Fun With Elephant & Piggie: Cardboard Tube Elephant

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Elephant and Piggie taught my oldest daughter how to read.

Seriously.

They lit that spark that made her love reading. And, that spark gave her the motivation she needed to keep at it.

Now, even though she’s far past their reading level, she still loves to pick one up and giggle along with her old friends.

So, of course, we had to make our own version of this lovable duo, starting with this cardboard tube Elephant craft.

This cardboard tube Elephant craft inspired by the Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems is so much fun to make and to play with.

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Supplies Needed:

Empty cardboard tube (a toilet paper roll is the perfect size)
Small piece of thin cardboard (from a cracker or cereal box)
Gray craft paint
White craft paint
Paintbrushes
Scissors
White glue
Black permanent marker

This cardboard tube Elephant craft inspired by the Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems is so much fun to make and to play with.

How to make your cardboard tube Elephant

To begin, draw 2 ears and a trunk on your thin cardboard.

Elephant’s ears are curved on top and straight across on the bottom. They look like simple arched windows.

For the trunk, make a simple curved L shape.

This cardboard tube Elephant craft inspired by the Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems is so much fun to make and to play with.

Next, grab your paint and paint your cardboard tube, ears, and trunk with the gray paint.

Let everything dry.

You can read a couple of Elephant and Piggie books to pass the time!

This cardboard tube Elephant craft inspired by the Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems is so much fun to make and to play with.

Once everything dries, cut out the ears and the trunk.

This cardboard tube Elephant craft inspired by the Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems is so much fun to make and to play with.

Glue the short side of your trunk shape to your cardboard tube. Glue it about 1/3 of the way down from the top.

Use your white paint to make two circles for Elephant’s glasses.

While your white paint dries, glue your ears to the back of the tube. You’ll want at least half of each ear to stick out from the sides.

This cardboard tube Elephant craft inspired by the Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems is so much fun to make and to play with.

After everything is glued and your white paint is dry, add your details with a permanent marker. (I love Sharpies for this step.)

Trace the white circles and connect them in the middle. Add lines going toward each ear. Put a dot in the middle of each and you’ve got your glasses.

Put two little comma shapes over each eye for the eyebrows and make a simple half moon under the trunk for the mouth.

Elephant is done! And, now you’ve got a reading buddy to help you read all of your favorite Elephant and Piggie books.

Or, use your cardboard tube Elephant (and Piggie) as puppets to act out the books. It’s a great way to make reading even more fun than it already is!

This cardboard tube Elephant craft inspired by the Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems is so much fun to make and to play with.
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Terri Thompson

Terri is a writer and mom of two elementary-aged girls. She has a passion for learning and is always looking for ways to make learning fun. You can find her at Better Than Homework where she shares fun learning activities or Creative Family Fun where she shares art, craft, and family fun ideas.
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