How to transform simple household items into an awesome train set! An ideal craft for preschoolers and even older kids who love to create cool things at home when bored. Start saving paper rolls and a variety of plastic bottle caps, and you’ve got a cheap project to make with your kids on a rainy day that won’t cost you a dime.
Supplies Needed
- toilet paper roll tubes
- variety of paint colors
- foam brush
- plastic bottle caps (a mixture of sizes and colors)
- hot glue gun
How To Make A Train Set Out Of Toilet Paper Rolls
Step 1Use a small foam brush to paint the tubes in various colors. Once finished, set aside to dry for 10-15 minutes or until dry to the touch.
Step 2Use a hot glue gun to creatively adhere the plastic bottle caps to your painted rolls. The steam engine will have a headlight and smokestack which can be made by stacking various sized caps on top of each other. To attach the headlight, I first cut a cardboard circle out of one of the toilet paper rolls and hot glued it to the front of the roll.
The box cars and the caboose don’t need as many details, just the wheels and any other optional bottle caps for the top. It looks cool to make each one unique! From a bold red engine to playful blue cabooses and green box cars.
Helpful Tips
- To connect the engine and box cars together, you could use a hole punch on the paper tube ends and join them using yarn, crafting a train your kids can ride throughout the house.
- You could even make a train track on the floor with painters tape! This easy craft is also a fun toy to play with once finished.
- Add details to your train cars with any other recycled materials you have lying around. Maybe even draw on some graffiti with markers (just kidding). 🙂
Don’t forget to pin and save this recycled toilet paper roll craft for later!
Check out these other recycled crafts for kids!
Toilet Paper Roll Binoculars
Paper Roll Painted Fireworks
Pom Pom Shooters
