Toilet Roll Unicorn

Toilet Roll Unicorn Craft

A magical recycled craft for kids using a toilet paper roll, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, and simple supplies—perfect for unicorn week, princess play, castle crafts, and imaginative storytelling.

Age3+

Prep10 minutes

Activity20 minutes

Mess★☆☆☆☆

SkillsFine motor + pretend play

Why we love this activity

This toilet roll unicorn craft is such a sweet way to turn a recycled cardboard tube into something magical.

Kids get to twist pipe cleaners, glue on googly eyes, draw little details, and create a colorful mane and horn. It is simple enough for preschoolers with a little help, but still open-ended enough for older kids to personalize.

What I love most is that the finished unicorn becomes more than a craft. It can gallop into castle play, unicorn sensory bins, fairy gardens, puppet shows, and magical storytelling.

Materials needed

• Empty toilet paper roll
• Pastel pipe cleaners
• Yellow pipe cleaner or paper for the horn
• Googly eyes
• Pink and purple markers
• Scissors
• Glue
• Pencil

How to make a toilet roll unicorn

Step 1

Gather the supplies

Set out a cardboard tube, pastel pipe cleaners, googly eyes, markers, scissors, glue, and a pencil. For younger kids, pre-cut the unicorn shape so they can focus on decorating.

Step 2

Shape the unicorn

Cut the cardboard tube into a simple unicorn head and neck shape. Add googly eyes, draw a little cheek, and attach a small yellow horn at the top.

Step 3

Add the mane

Twist pastel pipe cleaners around a pencil to create curls, then glue or tape them along the unicorn’s head and neck. Mix pink, lavender, and yellow for a magical rainbow look.

Step 4

Play with your unicorn

Once the glue dries, use the unicorns for puppet play, castle storytelling, unicorn sensory play, or a magical small-world setup.

Parent tip

To make the curly mane, wrap pipe cleaners around a pencil and slide them off gently. This is a great fine motor challenge for older preschoolers and early elementary kids.

Unicorn learning ideas

This craft naturally supports fine motor skills, creativity, and storytelling. Children strengthen their hands as they twist pipe cleaners, practice careful gluing, and decorate small details.

After the craft, invite your child to name their unicorn, create a magical kingdom, tell a story, or build a cardboard castle for the unicorn to live in.

You can also pair this with rainbow sorting, color vocabulary, unicorn sensory play, or pretend dramatic play for a full unicorn-themed activity day.

Learning skills

Fine motor skills Pipe cleaner twisting Cutting practice Gluing Color vocabulary Pretend play Creative storytelling Recycled crafts

Unicorn products to pair with this craft

Extend the magic with unicorn-themed dramatic play, sensory kits, and matching games from GoodnightFox.

Unicorn dramatic play

A printable unicorn sensory and dramatic play setup with unicorn signs, rainbows, magical accessories, and role-play props.

Shop unicorn play

Unicorn sensory kit

Add a magical hands-on sensory bin with pastel filler, unicorn pieces, and small-world play materials.

Shop sensory kit

Unicorn memory game

A sweet unicorn and princess matching game for quiet play, party favors, and early memory practice.

Shop memory game

More unicorn and castle activities

Cardboard castle craft

Build a magical cardboard castle using recycled materials, then use your unicorns for pretend play.

DIY castle craft

Unicorn sensory play

Set up a rainbow-filled unicorn sensory tray with printable props and magical small-world play.

Unicorn sensory play

Magical storytelling

Use the unicorns as puppets for princess, fairy, castle, and rainbow-themed storytelling.

More unicorn ideas

Questions to ask kids

• What is your unicorn’s name?
• What magical power does your unicorn have?
• Where does your unicorn live?
• What colors are in the unicorn’s mane?
• Can your unicorn visit the castle?
• Can you tell a story about your unicorn?

Toilet roll unicorn FAQ

How do you make a unicorn out of a toilet paper roll?

Cut an empty cardboard tube into a simple unicorn head shape, add googly eyes, attach a small horn, and glue curled pipe cleaners along the head and neck to create the mane.

What age is this unicorn craft best for?

This craft is best for ages three and up with adult supervision. Younger children may need help cutting the cardboard and attaching the pipe cleaners.

How do you make the curly unicorn mane?

Wrap pastel pipe cleaners around a pencil, slide them off gently, and glue or tape them to the cardboard tube to create a curly unicorn mane.

What can kids learn from this craft?

Kids practice fine motor skills, cutting, gluing, color vocabulary, creativity, and storytelling. The finished craft can also become a pretend play puppet.

What can I pair with a unicorn craft?

