Learning opportunities are all around us, and you can teach your child how to count without spending any money! I love coming up with free and fun ways to use recycled paper rolls. To teach my daughter number and color patterns, I cut up cardboard toilet paper rolls and used a towel holder as a dowel. This was one of the very first activities that I set up for my daughter when she was 2! However, the age doesn’t matter since children are learning different skills at individual paces. You can do this activity with older toddlers (ages 3-5) who are learning how to count. Since my daughter had already learned her 123s in English and Korean, we focused on learning Chinese numbers and color patterns for this lesson.
In an effort to reduce waste, I’m trying make a habit of using recycled materials. Crafting with kids can quickly eat up a lot of paper; therefore, cardboard toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls are perfect for kids’ activities! Also, we parents are often too busy to shop for new things, so it’s a win-win when your activity supplies involve items you probably have at home!
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What you need for the recycled paper rolls activity:
- Recycled paper rolls
- Black permanent marker (eg, Sharpie)
- Paper towel holder
- Optional: paint (acrylic paint gives a vibrant color)
How to prepare the recycled paper rolls activity:
- Cut paper rolls
- Label with numbers
- Optional: Paint a few rolls of each color. I recommend skipping this step for children who are first learning numbers so that they are not distracted by the color. Alternatively, you can focus on color patterns and not label with numbers. Mixing colors with numbers will be easier when the foundation has already been established.
- Arrange paper rolls on paper towel holder (eg, dowel) in different patterns!
In the below photo, my daughter is arranging the rolls in numerical rainbow order! Rainbow order is her favorite pattern!
Here’s another pattern that my daughter made.
Teaching suggestions:
- Model counting out loud for your child and ask him or her to count out loud:
一，二，三，四，五，六，七，八, 九, 十…yī, èr, sān, sì, wǔ, liù, qī, bā, jiǔ, shí… Explain to your child that counting out loud helps make a habit of counting carefully without rushing.
If you try this number and color pattern activity with recycled paper rolls, please let us know! Leave a comment and don’t forget to tag @CHALKAcademy on Instagram and Facebook! Or share a photo with our Facebook group, Montessori-inspired Kids Learning Chinese and English! We love to see how other families do educational activities!
Hands-On Ways to Learn Math
How I’m Teaching My Children Basic Math For Free and Without Workbooks
Recommended activities
Here are other educational activities that you can do with recycled paper rolls:
- DIY Montessori Spindle with Paper Rolls & Craft Sticks!
- Trilingual Shape Stamping!
- Sun & Moon Paper Roll Paint Stamp
- Multilingual Thanksgiving Activity: Thankful Paper Roll Turkeys
- Paper Roll Christmas Trees: A Word-Matching Game {Multilingual}
- Paper Roll Octopus: A Chinese Counting Activity
Further reading
- 10+ Math Resources for Children Learning Chinese
- 10 Ways to Encourage Your Child to Read
- Fun & Educational Chinese Activities – A How-To Guide
You can also follow me on Facebook where I share my latest posts as well as favorite articles about children’s education, Chinese resources, and hands-on activities from other websites! In addition, on Instagram, I share activity highlights and how we integrate Chinese learning in our daily life!
Happy learning, friends!
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