"I’m of the firm belief that no child has ever been bested by boredom if given the right tools to wage battle against it. And by “right tools,” I most certainly mean ordinary household items that beg for imaginative transformation, like the classic activity of making crafts out of toilet paper rolls. You have to give kids credit for their inventiveness.
When my oldest first started Saturday morning ballet, I’d hit up her bedroom with a trash bag while she was at the dance studio with her dad. Her ability to upcycle nearly anything into an item for play is admirable, but she walks a fine line between salvaging and hoarding trash. To wit, once I recovered a plastic Easter egg stuffed to the brim with dryer lint. That was a head-scratcher for sure, but it also served as a reminder that kids don’t need much to let their imaginations and creativity take flight. Sometimes all a child needs is the simplest of supplies.
And what could be simpler and frankly, more plentiful, than an old toilet paper roll? Used up and headed for the recycling bin, these rolls can open the door to tons of creative play. To help inspire you and your little one, we’ve put together a list of 20 easy, fun, and engaging toilet paper roll crafts for kids that they can make with this ordinary cardboard roll as a base.
1. Crayons
Littles love to tell you about what their favorite color is and get their hands on all-things related to it (even if that color is always changing!). Celebrate their color loyalty by creating any number of these cute crayons.
2. Unicorns
With a bit of paint, colored paper and yarn, glitter foam, and TP rolls, of course, you’ll be all set to get magical and mystical with these enchanting unicorn creations.
3. Ninja
You don’t have to be housing a karate kid for them to get a kick out of creating this bold-looking ninja. And if you’ve got more of a girly girl, you can always glam up the ninja to give it that feminine flair.
4. Bracelets
Recycled jewelry is definitely in style, but now you don’t have to go to Etsy or places like it to find it. Whether your kiddo wants to create a butterfly cuff or one that features something else they enjoy, this creation’s sure to make a fashion statement.
5. Fire-Breathing Dragon
Have a little one with a bit of a fiery personality? Or perhaps they just adore these mythical fire-breathing creatures. Either way, this is surely the toilet paper roll craft for them!
6. Monsters
Toilet paper roll crafts for kids don’t get much better than piecing together a quirky collection of monsters to keep the ones under the bed away.
7. Bird Feeder
Invite all kinds of little feathered friends to make an appearance in your yard or other outdoor space with this nifty bird feeder smothered in peanut butter and seeds. What birds wouldn’t be tempted by such a sweet gesture?
8. Race Car
Entertain the speedster in your kid by developing and assembling these cool race car rolls together. You’ll be doing good with your leftover toilet paper rolls and recyclable lids or pouch caps, too.
9. Addition & Subtraction Puzzle
Where art and science collide… well, math, technically, but you get the idea. You can show your little one how to decorate this numerically-clever toilet paper roll, and help them perfect their basic adding and subtracting skills at the same time.
10. Toadstool DIY Gnome Home
How adorable is this miniature gnome home, complete with an entry door, tiny windows, and a flower basket? If you’ve got a child who’s always determined to go the extra mile on a crafting session, they’ll have a blast with this one. You can even make it light up at night by putting a flameless tea light inside!
11. Animals
Bring an entire menagerie of animals to life as you upcycle your TP rolls. As this crafter speaks to in her post, pairing this craft with a Dolittle movie session (or its 1998 predecessor, Dr. Dolittle) makes this afternoon activity all the more entertaining.
12. Butterflies
Bright and lovely, these butterflies are a wonderful way to be surrounded by spring and summer’s cheerful companions no matter what season it is.
13. Monkey
Take monkey see, monkey do and run with it by showing your little monkey how they can construct their very own with this breezy hands-on project.
14. Pom-Pom Shooter
This vibrant pom-pom shooter is a surefire way to make any day festive. Plus, nobody’s likely to get hurt if they’re on the receiving end of a pom-pom shower!
15. Binoculars
It’s amazing what the eye can see when your mind’s eye believes in it first. Your kiddo won’t need real binoculars with lenses once they’ve put their heart into crafting these. That first look through them afterward will be priceless!
16. Jellyfish
If sea creatures are your child’s fascination of choice, then these jellyfish will be right up their alley. It might also inspire them to dream up what other marine life they can create out of any extra toilet paper rolls.
17. Tie-Dye Butterflies
You can never have too many butterflies around, especially when they radiate such a pretty display of colors. If your child hasn’t been introduced to the art of tie dying yet, this is a perfect starting point.
18. Stacked Cardboard Sculptures
Give your little one’s hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills a boost. This is a great toilet paper roll craft for toddlers because it essentially takes building blocks or threading beads and translates it to stacking cardboard pieces on a stick form.
19. Abstract Cardboard Tube Assemblages
Toilet paper roll crafts for kids don’t have to be all decked out in paint, glitter, and glue-ons to be turned into a captivating spectacle. See what kind of creative arrangement your kiddo can come up with as you slice and dice your spare rolls to various lengths.
20. Rainbow Windsock
We love the serene and upbeat vibes of this DIY windsock, and from sunny windowsills to open doorways to the low hanging branches of nearby trees, there’s so much decorative potential.
