Toilet Paper Roll Snakes! Easy and Fun Craft for Kids

snake craft for kids made from toilet paper rolls

*This is an older post but right now when you’re stuck at home with kids due to the Corona Virus and toilet paper is all the rage, this is the perfect craft to entertain kids. If you don’t have enough toilet paper rolls, ask your neighbors to save their empty rolls for a few days and take a scavenger hunt around your neighborhood to collect them off of porches or from mailboxes.* There’s one fact that’s universally acknowledged, when you have kids you will go through a lot of toilet paper. My poor husband has to put up with 4 girls in this house so he is always questioning the amount of empty toilet paper rolls he finds all over the house. However I urge him to follow another age-old piece of advice: when life hands you lemons, make lemonade. In crafter terms that would translate to, when life hands you a ton of empty toilet paper rolls, you need to make this recycling craft for kids which is also a toilet paper roll craft for kids. A friend of mine came up with this idea to use toilet paper rolls and ribbon to make stretchy, moveable snakes two years ago for our wild animal themed VBS. I honestly didn’t think it would work or that the kids would like it. I was proven wrong. Not only did it work and turn out cuter than I could have imagined, the kids absolutely loved this snake craft. They spent as much time as we would give them coloring the toilet paper rolls with markers (we didn’t have time to let the paint dry) and then when they were completed, they walked around with the snakes draped around their shoulders. This is an easy and fun craft for kids that would be perfect to do when learning about wild animals or after a visit to the zoo.

Toilet Paper Roll Snakes

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To make these Toilet Paper Roll Snakes you will need:

empty toilet paper rolls (you can also buy the rolls at craft stores or on Amazon)
paint or markers
red ribbon
googly eyes
glue
stapler

Start by painting your toilet paper rolls in different colors. Let them dry for a few minutes and then go back and add details with more paint or markers.

I tried to do a lot of different varieties. Encourage the kids to paint different patterns on the tubes, which will help them resemble a real snake.

Once they are dry, lay them out in a row and decide how long you want your snake. I’ve found that 7-8 tubes make a great snake. The first tube will be the snake head and the last one will make the tail. Cut a piece of red ribbon about two to three inches longer than your toilet paper tubes are when they’re lined up.

Assembling Your Snake Craft

Take your red ribbon and slide the first tube onto it, all the way down to the end. Pinch the end of the tube together on both sides to make it close up. If you’re using a stapler, place the red ribbon in between the pinched sides and staple it closed, making sure the ribbon is secure and can’t be pulled out. If you are only using glue, put hot glue on each side of the toilet paper roll and then pinch and hold it closed until it is sealed with the ribbon secured. Now thread the last of your tubes onto the ribbon until you get to the last one. You’re going to repeat the same process but this time you want the extra ribbon to stick outside of the tube, forming the snake’s tongue. Secure the tube to the ribbon with glue or staples.

The final step is to glue two googly eyes onto the snake’s head and then get ready to play with your new pet snake. What do you think? Is this an easy craft that your kids will love to make?