Choose your blank template
All six worksheets below are original designs made for this library. Downloads are free for personal and classroom use, with no account or email required. Each PDF is one page; the PNG is a flat image with a white background.
Plain shield
Best for one strong symbol. Leave space around the drawing so it reads clearly from across a classroom.
Two vertical fields
Compare two ideas side by side: a place and a person, work and play, or two parts of an invented story.
Two horizontal fields
Use a landscape below and a main symbol above, or give two ideas equal space.
Four-part worksheet
Useful for a classroom identity exercise: a place, a skill, a value, and a hope. This is a learning activity, not evidence of inherited quartered arms.
Chevron band
Keep the angled band visible. Put one small symbol above it or a larger one below instead of filling every gap.
Shield with motto banner
Add a short personal motto after the central design works. The ribbon is optional; it need not contain a surname.
Which layout should you use?
Start with the plain shield if you already have a strong idea: a lighthouse for a coastal home, a tool for a craft, or an invented animal for a fictional house. One large charge—the heraldic term for a figure on the shield—is often more recognizable than four small drawings.
Choose a divided worksheet when the divisions help explain the assignment. A four-part worksheet is convenient for a school exercise, but a real historical quartered shield can communicate inherited arms. Do not treat the worksheet as a claim about ancestry. For family storytelling, read our family crest guide.
A crest, strictly speaking, is the device above a helmet. These downloads are shield worksheets; the popular phrase “family crest template” often refers to this broader kind of activity.
Print at the right size
- Choose A4 for 210 × 297 mm paper, or US Letter for 8.5 × 11 inch paper.
- Open the PDF in your browser or PDF reader. Use portrait orientation and start with 100% / Actual size.
- Check the print preview. All drawing lines sit inside generous margins; if your printer clips the footer, use Fit to printable area.
- Print one test sheet before making a class set. Black-and-white printing is sufficient; the worksheets use outlines rather than colored backgrounds.
- Use colored pencils or markers on ordinary paper. For a cut-out shield, print or mount it on cardstock suitable for your printer.
A classroom activity in four steps
Give each student a worksheet and ask them to write one sentence about what they want their design to say. Keep sharing optional: a child can invent a fictional character instead of disclosing family history.
- Pick a story. “I enjoy helping things grow” is more useful than a list of unrelated interests.
- Draw a symbol. A watering can and a sprout can represent that story without needing a complex garden scene.
- Choose contrast. Try a cream symbol on a dark green field. Test the outline before adding texture.
- Explain the choice. Fill in the story and colors lines. Invite students to describe their own meaning rather than assigning one fixed meaning to every animal or color.
For a family activity, each person can draw a small proposal first. Agree on one shared story before combining them, so the final shield does not become a collection of competing icons.
A worked example: the harbor library
Imagine a community reading group beside a harbor. Its brief is “a place where stories help people find their way.” Choose the plain shield, draw a large open book, and add a small star above it. Use a navy field and a pale gold book.
The book refers to reading; the star refers to finding a route. Those are the group’s chosen associations, not a historical translation of the design. A short motto such as “Stories guide us” belongs on the banner version only if it remains readable.
Original design brief: A simple navy shield with one pale gold open book and a small eight-point star above it, clear silhouettes, generous negative space, no crown, no supporters, flat hand-inked illustration.
To explore a digital interpretation, copy this brief into the coat of arms maker. The generator creates new artwork; it does not provide a drag-and-drop editor for these worksheets.
Using a template in Word or a drawing app
Download the PNG and insert it as a picture in Word, Google Docs, or a drawing application. Keep its proportions locked when resizing. You can place text boxes or your own drawings over the image; the shield itself remains a flat picture.
These files are not DOCX documents, layered SVGs, or fillable PDF forms. For hand drawing, use the PDF. For digital annotations, use a PDF annotation tool or the PNG in an image editor. Save a copy before making changes.
The free worksheet files and the AI generator are separate: downloading a worksheet requires no credits. Generated-image resolution, watermark, and credit conditions are shown in the tool.
Questions & answers
Can I download a coat of arms template PDF for free?
Yes. Every template on this page includes free A4 and US Letter PDFs for personal and classroom use. No signup is needed. Choose the paper size that matches your printer.
Is there a coat of arms template for Word?
There is no Word document download here. Insert the PNG into Word as a picture, then add your own text boxes or shapes over it. The shield outline is not a separately editable Word shape.
Which template works best for students or younger kids?
Use the plain shield for one large drawing. Use the four-part worksheet when the assignment asks for four aspects of an identity or an invented character. Younger children usually benefit from fewer divisions and larger shapes.
Are these editable coat of arms templates?
You can draw on the printed sheets or annotate the PDF and PNG in another application. They are not layered design files, fillable forms, or an online editor. The PNG has a white background.
How do I make a coat of arms for school?
Choose a worksheet, decide on a story, draw one or a few symbols, and select contrasting colors. Write a sentence explaining each choice. Follow your teacher’s assignment and label the result as your own educational design.
Does filling in a family crest template give me historical arms?
No. A worksheet creates a new personal or fictional design. It does not establish ancestry, a grant of arms, or entitlement to someone else’s historical design.
Sources & further reading
- National Gallery of Art: Design Your Own Coat of Arms worksheets
- English Heritage: Design your own coat of arms
Our worksheets, examples, and design briefs are original educational materials. Historical terminology is separate from personal design choices.