If you’re looking for crafts to do at home with your kids, they are going to love this recycled project using toilet paper rolls!

These homemade binoculars are cheap and easy to make with just a few basic supplies you probably already have at home. Everyone uses toilet paper, right? Start saving those rolls because there are so many fun crafts your kids can make with them.

These toilet paper roll binoculars are great for pretend play, games like ispy or a scavenger hunt in the backyard. We even took ours on our stroll to the park, it was so much fun to watch my explores use their imagination (watching for birds and planes was a hit)! 🙂

My 2 year old and 12 year old boys both had fun making these binoculars together, so this simple project is definitely something that would be great for kids of all ages. Younger children will probably need a little assistance with the stapler and hole punch, and perhaps some guidance with the decorations, but older kids will have fun being creative with whatever supplies to have on hand.

List of Supplies

Toilet paper rolls (or paper towel rolls cut in half)
Stapler (or hot glue)
Hole punch
Ribbon or Yarn for the strap
Assorted drinking straws (Optional)
Colorful things to decorate with such as paint, markers, washi tape, stickers, rhinestones, pom poms, buttons, craft paper, felt, craft foam, glitter, pipe cleaners, etc.

INSTUCTIONS

STEP ONE

Using two toilet paper rolls, staple the tubes together (you can also glue the tubes together if your little isn’t old enough for a stapler). We also painted ours first to make them more colorful!

STEP TWO

Decorating time! Let your little one use their creativity to make their own pattern. My oldest couldn’t decide on color patterns, so he wanted to make two pairs, which I LOVED! As a 12 year old, sometimes he can get a little “bored” with crafting so with this project I was able to get in a little more time with him.

STEP THREE

Punch a hole on both sides of the tubes at least 1/4 inch away from the edge to prevent it from tearing, and then attach ribbon or yarn to ONE side of the binoculars to start the strap. We cut our ribbon to approximately 2 feet in length and it seemed to be just right, but keep your child’s age and size in mind.

STEP FOUR

Cut paper straws about 2 inches in length and add them to the ribbon. I found these colorful paper straws on Amazon. They are totally optional but make a big difference! There are a ton of other fun things you can make with them, too.

STEP FIVE

When finished adding straws, tie the end of the ribbon to the the other side of the binoculars and you’re done! Now let your kids have a blast exploring!