references, making this a practical introduction to that skill for grades 4 and above.
Does this template include a title box or legend area?
The grid fills most of the page. Students should reserve one or two rows of squares for a title and legend, or use the separate Map Key template as an accompaniment.
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