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Toilet Paper Roll Binoculars with only Three Materials

Learn how to make toilet paper roll binoculars with three toilet paper tubes

You want to know the best thing about this toilet paper roll craft? The best part is that the average person probably has all the materials on hand to create it! I’m excited to share a fun way to make toilet paper roll binoculars with only three materials that I bet anyone has in their home! 

The other day as I was creating a video for the toilet paper roll spiders, my daughter came into the room and grabbed two tubes and put them up to her eyes and started using them as binoculars. BRILLIANT! I had a new idea for a toilet paper roll binoculars craft. This is an easy craft that kids of all ages can create on their own!

Unlike a lot of toilet paper roll crafts, this one only uses a few supplies.

Materials to make toilet paper roll binoculars:

  • three empty toilet paper rolls
  • markers (paint, washi tape, yarn, stickers, etc)
  • scissors 

No hot glue gun required which makes this a great craft for younger kids. Let me show you how to make this fun craft. 

How to make a pair of binoculars from Toilet Paper Tubes

  1. Squeeze the toilet paper roll flat.
squeezing the toilet paper roll flat

2. Make two slits in one of the toilet paper tubes about 3 inches apart. This will make a small hole to start cutting out the larger holes for the tubes to fit into. 

cutting two slits in toilet paper tubes

3. Grab a marker and place two toilet paper rolls next to each other on top of the third toilet paper tube and draw an outline.

making an outline on toilet paper tube

The slits should be in the middle of both of the outlines (or close). Use those small holes to create larger ones.

4. Cut the circle out of the top layer of the toilet paper tubes.

cutting two circles out of the toilet paper tube

​Tip: grab a hole puncher to cut through both sides at once to start the hole. 

two circles cut out of toilet paper tube

5. Once the two circles on the outside of the toilet paper tube are cut out you need to cut two more circles on the other side of the tube.

6. Bend the tube slightly and cut a small slit from the inside of one of the holes to the other side of the toilet paper tube.

cutting holes in the toilet paper tube

Use these holes as a guide to cut holes for the other side of the tube. This is what it should look like when the holes are completely cut out.  

toilet paper tube with holes on both sides

7. The last thing you need to cut is the end to make it match the other side.

cutting the end off of the toilet paper binoculars

It’s a good idea to make sure the toilet paper tubes fit through the holes before you begin to decorate them.

toilet paper tube binoculars

I know it doesn’t look pretty, but we are going to color (or paint) over those brown lines. 

8. Next decorate the toilet paper tubes however you would like.

The sky is the limit on this! Be creative and ask your kids how they want to decorate it. 

DIY Toilet paper roll binocular video

P.S. You don’t have to use markers or paint. Decorative tape and construction paper works well too!

I chose to keep it simple like a younger elementary kid would do. This can also look way more professional and complex for older kids. 

coloring the toilet paper binoculars
coloring the toilet paper binoculars

Like I said, it doesn’t look pretty, but very realistic to what it would look like if a child colored it. Am I knocking my coloring skills? LOL, maybe.

Once the “body” of the binoculars are colored, move on to coloring the other two toilet paper tubes.

coloring the toilet paper tubes

I decided to color a simple pattern on the other two tubes.

colored toilet paper tubes

I wanted to add contrasting colors!

colored toilet paper tubes for DIY binoculars

Like I said, don’t judge the coloring job. 

Toilet Paper Tube Binoculars

What do you think? Heres a view of the side of the binoculars.

toilet paper tube binoculars

Not too bad for about 20 minutes of work and a few household supplies. Now I have my own homemade binoculars. They may not function as well as the real thing, but they are great for pretend play!

toilet paper roll binoculars
toilet paper roll binoculars

My daughter says “Mommy they actually work!”

toilet paper tube binoculars
toilet paper roll binoculars

I love creating functional kid crafts that don’t cost any money! These cardboard tube binoculars are a big hit for outdoor nature crafts too!

toilet paper roll binoculars

This was a fun toilet paper craft that taught my daughter that she can make something out of a few recycled household items.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Crafting

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