Empty toilet paper rolls are among the most versatile craft materials available to families, and they cost nothing. They're the right size for small hands, they paint easily, they can be cut with children's scissors, they hold their shape well enough for building, and they're available in an endless supply in any household. Here are 20 genuinely engaging toilet paper roll craft projects for children ages 2 through 6, ranging from simple one-step activities to more involved projects for older preschoolers.
Why Use Recycled Materials in Crafts?
Beyond the obvious cost benefit, using recycled materials in craft projects teaches children early environmental literacy — that objects have second lives, that waste can become raw material, and that creativity doesn't require purchasing anything new. These are concepts that children absorb through practice rather than instruction.
Simple Projects (Ages 2–3)
1. Stamping Circles
Dip the open end of a toilet paper roll into paint and press onto paper. The round end creates perfect circles. Multiple colors, overlapping impressions, and different-size tubes (paper towel rolls alongside toilet paper rolls) create surprisingly beautiful abstract art. This is ideal for toddlers because the roll is easy to grip.
2. Marble Run Tubes
Tape several tubes together at angles against a vertical surface — a refrigerator, a wall, or the side of a cardboard box. Drop a marble or small ball into the top and watch it travel through the connected tubes. The engineering challenge (making the marble actually travel all the way through) is engaging for both children and adults.
3. Binoculars
Tape two rolls side by side. Let children paint or decorate them with stickers. Punch a small hole on each outer side and thread a piece of yarn through for a neck strap. Nature walks immediately become more purposeful with binoculars to carry.
4. Painted Fireflies
Paint a roll black. Add yellow circle dot stickers or paint yellow circles for the "glow." Poke a small hole in the top, insert a string for hanging. These look beautiful strung along a window at night.
5. Ring Toss
Cut toilet paper rolls into 1-inch rings (parents cut; children decorate with markers or paint). Stand up paper towel rolls or pencils as "posts." Toss the rings to land on the posts. A gross motor game that requires no materials beyond what you already have.
Animal Projects (Ages 3–4)
6. Bunny
Keep the roll intact. Add two paper ears cut from cardstock glued to the top. Draw a face with marker — large oval eyes, small triangle nose, whisker lines. Add a cotton ball tail glued to the back. Simple, recognizable, and satisfying. Make a whole family in different sizes using regular rolls alongside paper towel rolls.
7. Owl
Slightly flatten the top of the roll and fold the two corners inward to make pointed "ears." Paint or color brown. Add large paper circle eyes with smaller black pupils, a small triangle beak, and V-shaped paper wings. Display on a branch made from a real twig for a beautiful nature-themed decoration.
8. Caterpillar
Connect 5–8 rolls end-to-end in a curved line using hot glue (adult step) or masking tape. Paint each segment a different color. Add antennae made from pipe cleaners on the first roll, a drawn face, and paper legs on each segment. This works as a class craft where each child makes one segment of a long collective caterpillar.
9. Butterfly
Flatten the roll and cut an accordion-fold zigzag pattern along both sides to create fringe. Pull the fringe outward. Add painted wings made from tissue paper or coffee filters. A coffee filter butterfly — colored with washable markers and spritzed with water to let colors bleed — has particularly beautiful wings.
10. Lion
Paint the roll golden yellow. Cut a circle from orange or yellow cardstock slightly larger than the roll's diameter. Cut fringe around the edges for a mane. Glue the roll onto the mane circle. Add paper ears to the top, drawn eyes and nose, and paper whiskers. These look especially good in a safari-themed display.
Seasonal Projects (Ages 3–5)
11. Christmas Ornament
Cut the roll into 5–6 rings. Arrange them interlocked into a snowflake pattern and secure with hot glue (adult step). Spray paint white or gold, or paint with children. Add a piece of ribbon for hanging. A dozen of these on a tree create a beautiful recycled-material tree decoration.
12. Jack-o-Lantern
Paint the roll orange. Add black triangle eyes and a jagged smile using black paper or paint. Add a green paper stem and leaf to the top. Stand upright for a display, or flatten into a card. These work well as placeholders for a Halloween dinner table.
13. Heart Stamp Valentine
Gently pinch one end of the roll into a heart shape and secure with a piece of tape. Dip in red or pink paint and stamp onto paper for Valentine's Day cards. This is the same concept as the circle stamp, but shaped differently.
14. Menorah
Stand 9 rolls upright on a cardboard base, arranged with the center one taller (use a paper towel roll for the shamash). Paint all of them gold or silver. Twist yellow and orange tissue paper into flame shapes and insert into the top of each roll. A simple and visually striking Hanukkah craft.
Learning Projects (Ages 4–6)
15. Alphabet Collage Rolls
Label each roll with a letter. Decorate each roll with images, stickers, or drawings of objects that start with that letter. "A" roll gets an apple sticker and an alligator drawing. Building the whole alphabet takes weeks but creates a complete tactile alphabet display.
16. Pattern Making
Cut rolls into rings and sort by type (toilet paper, paper towel, wrapping paper). Create patterns on a flat surface: short-short-tall, short-tall-short-tall. This is a hands-on way to introduce AB and ABB patterns that children can manipulate and change. Related: our shapes and patterns guide.
17. City Building
Use rolls as building foundations — stand them upright and build simple structures by balancing cardboard "roofs" across the tops. Different heights create different buildings. Flatten some rolls into bridges. Add small toy vehicles, people, and trees. Children create cities and narrate stories within them for hours.
18. Kaleidoscope Viewer
Cover the inside of a roll with aluminum foil (shiny side ). Cut two circles of clear plastic from a produce bag. Between the two circles, place small pieces of colored tissue paper, colored cellophane, or sequins. Seal the circles together as a "window" on one end of the tube. Look through the other end toward light. Not a true kaleidoscope but visually interesting and creates a great discussion about light.
19. Number Line Rolls
Write numerals 1–10 on individual rolls. Arrange them in a line on a windowsill or shelf. Use them as a physical number line — children hop a small toy frog from 3 to 7, counting the jumps. Or place them in the wrong order and ask children to arrange them correctly.
20. Picture Frames
Cut rolls lengthwise and flatten. Arrange four pieces into a frame shape around a child's drawing or photo. Decorate the frame with paint, stickers, or additional paper elements. Glue together and add a hanging loop of yarn. These make beautiful and completely free wall decorations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are toilet paper rolls sanitary for children's crafts?
Research on toilet paper roll craft use has not found health risks from using clean, dry rolls in craft projects. If you're concerned, leave them in a dry place for 24 hours before use. They should not smell musty or show any moisture before crafting.
What paint works best on toilet paper rolls?
Washable tempera paint adheres well and cleans up easily. Acrylic paint gives more vivid, permanent color. For toddlers, washable finger paint works perfectly. All three work without a primer coat.
My child tears the rolls apart instead of crafting with them. What should I do?
Tearing is a legitimate sensory and fine motor activity, especially for children under 3. Let them tear, and save the torn pieces for collage projects. When they're ready for more structured work, introduce the simpler activities (circle stamping, binoculars) before the more complex ones.
