Instead of tossing your used toilet paper rolls, save them for an fun upcycled craft! This craft is great for toddlers, preschool, kindergarten, and young school aged children. It is a fun homeschool activity too! Teach the kids all about recycling as they use their fine motor skills to cut paper and shapes out of construction paper to create these cute minion (hello Despicable Me – part 4 just came out!), Olaf from the Disney movie Frozen, spring flowers, and a ladybug, all decorated over a toilet paper roll!
Toddlers and even older kids enjoy these easy, movie-themed kid’s crafts! They get a lot of satisfaction out of bringing paper and toilet paper rolls to life with crafts! You can even create butterflies, bees, dragonflies, and other bugs, on these upcycled toilet paper rolls. The possibilities are endless with the number of animals and insects kids could create on the toilet paper rolls! If you like easy and cheap preschool and kindergarten fine motor crafts, then you’ll love my Fall Potato Stamp Leaf Tree – Easy Toddler Craft and Fall Leaf Paintings craft!
Benefits of Fine Motor Activities
Fine motor skills are imperative in life and toddlers should be constantly practicing fine motor skills daily to prepare them to do things later in life such as buttoning a button, tying their shoes, and writing their name. Fine motor skills enable children to develop their independence as they learn how to eat, speak, create, and are able to do many more things as these skills improve.
According to Early Impact Learning’s article, hand-eye coordination is another fine motor skill that develops from when we are babies into adulthood. When kids interact with fine motor activities, they are continually improving the link between what their eyes see and what they are trying to hold or touch.
One of the biggest reasons fine motor skills are so important is that they allow us to be independent. When kids have good fine motor skills, their self esteem improves as they are proud after building a tall tower of blocks by using the small muscles in their hands and fingers to make beautiful masterpieces they can take pride in.
Painting, cutting, sewing, threading, and weaving are fantastic ways for kids to use their fine motor skills. Many art and craft activities involve fine motor skills which allows toddlers and kids to express their creativity as they practice doing things independently.
Items needed to make a Toilet Paper Roll Upcycled Craft
Toilet paper roll. Upcycle a used toilet paper roll to make this craft.
Cardstock or construction paper. Depending on which toilet paper roll upcycled craft you make, you’ll need cardstock or construction paper.
Pom poms. The spring flower toilet paper roll craft calls for pom poms.
Black pen. Find a black pen. These are my favorite black pens!
School glue. School glue is stronger than a glue stick and is needed to make this craft.
Black marker. A black Sharpie marker or other similar black marker works best.
Glue stick. Use a glue stick to make this craft. When it comes to gluing paper to paper, I always use a glue stick as they’re plenty strong for gluing paper.
Scissors. If kids are cutting, make sure to use kid friendly toddler scissors.
Pencil. A pencil is needed to make this.
Googly eyes. If you’re making the Ladybug Toilet Paper Roll Upcycled Craft, then you’ll need googly eyes.
How to make the best Minion Toilet Paper Roll Upcycled Craft
STEP 1: To make this craft, you’ll need an upcycled toilet paper roll and construction paper (black, blue, yellow, and white). First, place a toilet paper roll on a piece of yellow construction paper and use a ruler and pencil to draw an even line long enough to fully wrap and slightly overlap the toilet paper roll. Use school glue to glue it around the toilet paper roll. Make sure the top 2/3 of the toilet paper roll is covered in yellow paper.
STEP 2: Next, use a pencil to draw the blue overalls. Refer to the post for a visual idea of what it should look like. Use scissors to cut the blue overalls out. Use a glue stick to glue the overalls onto the toilet paper roll. Using a black pen, draw a pocket on the front, if desired.
STEP 3: Next, trace a small circular object over white paper. Use scissors to cut the circles out. These will be the minion’s eyes. Place the white eyes over a piece of cream-colored paper, drawing a ¼-inch line around them. Cut them out with scissors. Use a glue stick to glue the smaller white portion of the eyes you just cut onto the center of the cream-colored paper. Using a black marker, draw small black circles in the center of each eye (one black circle per eyeball).
