• Home
  • About
    • About Crafts by Amanda
    • Visit Our Recipe Site
  • Work With Us
  • Join
    • Free Newsletters
    • Join our Facebook craft group
↑
  • Tutorials
    • Tutorial Index
    • Adult Crafts
    • Crafts for Kids
    • Crafts for Seniors
    • Recycled Crafts
    • Seasonal Crafts
    • Holiday Crafts
    • Free Printables
    • Craft Collections
  • Adult Crafts
    • Bath & Body
    • Beach Crafts
    • Clay Pot Crafts
    • Crafts for Seniors
    • Decoupage Crafts for Adults
    • DIY Gift ideas
    • Garden Crafts
    • Home Decor Projects
    • Kitchen Crafts
    • Light Bulb Crafts
    • Luminary Crafts
    • Mason Jar Crafts
    • Needlework
    • Photo Display Ideas
    • Recycled Crafts for Adults
    • Wearable Crafts for Adults
  • Crafts for Kids
    • Animal Crafts for Kids
    • Back to School Crafts
    • Beach Crafts for Kids
    • Camp Crafts
    • Cardboard Tube Crafts for Kids
    • Decoupage Crafts for Kids
    • Easy Crafts for Kids
    • Nature Crafts for Kids
    • Other Kid’s Crafts
    • Paper Plate Crafts for Kids
    • Recycled Crafts for Kids
    • Slimes, Doughs, & Clay
    • Wearable Crafts for Kids
  • Holiday Crafts
    • 4th of July Crafts
    • Christmas Crafts
    • DIY Gift ideas
    • Earth Day Crafts
    • Easter Crafts
    • Father’s Day Crafts
    • Halloween Crafts
    • Memorial Day Crafts
    • Mother’s Day Crafts
    • New Year’s
    • Other Holidays
    • Patriot Day Crafts
    • St. Patrick’s Day Crafts
    • Thanksgiving Crafts
    • Valentine’s Day Crafts
  • Seasonal Crafts
    • Winter Crafts
    • Spring Crafts
    • Summer Crafts
    • Fall Crafts
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Crafts by Amanda

crafts for adults and kid's crafts

  • Tutorials
    • Tutorial Index
    • Adult Crafts
    • Crafts for Kids
    • Crafts for Seniors
    • Recycled Crafts
    • Seasonal Crafts
    • Holiday Crafts
    • Free Printables
    • Craft Collections
  • Adult Crafts
    • Bath & Body
    • Beach Crafts
    • Clay Pot Crafts
    • Crafts for Seniors
    • Decoupage Crafts for Adults
    • DIY Gift ideas
    • Garden Crafts
    • Home Decor Projects
    • Kitchen Crafts
    • Light Bulb Crafts
    • Luminary Crafts
    • Mason Jar Crafts
    • Needlework
    • Photo Display Ideas
    • Recycled Crafts for Adults
    • Wearable Crafts for Adults
  • Crafts for Kids
    • Animal Crafts for Kids
    • Back to School Crafts
    • Beach Crafts for Kids
    • Camp Crafts
    • Cardboard Tube Crafts for Kids
    • Decoupage Crafts for Kids
    • Easy Crafts for Kids
    • Nature Crafts for Kids
    • Other Kid’s Crafts
    • Paper Plate Crafts for Kids
    • Recycled Crafts for Kids
    • Slimes, Doughs, & Clay
    • Wearable Crafts for Kids
  • Holiday Crafts
    • 4th of July Crafts
    • Christmas Crafts
    • DIY Gift ideas
    • Earth Day Crafts
    • Easter Crafts
    • Father’s Day Crafts
    • Halloween Crafts
    • Memorial Day Crafts
    • Mother’s Day Crafts
    • New Year’s
    • Other Holidays
    • Patriot Day Crafts
    • St. Patrick’s Day Crafts
    • Thanksgiving Crafts
    • Valentine’s Day Crafts
  • Seasonal Crafts
    • Winter Crafts
    • Spring Crafts
    • Summer Crafts
    • Fall Crafts
Craft Tutorials | Recycled Crafts | Cardboard Tube Crafts for Kids | School of Cardboard Tube Fish
Cardboard Tube Crafts for Kids

School of Cardboard Tube Fish

Author by Amanda Davis on June 23, 2019 Updated on June 23, 2019

5 from 1 vote
You can easily make these adorable cardboard tube fish with the kids. A great way to recycle and make something fun at the same time.
Jump to Project
127 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • Email

You can easily make these adorable cardboard tube fish with the kids. A great way to recycle and make something fun at the same time.

Cardboard Tube School of Fish by @amandaformaro of Crafts by Amanda

 

Cardboard Tube School of Fish

I have a lot of cardboard tubes. Seriously, it’s become a standing joke around here that no one is allowed to throw out the cardboard tubes from the toilet paper or paper towels because I need them for craft projects! And see, if they were throwing them away I wouldn’t be showing you these cute cardboard tube fish you can make with the kids!

This cute project is great for a group of kids, like summer camp or a classroom. Be sure to pull out the smocks and have baby wipes handy for quick clean up.

What You’ll Need

  • 4-inch cardboard tubes
  • White craft glue
  • Paint: green, light blue, purple
  • Scissors
  • Self-adhesive gems
  • Large googly eyes


flatten the cardboard tubes

Flatten each cardboard tube. Line the inside with some glue and press them tight together with your hands. Place a heavy object on top of each one to help them stay closed while the glue takes hold.

paint the cardboard tubes

Paint each flattened tube, one blue, one green and one purple.

cut tubes as shown

Cut on a diagonal on each side (see photo) to create the head. Save the pieces you cut off for the tail.

