Toilet Paper Roll Race Car Craft for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Looking for a fun race car craft for your toddler or preschooler? Here’s a fun way to use up toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls and let your kid go crazy with paint or markers. And if you’re working on your scissor skills, cutting the shapes for this craft will help with fine motor skills.

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Appropriate Ages for This Race Car Craft:

One-year-olds may not be able to do the cutting on this craft, but they can do the decorating and help with assembly.

Two-year-olds and three-year-olds can help with cutting the circles for the wheels. It’s good to have them try to use scissors as long as they’re kid safe scissors. Toddlers should be able to at least hold scissors and make some little cuts by around three years old according to ASQs.

Preschoolers and older kids will be able to do most of this craft themselves. If you’re using hot glue, do it yourself. If you’d rather have your child glue the race car pieces together, use regular glue or glue sticks.

Supplies Needed for This Race Car Craft:

• Empty toilet paper or paper towel cardboard tube
• Tempra paint (or Markers)
• Paint brush
• Paper Plate or Cardstock Paper
• Hot Glue (or regular glue)
• Scissors

Instructions for a Toilet Paper Race Car Craft:

1. If you’re using a paper towel tube, cut it in half. For a toilet paper roll, leave as is.

2. Draw an oval shape in the middle of the tube.  Carefully cut it out! Kids might need help with this step.  This will be the driver’s seat area.

3. Trace one end of the cardboard tube on a paper plate and cut it out.

4. Once cut, decorate it with markers (or paint) to be the grill of the car.

5. On a paper plate (or if you have a thick cardstock that would work!) cut out 4 circles for the tires, a small circle for the steering wheel and a seat shape.

6. Paint time!  You can use anything you want to decorate your cars.  We used paint. Paint your car, tires, steering wheel and seat.  (Be sure to paint both sides!)

7. Decorate the side of the car with craft supplies or draw on numbers and designs.

8. Allow to dry.

9. To assemble: Glue the grill to the front of the toilet paper tube.  It should fit nicely.

10. A small dab of glue on the steering wheel to place on the front edge of the oval shape you cut out.  And slide the seat into the driver’s area.

11. Glue on the 4 tires to the bottom of your car.  You will want your car to kind of stand off the table a little bit.

12. Ta da! You have a toilet paper roll race car craft now!

Would your toddler or preschooler love to make this toilet paper roll race car craft?

Let me know in the comments below if you’ve tried it!

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