5 Easy Butcher Paper Activities Your Toddler Will Love!
Sometimes the best playtime doesn’t come from fancy toys or hours of prep — it comes from a simple roll of butcher paper and a little imagination. These five easy-to-set-up activities turn your floor into a world of creativity, color, and endless fun!
My son loves imaginative play, and as a former (and very artsy) teacher, I love a good poster project. When I realized that I could so easily combine our interests into awesome morning activities, I was hyped! I already had a large roll of white butcher paper, and plenty of Mr. Sketch markers, so now all I needed was a little inspiration (or should I say PIN-spiration :P). Here are my 5 most recent and well-loved butcher paper activities for you to try with your little one:
1. Pizza Parlor
This one landed perfectly on a rainy day, so the thought of some cozy homemade (felt) pizzas sounded wonderful. I used one half of the paper to create two place settings, one for myself and my son, and the other half was his cooking station.
I made sure to label his cooking station with sections for crust, sauce, cheese, and toppings. We had previously purchased a pizza set for his play kitchen, and it worked great for this activity. You can get it here!
Now all my son had to do was assemble, bake in his toy kitchen, and serve up some slices! Placing orders and describing their flavors was a blast and helped this activity last quite a while.
2. Spider Web Stampers
Just in time for the upcoming holiday, I took a medium-sized piece of butcher paper and drew a bunch of spiderwebs on it. Then, using an old toilet paper tube cut into some spider legs, my son was able to stamp the spiders all over their web!
Although his fine motor skills are growing, he’s not quite at the age where he can draw faces. So once the paint was dry, we collaborated on what each spider’s face looked like, and I drew them in for him.
Here are some paints I recommend!
It was a really fun art project that can totally be adjusted depending on your child’s ability level!
3. Fall Themed Strewing
Having seen so many “strewing” videos recently, especially ones with butcher paper, I thought a Fall-themed one would be a great idea!
I made four different activities for my toddler to check out in the morning. Everything from picking apples, to counting acorns, to roasting marshmallows & more.
Not only did the activities keep him busy for longer than usual, but I also put down crayons so that he could turn the activities into a giant coloring page!
You can easily switch this idea up for other seasons — try snowflakes in winter or flowers in spring.
4. Paper Town
Not by John Green 😛 Having a toddler most likely means you have more toy cars than you can count. Using that as a resource for this activity, I drew some roads and a little town for my son’s cars to peruse!
Complete with recognizable stops, parking spots, and places to play, my son enjoyed this one a lot.
You could even make it 3D with this awesome car and town set!
This is another super adjustable one; You could even make it look like your neighborhood! The possibilities are endless with a few good road lines.
5. Grocery Store Check Out
I drew a lot of inspiration from my Pizza Parlor for this one. We already owned a great deal of play food (as I’m sure most toddler parents do — but if not, I linked a good starter pack below), so now all I needed was to draw the setting.
I used one half for paper grocery bags, with a cash register opposite them. On the other end of the paper were three different food areas to shop from. If you’re working with early readers, this would be a great opportunity to throw in a simple shopping list!
The combinations of items and the opportunities to “scan” my stuff were enough to keep my son engaged!
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Final Thoughts
None of these took me a great amount of time to set up, but they led to really awesome imaginative play opportunities. So, if you’re looking to change up your play routines, grab a roll of butcher paper (I use this one from Amazon). The ideas are endless, and you may end up loving making them as much as your child loves playing with them!
If you try any of these ideas out, tag me on Instagram @reashomegrown — I’d love to cheer you on!
❤️ Until Next Time
