If you’re looking for no-prep activities using toilet rolls, you’re going to love this list I’ve compiled. Ever since I discovered how much I can actually do with them, my kids’ activity bin has never been the same. Now, instead of tossing them, they’ve become my go-to for busting boredom. They really come through for me when I need a quick, fun activity to keep my kids occupied, and, more importantly, keep them from asking for their tablets every five minutes.
So, if you’re a fellow ‘non-crafty’ mom just trying to survive the afternoon – you know, that loud window between kindergarten pickup and breastfeeding, all while trying to prep snacks, these toilet roll ideas are for you. And if you really want to ramp up the fun, you can pair them with these 6 Simple Preschool Crafts Using Everyday Household Items. Let’s dive in.
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1. Stack & Match Game
This simple activity turns toilet paper rolls into a fun learning game for preschoolers. Wrap 6–10 toilet paper rolls in colourful paper, then draw simple shapes or patterns on them. After that, draw the same shapes on paper plates, then encourage your kids to match the shapes and stack the rolls on the correct plate.
2. Toilet Roll Stamping
This is one of those toilet paper roll activities that will keep your preschooler busy and entertained because it’s an invitation to freely be creative, and kids love freedom. What you need to do is to gently bend one end of the toilet paper roll into a heart shape, dip it in washable paint and stamp several shapes onto paper. You can actually create different shapes and use it as an opportunity to practice shape recognition with your child. It’s also a nice activity for Valentine’s crafts or homemade cards.
3. The Marble Maze
This activity will turn toilet paper rolls into a simple STEM challenge for your kids. You cut toilet paper rolls into smaller sections and glue them onto cardboard to create a maze, then drop a marble or small ball into the maze and tilt the board to guide it through.
4. Fit-It Game
I probably should have named it something else, but ,”Fit-it game” was the first thing that came to my mind, so here we are. Anyway, cut holes around a shoebox or any empty box, then give your child some rolls to try and pass them through the holes. If you’d like, you can also label the rolls with colours or numbers to level up the fun and turn it into a game.
Conclusion
Also, if there’s something I’ve learned as a mom of three who’s been setting up activities for her kids since they were born, is that, the best crafts / activities are the ones that don’t require much effort to set up and are usually the ones that keep our kids busy for longer, while we’re able to still get a few quiet minutes to do the laundry and prep dinner.