Pair this craft with unicorn sensory play, rainbow sorting, a cardboard castle, princess pretend play, fairy stories, or a unicorn dramatic play setup.

Hello, World!

Toilet Roll Narwhal

Toilet Roll Narwhal Craft

A sweet ocean animal craft for kids using a toilet paper roll, tissue paper, pipe cleaners, and googly eyes—perfect for Ocean Week, summer crafts, and under-the-sea learning.

Age3+

Prep10 minutes

Activity20 minutes

Mess★☆☆☆☆

SkillsFine motor + ocean

Why we love this activity

This toilet roll narwhal craft is such a cute way to reuse a cardboard tube while adding a little ocean magic to your day.

Kids get to crumple tissue paper, glue, cut simple shapes, add googly eyes, and twist a pipe cleaner horn. It is simple enough for preschoolers, but still adorable enough to display or use in pretend ocean play afterward.

I love this craft for Ocean Week because it naturally opens up conversations about sea animals, arctic waters, whale families, and imaginative under-the-sea storytelling.

Materials needed

• Empty toilet paper roll
• Blue or teal tissue paper
• Blue or teal construction paper or craft foam
• Blue pipe cleaner
• Googly eyes
• Glue
• Scissors
• Pencil

How to make a toilet roll narwhal

Step 1

Gather the supplies

Set out the cardboard tube, tissue paper squares, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, scissors, glue, and craft foam or paper for the fins and tail.

Step 2

Decorate the body

Have your child crumple small pieces of tissue paper and glue them onto the front of the cardboard tube. This gives the narwhal a fun, textured body and is great for fine motor practice.

Step 3

Add the narwhal details

Glue on two googly eyes, add side fins and a tail, then twist a small piece of pipe cleaner into a horn and attach it to the top.

Parent tip

Pre-cut the fins and tail for younger preschoolers, then let them focus on crumpling tissue paper and gluing. Older kids can draw and cut the pieces themselves.

Ocean week learning ideas

This narwhal craft is a simple way to add an ocean animal activity to your Ocean Week plans.

After making the craft, talk about where narwhals live, what their tusk looks like, and how they are related to whales. You can also compare narwhals with other ocean animals like dolphins, whales, seahorses, fish, crabs, and sharks.

Then use the finished craft as a puppet for storytelling, small-world ocean play, or a pretend underwater adventure.

Learning skills

Fine motor skills Cutting practice Gluing Ocean vocabulary Pretend play Recycled crafts Creative storytelling

Questions to ask kids

• What kind of animal is a narwhal?
• Where do narwhals live?
• What does the narwhal horn look like?
• What other ocean animals can we make?
• What should your narwhal’s name be?
• Can your narwhal swim through an ocean story?

Ocean products to pair with this craft

Extend Ocean Week with sensory play, dramatic play, and printable learning activities.

Mermaid dramatic play

Create an underwater kingdom with printable mermaids, sea creatures, ocean props, and treasure-themed pretend play.

Shop mermaid play

Mermaid sensory kit

Add sensory filler, shells, charms, and mermaid pieces for a magical ocean sensory bin.

Shop sensory kit

Mermaid busy book

A printable ocean learning activity book with early literacy, matching, and fine motor practice.

Shop busy book

Sea animal play rounds

Wooden ocean animal play rounds for sensory bins, matching games, and small-world ocean play.

Shop play rounds

More Ocean Week ideas

Ocean sensory play

Set up a mermaid and sea animal sensory tray with ocean vocabulary and hands-on play.

Ocean sensory play

Coral reef play

Explore ocean animals and coral reefs through sensory play and small-world storytelling.

Coral reef play

Ocean snack idea

Make playful crab sandwiches as a themed lunch or snack for Ocean Week.

Ocean week snacks

Toilet roll narwhal FAQ

How do you make a narwhal out of a toilet paper roll?

Use an empty cardboard tube as the body, cover it with tissue paper, add fins and a tail from craft paper or foam, glue on googly eyes, and twist a pipe cleaner into the narwhal horn.

What age is this narwhal craft best for?

This craft is best for ages three and up with adult supervision. Younger children may need help cutting the fins, tail, and horn.

What can kids learn from an ocean animal craft?

Kids can practice fine motor skills, cutting, gluing, ocean vocabulary, animal recognition, storytelling, and creative expression.

How can I use this craft for Ocean Week?

Pair it with ocean sensory bins, mermaid dramatic play, sea animal books, crab snacks, and vocabulary cards for a full Ocean Week activity plan.

What other toilet roll ocean animals can kids make?

Kids can make seahorses, whales, fish, sharks, jellyfish, octopuses, and mermaids using recycled cardboard tubes.