Cardboard rolls and toilet paper rolls – they are the most basic items of your art and crafts kit because you can rustle them up easily from around the house. But team these everyday items with glue, paint, scissors and coloured board, and there are hours of fun to be had. 

Rainbow Clouds

An overhead shot of a child’s hands making a rainbow cloud out of a cardboard roll on a wooden table.

Making these simple happy clouds is an easy craft project that will help your kids to practise their scissor skills while getting creative. When cutting the streamers, you can talk about what causes rainbows and how they are formed – an opportunity for great scientific sideline chat about spectrums and light. Also, ask them what colours they see in the rainbow? It might even prompt a sing-along while crafting: “Red and yellow and pink and green...”

A series of images demonstrating the steps to creating a rainbow cloud using a cardboard roll, cardboard, paint and tissue paper.

‍Step 1: Paint the cardboard roll blue. Leave to dry.

Step 2: Cut cloud shapes out of white cardboard. Draw a face on the cloud shape, and glue to the cardboard roll. ‍

Step 3: Cut the tissue paper into strips.

Step 4: Using sticky tape, attach the tissue paper strips to the inside of the cardboard roll.

Step 5: Attach thread or twine to the top and hang.

What You'll Need 

An assortment of craft supplies for making rainbow clouds out of cardboard rolls, arranged in a neat pattern on a pale orange surface.

SEE ALSO: 3 Boredom-Busting DIY Construction Activities for Kids

Counting Trees

Two children sit at a large wooden table in a living-room setting making counting trees using cardboard rolls and coloured cardboard. ‍

1, 2, 3... how many trees do you see? For little ones who are only just getting the hang of numeracy, this is a fun project that will come in handy long after the crafting is done. It’s a clever, playful way to start number recognition, and the more counting trees you create, the more they’ll learn. As they progress, it can become an addition game, too, adding up either the number of trees or the numbers on the trees. Or both!

A series of images demonstrating the steps to creating counting trees using cardboard rolls, and green and red coloured cardboard.

Step 1: Cut a little slit on opposite sides of the top of the cardboard roll.

Step 2: Cut the tree canopy shape out of the green card.

Step 3: Draw a number on the cardboard roll (tree trunk).  

Step 4: Stick red dots on the tree canopies to correlate to the numbers on the tree trunks.

Step 5: Place each tree canopy in the slits at the top of the trunk.

What You'll Need 

An assortment of craft supplies for making counting trees out of cardboard rolls, arranged in a neat pattern on a pale orange surface.

SEE ALSO: The Ultimate Craft & Play Timetable: 14 Activities for 14 Days

Explorer’s Binoculars

An overhead shot of a child’s hands making binoculars out of cardboard rolls. The hands are sticking foil tape of various colours onto the rolls to decorate them.

Mini-David Attenboroughs will love the idea of having their own binoculars. And these are a cinch to make, fun to decorate and encourage their sense of curiosity. Once the crafting is done, the kids can explore their natural habitat – indoors and out – and report back what they see.

A series of images demonstrating the steps to creating colourful binoculars using cardboard rolls, foil tape and string.

‍Step 1: Using craft bits and pieces let the kids decorate two cardboard rolls.

‍Step 2: Use sticky tape to join the two cardboard rolls together.

‍Step 3: Stick twine to the top left and right side of the cardboard rolls. Ready for action!

What You'll Need 

A series of images demonstrating the steps to creating colourful binoculars using cardboard rolls, foil tape and string.

SEE ALSO: 5 STEM Arts and Crafts Activities to Do With Your Kids

Zooming Rocket Ships

Two children sit at a large wooden table in a living-room setting making rocket ships using cardboard rolls, cardboard and tissue paper.

What kid doesn’t love the idea of outer space? Feed their imagination for extraterrestrial adventures with this easy-to-make rocket ship. Cutting the rocket window will require some adult help, but then it’s up to them to cut the rocket wings shape and decorate. 

A series of images demonstrating the steps to creating a rocket ship using a cardboard roll, tissue paper, white cardboard and colour markers.‍

‍Step 1: Paint the cardboard roll white. Leave to dry.

‍Step 2: Help them cut out the rocket window in the cardboard roll with a craft knife.

‍Step 3: Cut the wing shape of the rocket ship out of white board and decorate.

‍Step 4: Glue the cardboard roll to the wings.

‍Step 5: Cut strips of tissue paper and sticky tape inside the cardboard roll.

What You'll Need 

An assortment of craft supplies for making rocket ships out of cardboard rolls, arranged in a neat pattern on a pale orange surface.

SEE ALSO: Explore Your Backyard With These Outdoor Activities for Kids

Cheeky Aliens 

Two children sit at a large wooden table in a living-room setting playing with cheeky aliens made out of cardboard rolls.

What would you see from the window of your zooming rocket ship? Friendly aliens, of course. (Though they might need their explorer’s binoculars to see them up close!) Kids can use their imagination as they create little green monsters – or maybe they want to make blue, purple or even pink versions of ET? Give their fine motor skills and creative sensibilities a workout as they design their very own alien race.

A series of images demonstrating the steps to creating aliens using cardboard rolls, paint and cardboard, googly eyes, pipe cleaners and pom poms.

‍Step 1: Paint the cardboard roll green. Leave to dry.  

‍Step 2: Cut circles from the green card and attach the googly eyes, then attach to the cardboard roll.

‍Step 3: Cut shapes for the ears and mouth and attach.  

‍Step 4: Use pipe cleaners and pom poms to create antennae.

What You'll Need 

An assortment of craft supplies for making cheeky aliens out of cardboard rolls, arranged in a neat pattern on a pale orange surface.

This article was originally published in December 2020 and has since been updated.