Let us show you how to make a 3D Tiger Craft out of a toilet paper roll cardboard tube.
This is a very simple but fun project you can use to create an awesome recycled tiger toy with your kids, and with Chinese New Year being Year of the Tiger this year 2022, it’s a perfect tie in.
The world is full of awesome things that we can use as crafting inspiration. And one of them is a tiger. Animal crafts are one of the most popular type of crafts for kids, because they tend to appeal to kids of all ages.
My kids really like tigers, they are one of their favourite animals and they are a great animal to use for crafts because their orange and black striped pattern is so distinctive.
We hope you enjoy this simple idea for a Year of the Tiger Craft for kids!
How to Make the Toilet Paper Roll Tiger
Here’s how to make a fun and easy homemade tiger craft. It’s perfect for little hands, and it’s going to make them smile!
Once they’ve finished making and painting, kids can play with this little tiger and have hours of fun.
Supplies Needed
You will only need a few basic supplies that you likely already have around the house.
- Cardboard tube such as empty toilet paper roll or empty kitchen paper roll.
- Paint (orange, black, and white)
- One extra piece of cardboard
- Paint brushes
- Glue
- Optional black marker pen or sharpie
Kids washable ready mixed poster paint works great for this type of project.
You can also use acrylic paint, but be aware that acrylic paints do not wash out easily if your child gets it on their clothes or surroundings.
For this project, a strong glue will work best and a glue stick may not hold well enough.
Glue dots are really effective, or you can even use a hot glue gun (supervise children with this due to the heat)
You can also use double sided tape as an alternative which will work really well.
Method
How to make a Cardboard Toilet Paper Roll Tiger craft for kids:
First, have the kids cut the toilet paper roll to create the shape for their 3D tiger with four legs and a tail.
You can draw guide lines on to the cardboard tube if you like, as this will make the cutting task easier.
For toddlers, you will likely need to pre-cut the tiger shape for them and have your little one skip straight to the painting steps.
Cut out the circle shape for the face using the additional card. If you have off cuts from your cardboard tube that are big enough, you can use this for your spare card. Otherwise, something like a piece of card from an empty cereal box works really well.
Paint all of the cardboard pieces orange (the body, and the face) and then wait for it all to dry.
Once the orange paint is dry enough that you can touch it without paint smudging, then it’s time to add the black stripes.
Ask the children where does the tiger need his stripes? On the face, legs, body and the tail.
Then use the white paint to add detail to the face, two little circles for the ears and white around the mouth.
Use the marker pen or a small paint brush to add two black eyes and one black nose. With a marker pen, you can get this more precise but a paint brush also does the job.
Glue the tiger’s face to the body. You can do this before painting or after painting – both ways work so this is down to what the kids prefer.
As we mentioned earlier, use strong glue to avoid frustration with the face falling off while the kids are playing.
So a hot glue gun, or strong glue dots or strong double sided tape will all do the trick, whereas a glue stick or PVA glue will not hold up for long especially if the children want to play with the tigers that they created.
Allow everything to dry, and you’re all done!
Because the tigers are made from toilet paper roll tubes, or kitchen roll tubes, they will stand up by themselves and should be pretty stable.
Once you’re done, you could extend this activity by creating a habitat for your DIY tiger crafts to live.
Talk about tigers together and learn some tiger facts for kids, or color in some tiger pictures together.
Chinese New Year – Year of the Tiger
This year, Chinese New Year welcomes in the Year of the Tiger. This is one of 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals, that cycle through each year.
The tiger is the 3rd Chinese Zodiac Animal and the 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals in order are…
- Rat – Check out these activities for the Year of the Rat
- Ox – Check out these activities for Year of the Ox
- Tiger – Check out these amazing tiger facts for kids
- Rabbit
- Dragon
- Snake
- Horse
- Goat
- Monkey
- Rooster
- Dog
- Pig – Check out these activities for Year of the Pig
Learn about all 12 animals with these Chinese Zodiac Animals placemat printables at 3 Boys and A Dog
If you are tying in this easy tiger craft with Chinese New Year, you might also like to make
- Chinese New Year Red Envelopes Craft
- Chinese New Year Shaker Craft
- Chinese New Year Lanterns (this also uses recycled toilet paper rolls – so if you have some left over from this tiger craft, here’s a use for them)
- Paper Plate Chinese New Year Lanterns
- Try some Chinese recipes for Chinese New Year
- Read some traditional Chinese stories
So, Happy Chinese New Year – Gong hei fat choy, or Xīnnián kuàilè – depending if you want to wish in Cantonese or Mandarin.
Print the Instructions
If you would like, you can print out the instructions in an easy to follow format using our Create card below.
Toilet Paper Roll Tiger Craft
Make a cardboard tiger craft for kids using recycled toilet paper roll tubes. Great for Chinese New Year this Year of the Tiger.
Materials
- Toilet Paper Roll
- 1 piece of additional card
- Orange, Black and White paint
Tools
- Scissors
- Paint brush
- Glue
- Black marker pen (optional)
Instructions
- Cut the toilet paper roll to create four legs and a tail, as shown
- Cut out the circle shape for the face using the additional card
- Paint all the pieces orange, then wait for it to dry
- Once orange paint is dry, add black stripes and white detail for the face
- Use marker pen or small paint brush to add nose and eyes
- Glue the face to the body
- Allow everything to dry
Notes
See blog post at intheplayroom.co.uk for more detailed instructions
We hope you enjoyed this Toilet Paper Roll Tiger Easy Craft For Kids. It’s an awesome way to craft with kids using recycled materials.
If you enjoyed this craft idea please feel free to share with friends and family. We always appreciate pins to your Pinterest boards, thanks so much!
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
Ahhhh these are so cute! My goodness I can’t get over them. Perfect craft for the winter, when kids are stuck inside more, too.
Adorable! Shared with my sister-in-law to do with her kids.
My nieces and nephews will come over for the holidays! I can’t wait to do this with them. Looks like a fun activity! Thank you for sharing x
This is adorable. I used to do crafts like these with my kids. I miss those days
~Michelle
https://michellescrazybusylife.net
Hi ,thank you for sharing your blog post…It so helpful!!! give me some advice.I will wait for your reply
Hi ,thank you for sharing your blog post…It so helpful!!! give me some advice.I will wait for your reply
wow thanks
This is adorable. I used to do crafts like these with my kids. I miss those days
This is such a fantastic and creative craft idea! I love how it incorporates recycling and celebrates the Year of the Tiger. The step-by-step instructions are clear and easy to follow. I’m sure kids will have a blast making their own 3D tiger. Thank you for sharing this wonderful project!