STEP 4: Cut a ½-inch piece of black construction paper and use a glue stick to place it about ½-inch down from the top of the minion’s head, wrapping all the way around the back. Glue the eyes over the black strip of glued paper.
STEP 5: Use your hands to glue the eyes (one or two eyes, depending on how many you want to use) over the top of the toilet paper roll as shown in the post. Use a black pen to draw a smile on the face.
STEP 6: Cut small hands out of black paper and use a glue stick to glue them onto the top of the blue overalls.
STEP 7: If you make this craft, don’t forget to leave a rating and comment!
How to make the best Olaf (Snowman) Toilet Paper Roll Upcycled Craft
STEP 1: To make this craft, you’ll need an upcycled toilet paper roll, construction paper, and a black pen. Use scissors to cut ¼-inch x 4-inch strips of brown construction paper, making sure they’re about two inches higher than the toilet paper roll.
STEP 2: Place the toilet paper roll on a piece of white paper. Using a ruler and pencil, draw an even line where the top of the toilet paper is, long enough to fully wrap around and slightly overlap the toilet paper roll. Cut the piece of white paper and use school glue to glue the white paper around the roll, overlapping it slightly before it ends.
STEP 3: On an orange piece of construction paper, trace a small circular object such as a quarter or the top of a small cup. Use scissors to cut the circle out. Fold it and cut it, forming a half moon shape. You’ll only need one half of the orange circle to form the nose. Use a red marker to draw lines across the nose.
STEP 4: Use a black marker and draw eyes about 1/3 of the way down. Fill in the centers of the eyes with smaller black circles, as shown in the post. Draw a mouth, tooth, and eyebrows.
STEP 5: Use school glue to stick the orange nose so it’s covering the bottoms of both eyes slightly. Use school glue to glue the brown paper hair in the inside of the toilet paper roll, making sure to glue 1-1.5 inches below the top.
STEP 5: If you make this craft, don’t forget to leave a rating and comment!
How to make the best Ladybug Toilet Paper Roll Upcycled Craft
STEP 1: To make this craft, you’ll need an upcycled toilet paper roll, black and red construction paper, googly eyes, school glue, and a black marker. Use scissors to cut a piece of black construction paper to cover the roll.
STEP 2: Place the used toilet paper roll on a piece of black construction paper. Using a ruler and pencil, draw a line on the paper at the same height as the toilet paper roll and make sure it’s long enough to wrap around the toilet paper roll. Cut the piece of black paper and use school glue to glue the paper around the roll, overlapping it slightly before it ends.
STEP 3: Use a pencil to draw two 2-inch by ½-inch pieces of black construction paper. Cut them out. Use school glue to glue them about halfway down, inside the toilet paper roll. These are the two antennae.
STEP 4: Using a pencil, draw an oblong circle on red construction paper. Cut it out. Fold it in half widthwise and then use scissors to cut it on the crease.
STEP 5: Using a black marker, make varying sizes of black circles, filled in with black ink. These are the spots.
STEP 6: Use school glue to glue the two red pieces of paper about ½-inch down from the antennae. Only glue about 1-inch of the red paper. Gently fold the two red wings out to fan them out a bit.
STEP 7: Dot school glue right beneath the antennae for the 2 googly eyes. Stick the googly eyes on the top of the roll. Let the glue dry.
STEP 4: If you make this craft, don’t forget to leave a rating and comment!
How to make the best Spring Flower Toilet Paper Roll Upcycled Craft
STEP 1: To make this craft, you’ll need an upcycled toilet paper roll, construction paper, cardstock, a yellow pom pom, and school glue.
STEP 2: Place the used toilet paper roll on a piece of light green cardstock. Using a ruler and pencil, draw a line on the cardstock at the same height as the toilet paper roll and make sure it’s long enough to wrap around the toilet paper roll. Cut the piece of cardstock and use school glue to glue the cardstock around the roll, overlapping it slightly before it ends.
STEP 3: To make the leaves, use a pencil to draw two teardrop or leaf shapes on dark green cardstock. Draw smaller teardrop shapes on light green cardstock to fit inside the dark green cardstock. Use scissors to cut the cardstock out. Use school glue to glue the light green teardrops in the center of the dark green teardrop shapes. Apply school glue to the bottom of the roll and glue the leaves on the bottom.
