DIY—Elephant made from a toilet paper roll
- Orsucci Marion
- 14 hours ago
- 2 min read
A cardboard toilet paper roll can hide a real treasure… All it takes is a few cuts with scissors, a little paint, and a big dose of imagination to discover the animal hidden inside.
This time, I’m going to show you how to turn a tp roll tube into an adorable little elephant with big ears! and fully customizable with your kids’ favorite colors.
We love these crafts so you can create a real little character using a very simple, recyclable material. And here, the elephant’s body is cut directly from a single toilet paper roll: its big ears stick out on either side and give this creation all its charm.
A simple, eco-friendly craft for kids
Materials
To make your elephant, you'll need:
1 toilet paper roll
Paintings in the colors of your choice (ref Cléopatre*, ref Darwi*)
Paintbrushes
Glue (ref)
Scissors
Pencil
Black POSCA marker (ref)
Oil pastel (ref)
* Products used: Darwi and Cléopâtre paints received as part of a product shipment—unpaid collaboration.
Step-by-step
Flatten your toilet paper roll slightly.
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Draw a large ear on each side, making sure each one extends both in front of and behind the roll.
At the back, connect the two ears by drawing the curve of the elephant’s back.
At the front, draw the top of its head between the two ears.
Draw a rectangle starting from the bottom of the roll. This will form the legs.
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view from one side back view front view
Cut out the cardboard along your lines.
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Cut through both layers of the roll for the legs, and through only one layer for the rest.
Next, unfold the roll: the large ears will appear
Use one of your cardboard scraps to cut out a trunk for your elephant.
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Paint the body, ears, and trunk in the colors of your choice.
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A gray elephant? A blue one? A pink one? A multicolored one? There are no rules here: kids can imagine their own little companion
Let it dry.
Glue the trunk to the front of the face.
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Once the paint is dry, add oil pastels to the center of the ears.
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Using a black posca marker, draw the eyes and the small details of the face.
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Add a few colorful touches or small spots on the cheeks. That will make this elephant even cuter.
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And there you have it! From a simple tp roll, a little elephant with big ears has come to life, becoming a great playmate for exploring the savanna.
Why do we love this activity?
This activity shows children that you don’t need a lot of materials to be creative.
An object destined for the trash becomes the starting point for a cute animal, and the different steps help develop:
fine motor skills through cutting and painting
imagination; each child can create their own: natural colors, pastels, rainbow hues, or completely whimsical… every elephant will be unique!
Our Little Elephant Patrol
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