Map Key / Legend Template
Blank legend plus symbols box.
The Map Key / Legend Template provides a structured blank frame for students to design and document their own map symbols. It features a bordered legend box divided into two columns — one for drawing or affixing a symbol and one for writing its meaning — alongside a separate symbols practice box where students can sketch rough ideas before committing. Grades 2–6 use it whenever they create hand-drawn maps, whether of their classroom, neighbourhood, an imagined island, or a historical region. Teachers appreciate that it teaches cartographic convention explicitly: students learn that every map communicates through a shared code, and they must define that code before their map can be read by others. The template is intentionally minimal so it works with any mapping task across the curriculum — geography projects, history timelines mapped to place, and even creative writing world-building exercises all benefit from a clearly filled-in legend.
Learning objectives
- Understand the purpose of a map key as a communication tool
- Design original symbols that clearly represent real-world features
- Match each symbol to a concise written description
- Apply cartographic conventions when creating hand-drawn maps
- Distinguish between different types of map features (natural, human-made, boundaries)
- Develop precision and consistency in visual design
How to use this template
- Download the PDF and print one copy per student or mapping group.
- Discuss what features their map will show and brainstorm possible symbols in the practice box.
- Students draw each final symbol in the left column and write its meaning in the right column.
- Attach the completed legend to their finished map, aligning it with a border corner.
- Peer-review: swap maps and see if a classmate can read the map using only the legend.
Classroom & home ideas
- Have students map their school building or playground using self-designed symbols, then display legends beside the maps.
- Use during a history unit to map trade routes or battle sites, with symbols for forts, markets, and rivers.
- Challenge pairs to create a hidden-treasure island map where only their partner's legend can decode the route.
- Discuss how real map legends vary (topographic, weather, transit) by comparing samples before students design their own.
- Connect to data literacy by having students create a legend for a simple choropleth map showing population density.
Skills & curriculum links
Frequently asked questions
How many symbols can the legend template hold?
The standard template has rows for up to eight symbols. For larger projects, simply print two copies and staple them together.
Is the template usable for digital maps, or only hand-drawn ones?
It is designed for hand-drawn maps, but you can also print it, fill it in digitally with a PDF annotation tool, and attach it to a digital map file.
What is the difference between a map key and a map legend?
The terms are interchangeable in most primary and middle-school curricula. Both refer to the box that explains what each symbol on a map represents.
Can younger students (grade 2) use this independently?
With teacher scaffolding — such as pre-choosing two or three symbols together as a class — grade 2 students can use the template successfully.
Make it your own in the Worksheet Studio
Combine this with other worksheets, duplicate it, or generate a fresh version for any grade and language — free, no sign-up.
Open the Worksheet Studio