STEP 4: To make the tulip, use a pencil to draw a 3-inch tall tulip shape on a piece of yellow cardstock or construction paper. Place the tulip on top of the toilet paper roll and use a pencil to draw two ½ inch slits to allow the tulip to rest over the roll. Use scissors to cut the slits.
To make the pink flower, first use a pencil to draw a flower shape on a piece of pink cardstock or construction paper. Cut the shape out. Use school glue to stick a yellow pom pom in the center of the flower. Place the flower on top of the toilet paper roll and use a pencil to draw two ½ inch slits to allow the tulip to rest over the roll. Use scissors to cut the slits.
STEP 5: If you make this craft, don’t forget to leave a rating and comment!
Recommended items to make this craft
- Construction paper. This is our favorite brand that we use for all crafts.
- Black marker. We like these black Sharpie markers best.
- School glue. This is the best one.
More kid’s crafts and activities you’ll love!
Fall Potato Stamp Leaf Tree – Easy Toddler Craft
Clay Bowls—Easy Mother’s/Father’s Day Keepsake Gifts
DIY Homemade Mother’s/Father’s Day Gift—Handprint-Potted Cactus
Creepy Halloween Spaghetti Sensory Bin
Seven Easy Father’s Day Cards – Easy Kid’s DIY Crafts
Vampire Paper Plate Craft – Easy Toddler Halloween Craft
Final Thoughts
Finally, if you make this Toilet Paper Rolls Craft, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this craft a rating! I love to hear from everyone who makes this craft and always do my best to respond to all comments.
If you do make this craft, don’t forget to tag #elisemccollister on Instagram! It makes me so happy to see your craft photos!
Minion Toilet Paper Roll Upcycled Craft
Materials
- upcycled toilet paper roll
- construction paper black, blue, yellow, cream, and white
- school glue
- glue stick
Instructions
- Grab an upcycled toilet paper roll and construction paper (black, blue, yellow, and white). Place a toilet paper roll on a piece of yellow construction paper and use a ruler and pencil to draw an even line long enough to fully wrap and slightly overlap the toilet paper roll. Use school glue to glue it around the toilet paper roll. Make sure the top 2/3 of the toilet paper roll is covered in yellow paper.
- Use a pencil to draw the blue overalls. Refer to the post for a visual idea of what it should look like. Use scissors to cut the blue overalls out. Use a glue stick to glue the overalls onto the toilet paper roll. Using a black pen, draw a pocket on the front, if desired.
- Trace a small circular object over white paper. Use scissors to cut the circles out. These will be the minion’s eyes. Place the white eyes over a piece of cream-colored paper, drawing a ¼-inch line around them. Cut them out with scissors. Use a glue stick to glue the smaller white portion of the eyes you just cut onto the center of the cream-colored paper. Using a black marker, draw small black circles in the center of each eye (one black circle per eyeball).
- Cut a ½-inch piece of black construction paper and use a glue stick to place it about ½-inch down from the top of the minion’s head, wrapping all the way around the back. Glue the eyes over the black strip of glued paper.
- Use your hands to glue the eyes (one or two eyes, depending on how many you want to use) over the top of the toilet paper roll as shown in the post. Use a black pen to draw a smile on the face.
- Cut small hands out of black paper and use a glue stick to glue them onto the top of the blue overalls.
- If you make this craft, don’t forget to leave a rating and comment!
Olaf (Snowman) Toilet Paper Roll Upcycled Craft
Materials
- upcycled toilet paper roll
- construction paper brown, orange, and white
- school glue
- glue stick
Instructions
- You'll need an upcycled toilet paper roll, construction paper, and a black pen. Use scissors to cut ¼-inch x 4-inch strips of brown construction paper, making sure they’re about two inches higher than the toilet paper roll.
