So your recycling bin is overflowing with toilet paper rolls again. Don’t toss them – you’ve got a free tiny town starter kit right there.
I hoarded rolls for three months before my kid asked, “Mom, why do we have a trash tower?” Then we built a whole village in one rainy afternoon. Now you can too, without spending a dime on fancy craft supplies.
You’ll need toilet paper rolls (obviously), scissors, glue, paint or markers, and maybe some scrap paper. That’s it. No trips to the craft store required.
Pro tip: save the shorter rolls from paper towels too – they make perfect apartment buildings. But hey, drink more water and you’ll have plenty of the small guys.
1. The Classic House With A Folding Roof
Grab a roll and pinch one end together to make a flat base. Push the opposite end inward from two sides so it folds into a triangle peak.
That triangle becomes your roof. Paint it red, draw little windows, and cut a door flap that actually opens.
Your kid will spend twenty minutes deciding which color the door should be. Ask me how I know.
2. A Row Of Tiny Townhouses
Line up three rolls side by side and glue them together. Cut a single long strip of cardboard for a shared roof across all three.
Paint each one a different color – pink, blue, yellow – and draw connected fences on the front. My daughter named her row “Cookie Lane” for zero reason.
3. A Windmill That Actually Spins
Cut slits an inch deep into the top of a roll, four slits around the circle. Slide in a paper cross made from two strips to form spinning blades.
Poke a toothpick through the center so the blades rotate freely. Add a little circle of cardboard on top as the windmill cap.
We stuck ours in a potted plant, and now it spins every time the AC kicks on. Instant farm town vibes.
4. The Bakery With A Display Window
Cut a large rectangle window out of the side of a roll. Glue a piece of clear plastic (from an old package) behind it so kids can “see” the goods.
Roll up tiny balls of yellow tissue paper as mini croissants. Line them inside on a scrap of cardboard shelf.
My son insisted we also need a “rat” outside, so we made one from a pinch of brown fuzz. Kids are weird.
5. A School Bus (Because Every Town Needs One)
Flatten a roll slightly into an oval shape. Paint it bright yellow and cut out square windows along the side.
Add black circles for wheels and a little cardboard rectangle for the stop sign. Use a black marker to draw the line down the middle.
Your kid will drive this bus around the living room carpet for an hour. Just accept the honking noises.
6. Trees Made From Fringed Rolls
Cut one end of a roll into thin strips about two inches long. Fan those strips outward like branches and paint them green.
Stand the roll upright. The fringed top becomes a leafy canopy. Make three or four in different shades of green.
We lined our “Main Street” with these and now the dog thinks they’re chew toys. Keep them up high.
7. A Lighthouse With A Striped Pattern
Paint a roll with alternating red and white horizontal stripes. Cut a tiny cone from cardboard for the top and glue a toothpick flag on it.
Cut a small arched door at the base. Add a yellow paper circle as the light beam.
Put this near your town’s “ocean” – which is just a blue towel on the floor. Works every time.
8. The Fire Station With A Garage Door
Cut a large archway at the bottom of a roll, big enough for a toy car to drive through. Paint the roll red and add a small white number (like “21”).
Glue a tiny cardboard ladder to one side. Draw a dalmatian spot pattern with a black marker.
My nephew insisted his fire station needed a pole inside, so we glued in a toothpick. Problem solved.
9. A Castle Tower With Battlements
Cut the top of a roll into little rectangles sticking up like castle crenellations. Paint it gray and draw stone lines with a pencil.
Add a drawbridge by cutting a rectangle door and attaching a string to pull it up. Glue on a small flag from a toothpick and scrap paper.
Chain three of these together with cardboard walls, and suddenly you’ve got a full medieval fortress.
10. An Ice Cream Shop With A Swirled Roof
Glue a smaller roll (cut one in half) on top of a full roll. Paint the top half pink and white in a swirl pattern.
Cut a serving window and put a tiny cardboard scoop inside. Add a paper sign that says “50¢” even though your kid has no money.
We put cotton balls on top as whipped cream. Now every visitor asks if it’s real ice cream. Sorry, kid.
11. A Train Engine For The Town Loop
Flatten a roll and cut one end into a rounded front. Paint it black and add red wheels cut from bottle caps or cardboard.
Glue a smaller roll on top as the smokestack. Stuff a bit of cotton ball in the top for “steam.”
Attach a string of paperclips to pull other roll-cars behind it. Choo-choo sounds are mandatory.
12. A Tiny Pond From One Sliced Roll
Cut a roll lengthwise into three rings. Flatten each ring into an oval and glue them together in a clover shape.
Paint the whole thing blue and add green paper lily pads. Cut a tiny paper frog from green scrap.
This took four minutes and became my daughter’s favorite part of the town. She talks to the frog.
13. A Campsite With A Tent
Cut a roll in half lengthwise, then shape one half into an A-frame tent by bending it. Glue the edges to a cardboard base.
Add a tiny paper campfire – orange and yellow triangles on brown sticks. Draw a little sleeping bag inside.
We used a Q-tip as a log. My son said “needs s’mores” so we added brown paper squares.