Add the fish tail

Carefully open the back end of the fish and insert the two cut pieces creating the tail. Press back together.

Use scissors to trim out a mouth. Glue on eyes and decorate with self stick gems.

Cardboard Tube School of Fish by @amandaformaro of Crafts by Amanda

P.S. I use Craft Smart paint for most of my kid’s crafts. You can find it at Micheals or here on Amazon, it goes on nicely but costs a lot less than other paints.

More cardboard tube crafts

Looking for more? I’ve provided a few of my favorites below, but you can also find all my cardboard tube crafts here.

Cardboard Tube Birds
Cardboard Tube Beaker
Cardboard Tube Coiled Snakes
Cardboard Tube Minions
InLinkz.com


Print Project
5 from 1 vote

Cardboard Tube School of Fish

You can easily make these adorable cardboard tube fish with the kids. A great way to recycle and make something fun at the same time.
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Crafting Time2 hours hrs
Total Time2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Supplies

  • 3 4-inch cardboard tubes
  • White craft glue
  • Paint: green, light blue, purple
  • Scissors
  • Self adhesive gems
  • 3 large googly eyes

Instructions

  • Flatten each cardboard tube. Line the inside with some glue and press them tight together with your hands. Place a heavy object on top of each one to help them stay closed while the glue takes hold.
  • Paint each flattened tube, one blue, one green and one purple.
  • Cut on a diagonal on each side (see photo) to create the head. Save the pieces you cut off for the tail.
  • Carefully open the back end of the fish and insert the two cut pieces creating the tail. Press back together.
  • Use scissors to trim out a mouth. Glue on eyes and decorate with self stick gems.

This post originally appeared here on Apr 23, 2014.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Amanda Davis
Amanda Davis is the crafty, entrepreneurial mother of four children. She loves to bake, cook, make kid's crafts and create decorative items for her home. She is a crafting expert and guru in the kitchen and has appeared online and in print publications many times over the years.
Latest posts by Amanda Davis (see all)
  • Spring Scavenger Hunt - May 9, 2025
  • How to Make Lip Scrub - May 2, 2025
  • How to Make Lavender Soap - April 22, 2025
127 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • Email

Filed Under: Animal Crafts for Kids, Beach Crafts for Kids, Cardboard Tube Crafts for Kids, Earth Day Crafts, Easy Crafts for Kids Tagged With: beach, cardboard tubes, fish, holidays, kid's crafts, ocean, recycled

Reader Interactions

Free CraftsBy email every week

Latest crafts straight to your inbox!

Comments

  1. Dan R Morris says

    April 28, 2014 at 12:14 am

    Hey hey,

    Love Snap! When you get back to Milwaukee we’d love to see you at our Blogging Concentrated event in August. It’s our 2nd one there and will be awesome.

    Reply
    • Amanda Formaro says

      May 1, 2014 at 7:04 am

      Thanks Dan, I’ll look into it!

      Reply
  2. jet says

    April 24, 2014 at 10:38 am

    Hi Amanda
    i have made of your xmas tube trees in the xmas time.
    i used 3d paint for the snow effect and added some fake rihnstones.
    and hanged them on a garland which i had origamied folded, my sis was flabber gasthed.
    so i told her it was from you!;-D
    thank you for those funny tube tute of yours and the sharing.
    i love them;-D

    Reply
    • Amanda Formaro says

      May 1, 2014 at 7:07 am

      Thank you Jet! I’m so glad you enjoy the projects!! :)

      Reply
5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate This Project




The maximum upload file size: 640 MB. You can upload: image, video. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop files here

Primary Sidebar

Hi! I’m Amanda and I’m the founder and head designer of Crafts by Amanda. I have spent over 25 years creating projects to share, but it’s not just me anymore! It’s turned into a complete family affair. Come and meet the Creative Team!

Free CraftsBy email every week

Latest crafts straight to your inbox!

All Time Favorites

snowy pinecone candle jar luminaries

Winter Luminaries: Snowy Pinecone…

Make pretty winter luminaries that appear to be covered ... Go To project

Make this wonderful deco mesh pumpkin wreath to hang on your door this fall!

Deco Mesh Pumpkin Wreath…

Adorn your door this fall with a pretty deco mesh ... Go To project

Learn to make these adorable ladybug painted rocks. use special outdoor paint for this adorable garden craft so you can keep garden ladybugs all summer!

Ladybug Painted Rocks…

I'm going to show you how to make these adorable ... Go To project

Reuse those empty prescription pill bottles in all sorts of ways. From organizing to making cookies. Yes, cookies! See how to use your empty pill bottles!

20 Uses for Prescription Pill…

You've been collecting prescription pill bottles for ... Go To project

Meet the Family

Amanda

Founder and Designer

Kristen

Editorial Manager

Lindsay

Social Media Manager

As seen on:

Footer

Favorites

  • Jar Photo Frames
  • No-Sew Roman Shade
  • Paper Flowers
  • How to Make a Scrunchie
  • Mermaid Slime

About

  • Home
  • Meet the Creative Team
  • Work with Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility
  • Contact Us

Images/text copyright Amanda Formaro 2020. To feature a post from Crafts by Amanda, you may use one photo credited and linked back directly to the project post.

Free CraftsBy email every week

Latest crafts straight to your inbox!

Copyright ©2025, Crafts by Amanda. All Rights Reserved.
Design by Pixel Me Designs

Rate This Tutorial

Your vote:




To share a photo with your comment click here!

A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.