Easy Toilet Paper Roll Crafts Kids Will Love To Make

If there is one thing we always have another of, it is toilet paper rolls! Here are some ideas for reusing your TP rolls as free crafting material to make upcycled crafts that your kids can use as toys. Not only is making your own games and toys a green choice, it is also great for kids to use their imagination both in the making of and playing with these homemade toys. With just a few simple supplies it is easy peasy for your kids to make a creative craft. I hope you enjoy these easy toilet paper roll crafts kids will love to make and play with.

7 Easy Toilet Paper Roll Crafts For Kids

Toilet paper roll crafts are a popular and creative way to repurpose empty toilet rolls into various DIY projects. These crafts are not only environmentally friendly by promoting recycling but also offer an affordable and fun way to create decorative items. Here are several cool ideas for toilet paper roll crafts. Crafting is the perfect way to make use of those empty cardboard rolls. Toilet paper tube crafts are also an easy way for younger kids to practice and improve their fine motor skills.

1. Toilet Paper Roll People Finger Puppets

We have been using our fingers as puppets since my kids are little. Somewhere along the way my daughter got the idea to use a toilet paper roll to draw out what our puppets look like. Then we act out imaginary scenes with our cute toilet paper roll craft finger puppet people. This can be done simply with a marker or you can go to town with construction paper, scissors, glue, and markers to a make a more 3 dimensional effect for your puppet.  Little extras like real buttons and cotton hair can help your puppets look even more real. You and your kids can make anyone from family members to pirates or movie characters! These make a fun craft to play with and are even great for putting on little plays.

2. Toilet Paper Roll Animals

Toilet paper rolls make great bodies for animals. You can turn your tube horizontally and glue on some legs and a head cut from another toilet paper tube or from construction paper.  Or you can leave your tube upright to design animals like birds. You can let your kids create their own zoo with and even use the empty toilet paper rolls to make the trees and fences for your toilet paper animal zoo! There really are endless paper tube animals that you can make. Isn’t that toilet paper roll owl just the cutest?

3. Toilet Paper Roll Lanterns

Paper lanterns made from toilet paper rolls are fun for kids to make and useful as decorations for their room and props in their games.  This is another of our favorite easy toilet paper crafts for kids. They can just cut some slits in the side on the tubes and then push the ends up towards each other to get the paper lantern effect. Don’t forget to decorate this easy craft with construction paper, markers, or acrylic paints.

4. Toilet Paper Roll Airplanes and Cars

Kids always love airplanes, jets, rocket ships, and cars and they will love getting to make their own! The airplanes are easy to fashion with the tube as the body and construction paper for the wings, tail, and nose. Use a marker to draw on the windows. Cars can be made by laying the tube horizontally and cutting out a spot for the seat and steering wheel. Wheels can be made out of leftover cereal boxes and affixed with brass paper fasteners so that the cars can really move. Kids can paint the details on the cars or color with markers. This is one of my son’s favorite toilet paper roll crafts for kids. Older kids are sure to lots of great ideas for personalizing these fun projects.

5. Toilet Paper Roll Toadstool Fairy-Houses 

Stand the toilet paper tube upright and allow you kids to color it.  Then cut a hole for windows and door or draw them on. Make the toadstool lid out of construction paper shaping flat cones to glue onto the toilet paper “stems”.   You can draw fairies, use stickers, or make fairies from clothespins. This easy toilet paper roll craft is perfect for role play games.

6. Paper Tube Flowers

Some of my favorite parts of spring are the sun and the flowers! Here is a fun toilet paper roll flowers craft for kids that is sure to make it feel like spring inside your house. My daughter used these spring flowers to decorate her dresser. This little spring decor craft project is simple to do and it is a great reuse craft and way to discuss reducing waste with your kids.

Craft Supplies:

• scissors
• toilet paper tubes
• paint (green for the petals)
• paint brushes
• construction paper (or other scrap paper)
• white school glue or glue stick

How To Make Paper Tube Flowers:

To make the flowers-
First, take your toilet paper tubes and have your child cut into it about an inch deep every half inch. These tabs will be your flower petals.
Next, trim the end of each petal to give them a smoother more rounded look.
Then fold the petals down and you will see your flower starting to take shape.
Now just paint the “stalk” green and paint the petals your choice of color. While the paint dries you can get your leaves ready.

To make the leaves-
Cut some green construction paper (or other scrap paper) into strips, 1 inch by 3 inches. I used a green placemat leftover from my daughter’s birthday party but you could also use any scrap paper and paint it green.
Take the rectangles and fold about a 1/4 inch along the bottom and then cut away a portion on each side. This will create a tiny tab on each leaf to use to glue the leaf to the stalk.
Now cut the rectangle strips into more of a leaf shape steming from the tab you created.

Assemble-
Lay the flower tubes on the side and glue the leaves to the flower tubes. Let dry.
Now your paper tube spring flowers are done and your kids can use them to welcome spring and decorate their rooms.

7. DIY Desk Organizer

This toilet roll craft requires six empty rolls. It is simple enough for kids of all ages and it makes a nice functional addition to organize their art and writing supplies.

Craft Supplies:

• 6 toilet paper tubes
• pretty paper – It can be used gift wrapping paper, magazine pages, or even an old map.
• glue (school glue could work but a hot glue gun will come in handy for glueing the tubes together)
• ribbon or twine

How To Make A DIY Toilet Paper Tube Desk Organizer:

To begin this simple craft, wrap each of the empty cardboard tubes with pretty paper and cut away the extra paper that hangs over the edges or tuck it into the tube and glue it down.
Stand rolls on end and assemble your paper covered tubes into a triangle shape. If you used different color papers, arrange them in a way that you find visually appealing. Then glue the tubes together into the triangle shape.
Tie with a ribbon, both to support the glue holding the triangle together and to look cute. You may find it helpful to put a dot of glue
under the bow to hold it in place and on the back side as well to keep the ribbon from sagging.
Then fill your DIY toilet paper tube desk organizer with supplies like colored pencils, pencils, pens, and markers. All done!

Conclusion

Each one of these easy toilet paper roll crafts could keep your kid having fun for an afternoon just creating their new toys. In addition, they will have loads more fun playing with their homemade toy creations!  

One more bonus idea: toy binoculars.Use two toilet paper rolls. Decorate and attach them side by side to create toy binoculars for kids.

Remember to let your creativity flow, and you can come up with various other toilet paper roll craft ideas. It’s a great way to engage in sustainable and imaginative crafting. I’d love to hear about things that you have made from toilet paper rolls. Share your child’s toilet paper roll crafts @familyfocublog and/or #familyfoucsblog. I can’t wait to see what they made!

Related Posts:

Back To School Bus Craft for Kids

Fall Leaf Craft Kids Will Love

How To Make ABC Letter Rocks