14. A Pet Shop With Animal Cages
Cut several small square windows in a roll. Glue thin strips of paper across them like cage bars.
Draw tiny animals behind the bars – a hamster, a parrot, a snake if your kid is brave. Add a sign that says “Adopt Me.”
We made five of these and now the whole coffee table is a pet store. No cleaning required.
15. A Clock Tower For The Town Square
Stand a roll upright and glue a large paper circle to the front. Draw clock hands showing 3:00 (or naptime, your choice).
Cut a small roof from cardboard and glue it on top. Add a paper pendulum swinging below.
Paint bricks on the roll with a sponge. This took twenty minutes but looks ridiculously charming.
16. A Garage With A Lift
Cut a large opening at the bottom of a roll. Glue two small folded paper strips inside as a car lift.
Paint the outside gray with red racing stripes. Add a tiny cardboard ramp leading up to the door.
Push a Hot Wheels car inside and pretend to change its tires. My kid spent an hour “fixing” the same car.
17. A Farm Barn With A Hayloft
Cut a large square door at the bottom and a smaller square window up high. Paint the roll red with white crossbucks on the door.
Glue a piece of yellow yarn inside as “hay.” Cut a cardboard ladder leading to the hayloft.
Add a tiny cow cutout standing outside. Moo noises optional but encouraged.
18. A Movie Theater With A Marquee
Glue a small rectangle of cardboard across the top of a roll like a theater sign. Write “NOW SHOWING” in tiny letters.
Cut a large screen window and draw stick-figure characters inside. Add paper seats made from folded strips.
We showed “The Lego Movie” on our tiny screen. The audience was one stuffed bear.
19. A Hospital With An Ambulance Bay
Paint a roll white with a red cross on the front. Cut a double door at the bottom that opens outward.
Glue a small cardboard ambulance next to it – just a flattened roll with red crosses. Add a paper stretcher.
My daughter put her sick Barbie inside. The ambulance had to make three trips.
20. A Bank With A Vault Door
Paint the roll gray and draw a giant circle on the front. Add a tiny dial with numbers drawn on a paper circle.
Cut a slot at the top for “deposits” – use small paper rectangles as money. Glue on a cardboard pillar on each side.
We put real pennies inside. Now the dog thinks the bank is a snack. Keep the vault closed.
21. A Diner With A Checkerboard Floor
Cut a roll in half lengthwise and lay it on its side. Paint the inside floor with black and white squares.
Glue a tiny cardboard counter and stools made from cut roll rings. Add a paper menu that says “BURGER $2.”
My kid made playdough hamburgers. The diner was packed for ten glorious minutes.
22. A Library With Tiny Bookshelves
Cut several small rectangle windows along the roll. Glue tiny folded paper books inside each window.
Draw a librarian with glasses on the front. Add a paper sign that says “SHHH” because it’s funny.
We filled the shelves with actual folded scrap paper. Your kid will “read” them out loud.
23. A Gas Station With Pumps
Flatten two short roll pieces (cut one roll into thirds). Paint them white and red and glue them next to a full roll station building.
Add toothpick pump handles with tiny paper hoses. Draw price numbers on a cardboard sign: “$3.50” – remember those days?
We parked the school bus here. The bus needed “dino fuel,” according to my son.
24. A Post Office With Mail Slots
Cut a wide slot near the top of a roll. Glue a small paper envelope sticking out like someone just mailed it.
Paint the roll blue with white stripes. Add a tiny flag on a toothpick that goes up and down.
Write actual mini letters on paper scraps. My daughter mailed a drawing to the dog. The dog ate it.
25. A Police Station With A Jail Cell
Cut a large window and glue paper bars across it. Draw a sad face behind the bars for the “criminal” (a Lego man).
Paint the roll dark blue with a gold badge sticker. Add a tiny cardboard police car parked outside.
We put a stuffed monkey in jail. He escaped twice. The police station needs better locks.
26. A Church With A Steeple
Pinch the top of a roll into a point. Glue a toothpick cross on the very top. Cut arched windows down the sides.
Paint it white with gray stone lines. Add a paper bell inside the steeple opening.
We don’t go to church, but my kid said “it looks like a castle for ghosts.” Close enough.
27. A Whole Town Square Base
Arrange nine rolls in a 3×3 grid and glue them together on a large cardboard sheet. Paint the cardboard green for grass and draw roads between the rolls.
Turn each roll into a different building from the list above – bakery, fire station, library, etc. Add paper trees and tiny people cut from magazine photos.
We connected everything with marker roads and added a “You are here” star. My kid plays with this every single day now. The empty tubes have taken over our living room, and I couldn’t be happier.
Ready To Build Your Tiny Town?
Start saving those toilet paper rolls today. Stash them in a bag under the sink – your future self will thank you when the next rainy day hits.
Pick three or four crafts from this list and let your kid go wild. The mess is worth it, I promise. And when they inevitably ask for a “dinosaur attack” on their tiny town? Just grab a T-rex toy and join the fun.
Now go raid your recycling bin. Those empty tubes are calling your name.