- Place the toilet paper roll on a piece of white paper. Using a ruler and pencil, draw an even line where the top of the toilet paper is, long enough to fully wrap around and slightly overlap the toilet paper roll. Cut the piece of white paper and use school glue to glue the white paper around the roll, overlapping it slightly before it ends.
- On an orange piece of construction paper, trace a small circular object such as a quarter or the top of a small cup. Use scissors to cut the circle out. Fold it and cut it, forming a half moon shape. You’ll only need one half of the orange circle to form the nose. Use a red marker to draw lines across the nose.
- Use a black marker and draw eyes about 1/3 of the way down. Fill in the centers of the eyes with smaller black circles, as shown in the post. Draw a mouth, tooth, and eyebrows.
- Use school glue to stick the orange nose so it’s covering the bottoms of both eyes slightly. Use school glue to glue the brown paper hair in the inside of the toilet paper roll, making sure to glue 1-1.5 inches below the top.
- If you make this craft, don’t forget to leave a rating and comment!
Ladybug Toilet Paper Roll Upcycled Craft
Equipment
Materials
- 1 upcycled toilet paper roll
- construction paper black and red
- school glue
- 2 googly eyes
Instructions
- To make this craft, you’ll need an upcycled toilet paper roll, black and red construction paper, googly eyes, school glue, and a black marker. Use scissors to cut a piece of black construction paper to cover the roll.
- Place the used toilet paper roll on a piece of black construction paper. Using a ruler and pencil, draw a line on the paper at the same height as the toilet paper roll and make sure it’s long enough to wrap around the toilet paper roll. Cut the piece of black paper and use school glue to glue the paper around the roll, overlapping it slightly before it ends.
- Use a pencil to draw two 2-inch by ½-inch pieces of black construction paper. Cut them out. Use school glue to glue them about halfway down, inside the toilet paper roll. These are the two antennae.
- Using a pencil, draw an oblong circle on red construction paper. Cut it out. Fold it in half widthwise and then use scissors to cut it on the crease.
- Using a black marker, make varying sizes of black circles, filled in with black ink. These are the spots.
- Use school glue to glue the two red pieces of paper about ½-inch down from the antennae. Only glue about 1-inch of the red paper. Gently fold the two red wings out to fan them out a bit.
- Dot school glue right beneath the antennae for the 2 googly eyes. Stick the googly eyes on the top of the roll. Let the glue dry.
- If you make this craft, don’t forget to leave a rating and comment!
Spring Flower Toilet Paper Roll Upcycled Craft
Materials
- upcycled toilet paper roll
- construction paper black and red
- cardstock light green and dark green; pink or yellow
- school glue
- yellow pom pom if making the tulip
Instructions
- To make this craft, you’ll need an upcycled toilet paper roll, construction paper, cardstock, a yellow pom pom, and school glue.
- Place the used toilet paper roll on a piece of light green cardstock. Using a ruler and pencil, draw a line on the cardstock at the same height as the toilet paper roll and make sure it’s long enough to wrap around the toilet paper roll. Use scissors to cut the piece of cardstock. Pour school glue onto the cardstock, wrapping it snugly around the toilet paper roll, overlapping it slightly before it ends.
- To make the leaves, use a pencil to draw two teardrop or leaf shapes on dark green cardstock. Draw smaller teardrop shapes on light green cardstock to fit inside the dark green cardstock. Use scissors to cut the cardstock out. Use school glue to glue the light green teardrops in the center of the dark green teardrop shapes. Apply school glue to the bottom of the roll and glue the leaves on the bottom.
- To make the tulip, use a pencil to draw a 3-inch tall tulip shape on a piece of yellow cardstock or construction paper. Place the tulip on top of the toilet paper roll and use a pencil to draw two ½ inch slits to allow the tulip to rest over the roll. Use scissors to cut the slits.To make the pink flower, first use a pencil to draw a flower shape on a piece of pink cardstock or construction paper. Cut the shape out. Use school glue to stick a yellow pom pom in the center of the flower. Place the flower on top of the toilet paper roll and use a pencil to draw two ½ inch slits to allow the tulip to rest over the roll. Use scissors to cut the slits.
- If you make this craft, don’t forget to leave a rating and comment!
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