A Game of Patience and Skill

Sometimes, the best toddler activities come from the most unexpected places—like your recycling bin. Enter Tube Ball Balance, the latest in our Random Household Objects series. It’s ridiculously simple, wildly entertaining, and a sneaky way to boost fine motor skills and patience (for both you and your toddler).

All you need? A few empty toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, and ball pit balls. That’s it. No mess, no stress—just good, old-fashioned balancing fun.

What You’ll Need

• Empty toilet paper rolls and paper towel rolls (the more, the better!)
• Ball pit balls (or other lightweight balls like ping pong balls)
• A flat surface (table, tray, or even the floor)

Setting Up Your Tube Ball Balance Activity

1. Stand the Tubes Up – Arrange your toilet paper and paper towel rolls upright on a table or floor. Try different heights and groupings for variety.
2. Balance the Balls – Challenge your toddler to gently place a ball on top of each roll and see how many they can balance at once.
3. Experiment and Play – Adjust the rolls, try different balls, and see how long they can keep them steady before they tumble!

Why Tube Ball Balance Is Worth Trying

1. Balance and Coordination Boost

Balancing objects requires concentration, steady hands, and coordination—perfect for developing motor control and patience.

2. Fine Motor Skill Development

Picking up, placing, and adjusting the balls helps strengthen those tiny fingers, which is key for skills like writing, buttoning clothes, and using utensils.

3. A Lesson in Cause and Effect

What happens when you place the ball too fast? Too slow? Watching them roll away teaches problem-solving and cause-and-effect thinking.

4. Open-Ended Play

There’s no right or wrong way to do this activity—just endless variations to explore.

Fun Variations to Keep It Interesting

• Speed Challenge – Set a timer and see how many balls your toddler can balance before time runs out.
• Color Matching – Match colored balls to rolls wrapped in matching paper for an extra learning twist.
• Obstacle Course – Add extra challenges by placing the rolls on different surfaces (like a wobble board or cushion).
• Tower Knockdown – After balancing, let them knock everything over and start again!

More Activities Using a Paper Towel Roll 

If you’re on a roll (see what I did there?), don’t stop now. There are plenty of activities using a paper towel roll and activities using a toilet paper roll that turn recycling into fun. Here are a few more ideas:

1. Paper Towel Roll Name Sort: Write your child’s name on a cardboard box and attach wooden skewers above each letter. Write the letters of their name on pieces of cut paper towel rolls and match them to the correct skewer.
2. Toilet Paper Roll Color Sort: Cover six toilet paper rolls with different colored construction paper and provide craft sticks to sort into the matching colored rolls, helping your child practice color recognition.
3. Drop Tubes: Tape paper towel and toilet paper rolls at different heights on a wall and let your child drop small balls like pompoms through the tubes, experimenting with gravity and motion.
4. Toilet Paper Roll Straw Threading: Punch holes along a toilet paper roll and let your child thread cut straws through, a fun way to improve their hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.
5. Paper Towel Roll Letter Matching: Write letters on a paper towel roll and create matching letter stickers for your child to pair with the roll, reinforcing letter recognition and matching skills.

Each of these activities will turn a simple paper towel roll or toilet paper roll into a fun and educational tool, using materials you likely already have at home!

The Beauty of Simple, Everyday Play

It’s amazing how something as basic as toilet paper rolls and a few balls can create a whole new game. Tube ball balance is proof that kids don’t need elaborate toys to have fun—they just need a little creativity and a willingness to play.

So before you toss those empty rolls in the recycling bin, set them up for some balancing fun. You might just get a few minutes of quiet concentration in return. And if your toddler loves this? Stay tuned—there are more Random Household Objects activities coming your way!

Ball Pit Balls