Toilet Paper Roll Bug Craft (Easy Spring Craft for Kids)

Spring is the perfect time to lean into bug and butterfly learning with hands-on activities that build creativity, fine motor skills, and early learning confidence. This Toilet Paper Roll Bug Craft is a simple, low-prep activity using pastel foam, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, and beads — making it an ideal easy spring craft for kids, homeschool families, and classroom settings.

This activity is featured in Week 10 (March) of the GoodnightFox Homeschool Calendar during Bugs & Butterflies Week, where art, sensory play, and early science come together in a developmentally appropriate way for toddlers and preschoolers.

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Materials Needed

This is a great toddler craft using household items with just a few fun embellishments:

• Empty toilet paper rolls

• Pastel foam sheets

• Pipe cleaners (pastel colors)

• Googly eyes

• Pastel beads

• Glue gun (adult use) or strong craft glue

• Scissors

• Optional: markers or crayons for details

• Free printable wings / head / body template

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Step-by-Step: How to Make Toilet Paper Roll Bugs

1. Prepare the Base
   Wrap a toilet paper roll with pastel foam and glue it in place. This becomes the bug’s body.

2. Create Bug Wings
   Cut simple wing shapes from foam sheets. Encourage kids to experiment with shapes — long, round, or butterfly-style wings.

3. Add Antennae
   Twist pipe cleaners and glue them inside the top of the roll so they stick out like antennae.

4. Decorate the Face
   Glue on googly eyes and draw a small smile if desired.

5. Fine Motor Bead Details
   Thread pastel beads onto short pipe cleaner pieces or glue beads directly onto the wings and body.

6. Let It Dry & Play
   Once dry, these bugs are ready for imaginative play, storytelling, or a spring-themed display.

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Opportunities to Turn This Craft into a Learning Moment

This craft is more than art — it’s educational sensory play:

• Talk about insects vs. butterflies

• Count the beads together

• Compare wing shapes and colors

• Practice color naming and sorting

• Discuss where bugs live and what they need

Ask questions like:

• “How many wings does your bug have?”

• “Is your bug a butterfly, bee, or something new?”

• “What colors do you see on your bug?”

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Vocabulary Words to Weave In

Use these naturally while crafting and playing:

• Bug

• Insect

• Butterfly

• Wings

• Antennae

• Crawl

• Fly

• Color

• Pattern

• Spring

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Homeschool Curriculum

📅 Featured in: Week 10 – March
🦋 Theme: Bugs & Butterflies

This toilet paper roll bug craft is part of a themed week focused on early science, creativity, and fine motor development.

Related activities during Bugs & Butterflies Week include:

• Bug life cycle discussions

• Butterfly color-matching activities

• Sensory bins with pom-poms, beads, and nature fillers

• Bug-themed flashcards and vocabulary games

• Craft-based storytelling prompts

This activity pairs perfectly with:

• GoodnightFox printable busy books

• Bug and butterfly flashcards

• Memory matching games

• Sensory play kits and activity bundles

These resources help extend the learning beyond craft time into structured homeschool days.

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Learning Extensions

To deepen learning, pair this craft with:

• Bug & butterfly printable packs

• Fine motor activity kits

• Memory and matching card games

• Seasonal sensory bin fillers

• Homeschool planner activities from the March calendar

Each extension reinforces early literacy, visual discrimination, and hands-on exploration.

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Why Parents Love This Craft

• Uses recycled materials

• Encourages creativity and independence

• Builds fine motor skills

• Fits perfectly into spring homeschool themes

• Easy prep and budget-friendly

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Book Pairings for Bugs & Butterflies Week

• The Very Busy Spider

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar

• Some Bugs

• Backyard Bugs

• Waiting for Wings

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Toilet Roll Arctic Animals Craft for Kids

Easy Winter Craft + Arctic Animals Homeschool Activity

Looking for a simple winter craft that doubles as an educational activity? This Toilet Roll Arctic Animals Craft is a hands-on way for toddlers and preschoolers to explore Arctic animals through creative play. Using recycled toilet paper rolls, kids can create adorable polar bears and penguins while building fine motor skills and learning about animals that live in cold climates.

This low-prep craft fits perfectly into Arctic Animals themed learning, making it an ideal activity for winter homeschooling, classroom centers, or cozy indoor afternoons.

How-to video showing a kids craft using toilet paper rolls to make a polar bear and penguin. The video demonstrates painting the rolls, cutting and gluing paper shapes, and assembling the Arctic animals step by step.

Materials

• Empty toilet paper rolls

• White cardstock or white paint

• Black cardstock or black paint

• Cotton balls

• Googly eyes

• Black pom poms or small paper dots

• Yellow/orange paper (for penguin beak and feet)

• Glue

• Scissors

• Optional: markers or crayons

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How to Make Toilet Roll Arctic Animals

Polar Bear

1. Wrap or paint the toilet roll white and allow it to dry.

2. Glue googly eyes onto the front.

3. Add a small black pom pom for the nose.

4. Pull apart cotton balls and glue them around the top, sides, and bottom to create fluffy fur and paws.

5. Add small black dots to the cotton for paw details.

Penguin

1. Cover or paint the toilet roll black and let dry.

2. Cut an oval from white paper and glue it to the front for the penguin’s belly.

3. Add googly eyes.

4. Cut a small triangle from yellow/orange paper for the beak and glue below the eyes.

5. Cut flippers and feet from black and yellow paper and attach.

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Opportunities to Make This a Learning Moment

While crafting, invite conversation and curiosity with questions like:

• Where do polar bears and penguins live?

• What do Arctic animals need to survive cold weather?

• How is a penguin different from a polar bear?

• Why do some animals have fur and others have feathers?

This turns a simple craft into educational sensory play for toddlers and preschoolers.

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Vocabulary Words to Weave In

• Arctic

• Polar

• Habitat

• Mammal

• Feathers

• Fur

• Cold climate

• Ice

• Snow

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Make your own arctic week!

This craft is featured in the GoodnightFox Homeschool Planner – January Week 3: Arctic Animals Theme.

During this week, children explore:

• Arctic habitats

• Animal characteristics

• Cold weather adaptations

• Fine motor and creative expression

This toilet roll craft pairs beautifully with Arctic-themed books, animal flashcards, and sensory play trays included in your January learning flow.

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Learning Extensions

Extend the activity with these GoodnightFox Arctic Animals resources:

• Arctic Animals Flashcards – perfect for vocabulary building and animal recognition

• Arctic Animals Printables – matching, tracing, and early learning activities

• Winter & Arctic Sensory Play Ideas – pair the craft with cotton “snow,” white pom poms, or icy blue sensory fillers

These materials help reinforce learning through play while keeping your homeschool days simple and cohesive.

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Why We Love This Craft

✔ Uses recycled materials
✔ Budget-friendly and low prep
✔ Supports fine motor skills
✔ Encourages creative expression
✔ Fits seamlessly into homeschool planning

If you’re building a winter homeschool routine filled with easy sensory play setups, educational crafts, and themed learning, this Toilet Roll Arctic Animals Craft is a must-add to your January plans.

Want more Arctic Animals activities? Explore the full GoodnightFox Arctic collection and homeschool planner for done-for-you learning that feels fun, not overwhelming ❄️🐧🐻‍❄️

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Arctic Week Reading List

If you’re following along in the Homeschool Planner, don’t forget to check out these great Arctic Themed Books.

• The Bear Snores On

• Penguin Problems

• Little Polar Bear

• Way Up in the Arctic

• If You Were a Penguin