Fireworks look beautiful in the night sky and are an exciting way to celebrate holidays and special occasions.

Recreating them with this toilet paper roll fireworks craft is a fun and safe way for kids to celebrate.

It’s a super simple project, but so much fun! Plus, it’s the perfect way to encourage toddlers and children of all ages to get creative with common supplies they can find around the house.

Keep the inspiration going with all of our craft ideas for kids!

White text outlined in black on blue background at top says Toilet Paper Roll Fireworks. White paper with two red fireworks bursts and one blue made with paint and glitter.

It’s a great craft idea to include in an art center for holidays with firework celebrations, such as the 4th of July, Diwali, New Year’s Eve, and Chinese New Year.

Even the littlest kids will have fun making fireworks artwork with you!

Table of Contents

More 4th of July Crafts for Kids

What Age Can Do This Fireworks Painting Activity?

This is truly an easy paint stamping craft that you can do with your toddler. It’s also a great project for preschool and kindergarten age children to work on.

They all will love creating fireworks with toilet paper rolls and paint!

What Are the Benefits of This Fireworks Craft?

Opportunities for learning are everywhere, even in a simple arts and craft activity. You can work on color names as your toddler paints their fireworks.

Together you can count the number of TP roll strips you are dipping into the paint to work on numbers.

It also gives preschoolers and kindergartners scissor practice with cutting lines into the paper tube to create their fireworks stamp.

Red and blue fireworks painted on white paper and have glitter sprinkled on them. Toilet paper roll covered in red paint pressed against paper to make another one.

Add on to this craft by talking about holidays and events where fireworks are often used.

For example, you could talk about how and why fireworks are typically included in Independence Day, Diwali, New Year’s Eve, and Chinese New Year celebrations.

There are other big events, such as sporting events, that use fireworks too. You can even discuss the history of fireworks and the science behind how they work.

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Toilet Paper Roll Fireworks Craft Supplies

One thing I absolutely love is that this project doesn’t require a bunch of special materials. You simply need an empty paper tube that your kids can cover in paint and stamp onto paper.

It might get a bit messy though, so grab your art smock. You’ll need empty toilet paper rolls, which you can collect at home or buy TP rolls for crafts.

You can also use paper towel rolls, just cut them down into smaller lengths.

You’ll also need blue and red craft paints and possibly white, if you decide to paint on black paper instead of white cardstock paper. Don’t forget glitter to add a bit of sparkle to your fireworks art!

Be sure to save or print out our detailed list of materials and instructions at the end of this post.

How to Make an Easy Firework Painting

Start by cutting thin strips about halfway up an empty toilet paper roll, and continuing all around. It’ll look a bit like fringe. You can mark lines for kids to follow if they need some guidance cutting.

Next, gently push the cardboard strips so they fan outward and can be laid against a flat surface. Do this for each color of paint you’re using. (If you are fine with mixing paint colors, you can use just one toilet paper tube.)

Collage of four images showing step by step process of tp roll fireworks craft. Upper left shows paper tubes with one end cut into strips. Upper right shows the fringe strips covered in red paint. Lower left shows the red paint fireworks burst left on the paper after stamping the tp roll on it. Lower right shows sprinkling glitter over the wet paint.

Pour some red paint onto a paper plate. Pouring it in a circle works well. Evenly spread out the paint with a paintbrush.

Dip the fanned out fringe end of the toilet paper roll into the red paint. You may need to use the end of the paintbrush or a pencil to help press the strips gently down to get completely covered in paint.

Cut toilet paper roll covered in blue paint being stamped down onto white paper. End of blue paintbrush is pressing the strips down against the paper.

Then gently press the paint covered toilet paper roll onto cardstock paper like a stamp. If the paint isn’t transferring very well, try lightly pressing each strip down against the paper before lifting the tube away.

Carefully lift up the toilet paper roll and set it aside. Sprinkle glitter over the wet paint to make the fireworks sparkle and shimmer. Shake off excess glitter.

Close view of TP roll stamping blue fireworks onto white paper close to red burst of fireworks.

Repeat steps 3-6 with blue paint. Continue until you have as many paint bursts as you want covering the paper. Set aside to dry completely before displaying.

Angled side view of completed fireworks craft painting. Cluster of three paint bursts: two red and one blue. Glitter makes them sparkle. Can see the tp rolls and paint in the background.

The red and blue paints really pop on white paper. Let the kids experiment with how the fireworks look on different background colors and with a variety of paint colors. If using black paper, try using red, blue, and white paints.

Most of all, have fun with your creations!

More Toilet Paper Roll Crafts

Toilet Paper Roll Fireworks Craft

Yield: 1

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Active Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Estimated Cost: $5 or less

A fun and easy fireworks craft for kids using toilet paper rolls and paint!

Materials

Toilet Paper Roll
Red and Blue Craft Paints
Red and Blue Glitter
Cardstock Paper (white or black)

Tools

Paintbrushes
Scissors
Paper Plate

Instructions

Start by cutting thin strips about halfway up an empty toilet paper roll, and continuing all around. It’ll look a bit like fringe. You can mark lines for kids to follow if they need some guidance cutting.
Next, gently push the cardboard strips so they fan outward and can be laid against a flat surface. Do this for each color of paint you’re using. (If you are fine with mixing paint colors, you can use just one toilet paper tube.)
Pour some red paint onto a paper plate. Pouring it in a circle works well. Evenly spread out the paint with a paintbrush.
Dip the fanned out fringe end of the toilet paper roll into the red paint. You may need to use the end of the paintbrush or a pencil to help press the strips gently down to get completely covered in paint.
Then gently press the paint covered toilet paper roll onto cardstock paper like a stamp. If the paint isn’t transferring very well, try lightly pressing each strip down against the paper before lifting the tube away.
Carefully lift up the toilet paper roll and set it aside. Sprinkle glitter over the wet paint to make the fireworks sparkle and shimmer. Shake off excess glitter.
Repeat steps 3-6 with blue paint. Continue until you have as many paint bursts as you want covering the paper. Set aside to dry completely before displaying.
The red and blue paints really pop on white paper. Let the kids experiment with how the fireworks look on different background colors and with a variety of paint colors. If using black paper, try using red, blue, and white paints.

Notes

Drying time will vary.

Darcy Zalewski

Darcy is the founder of “Life With Darcy and Brian,” where she combines her love for education, board games, and crafting to create engaging learning experiences for kids. Her creative projects and writing have been featured in outlets like The Toy Insider, CafeMom, Mom.com, Parents.com, Country Living, and The Pioneer Woman.