You’re going to love the ease of this Paper Tube Leprechaun Hat Craft. It’s the perfect sensory and fine motor activity for early and preschool learners.

This little leprechaun hat is inspired by the St. Patrick’s Day’s holiday. It’s easy to make and includes all the colors and golden goodness a lucky child could ask for.

This post was originally published on 3/5/15 and updated 2/27/20.

This paper tube craft is so simple and cute. It’s a hit with the kids because of the bright colors and the fun feel. Plus, who doesn’t love to think about the magic of leprechauns?

We love to craft in our house on a daily basis if possible. When the St. Patrick holiday is coming up, our ideas and activities shift towards fun St. Patrick’s Day ideas that we can easily do together as a family.

The great part about this craft is that it doesn’t take long to do and it’s one that the kids can really have fun with and experiment to make their own.

If you’re looking for a weeknight or weekend craft that anyone can easily do, make certain to have this Leprechaun Hat Craft on your calendar!

Paper Tube Leprechaun Hat Craft

Like any craft, make certain that you’re there to help. While the majority of this craft is simple and easy to make, adult supervision is something that always needs to happen.

Using Toilet Tubs for Crafts

When the last of the toilet paper runs out, don’t throw that toilet paper tube in the trash! Instead, use it to make some adorable and simple DIY crafts. This Leprechaun Hat Craft is just one of the great options you can do, but some other simple ideas are:

As you can see, there are a lot of great toilet paper roll crafts that you and your child can easily do!

What is a fringe cutter?

While this craft calls for the use of a fringe cutter, it’s not a make or break situation. A fringe cutter is a 5-bladed tool that can easily cut and make “fringe” in one step. However, you can easily get this same look with scissors or an Exacto knife as well.

Who should you give this Paper Tube Leprechaun Hat Craft to?

Your child can keep this fun St. Paddy’s Day craft or they can give it to anyone that they want. It’s a fun gift and makes a super cute decoration so anyone would be happy to have and showcase this in their home.

What age is this Leprechaun Hat Craft good for?

As long as there is adult supervision, preschool-aged children and above can easily make this craft. It’s a lot of fun for younger kids because it really gets them excited about the holiday and it’s great for older kids as well because it gives them the independence to create and craft on their own.

Are you ready to learn how to make this fun DIY craft? Follow the simple steps below!

Paper Tube Leprechaun Hat Craft – Materials:

Fringe Cutter (or you can use scissors or an exacto knife)
Various colored tissue paper
Green cardstock or construction paper
Black cardstock or construction paper
Toilet tube
Glue
Special gold paper
Scissors
Ribbon or string

How to make this Toilet Tube Leprechaun Hat Craft:

Step 1. Using the fringe cutter, cut the colored tissue paper into 6″- 8″ long tassels, mine is 7″. Follow the directions the cutter came with for a perfect cut. Since you’re only using a small piece of fringe for this project only one sheet of each color is needed.

Alternatively, you could cut the fringe with an exacto knife at 1/2″ wide, or pick up a pair of hand shredding scissors – the scissors won’t make for very long fringes, but will still look nice.

Step 2. Cut your green cardstock to about 4″x 6″ enough to cover the tube. Glue small pieces (about 4 strands of tassel) to the bottom of the paper, don’t be afraid to overlap. Attach a piece of ribbon to the tube for hanging then wrap the green paper around the tube and staple it on.

Step 3. Cut a strip of black cardstock about 1″x 6″ for the hat band. The buckle is a 2″x 2″ golden paper square with two vertical cuts to slide the strip of black paper through.

Step 4. For the brim of the hat cut a 1″ circle from the green cardstock and then a 3″ circle around it. Using scissors, cut flaps on the inside 1″ circle, I made 10. Bend the flaps up and then slide the brim onto the tube.

Step 5. Attach the buckle to the tube just above the brim and voilà a lucky leprechaun hat!

See how fun and festive it is? It can be easily displayed on a hanger or a doorknob or just something that your child can easily carry around to show off his or her work, too.

Let your child carry it outside during a windy day and watch the papers on the bottom flutter in the wind! It’s like they’re carrying their own little windchime that doesn’t make any noise.

Have fun creating this fun St. Patrick’s Day craft together as a family! It’s so much fun to make!

PAPER TUBE LEPRECHAUN HAT CRAFT

This little leprechaun hat is inspired by the St. Patrick’s Day’s holiday. It’s easy to make and includes all the colors and golden goodness a lucky child could ask for.

Materials

Martha Stewart Fringe Cutter (or you can use scissors or an exacto knife)
Various colored tissue paper
Green cardstock or construction paper
Black cardstock or construction paper
Toilet tube
Glue
Special gold paper
Scissors
Ribbon or string

Instructions

Step 1. Using the fringe cutter, cut the colored tissue paper into 6″- 8″ long tassels, mine are 7″. Follow the directions the cutter came with for a perfect cut. Since you’re only using a small piece of fringe for this project only one sheet of each color is needed.

Step 3. Cut a strip of black cardstock about 1″x 6″ for the hat band. The buckle is a 2″x 2″ golden paper square with two vertical cuts to slide the strip of black paper through.

Step 4. For the brim of the hat cut a 1″ circle from the green cardstock and then a 3″ circle around it. Using scissors, cut flaps on the inside 1″ circle, I made 10. Bend the flaps up and then slide the brim onto the tube.

Step 5. Attach the buckle to the tube just above the brim and voilà a lucky leprechaun hat!

Take a look at more fun St. Patrick’s crafts here! Have fun crafting!

More fun St. Patrick’s Day crafts to consider:

John Lavelle is an artist and art teacher who loves working with all things paper – cardstock, cardboard, foam board, tissue paper, and of course toilet paper tubes. John graduated from the School of Visual Arts with a Bachelors’s degree in cartooning and earned his Masters’s degree in Art Education.

Over the past few years, John has been working with young individuals who have ASD, which constantly keeps him on his toes and who are the inspiration behind the creative projects he prepares for their daily art classes. You can follow his latest projects on Instagram and on his site, The Art Dream.

Agnes Hsu

Agnes Hsu is a mom of three and has been inspiring parents and kids to get creative with easy activities and family friendly recipes for over 10 years. She shares her love for creative play and kids food to her 2MM+ followers online. Agnes' commitment to playful learning and kindness has not only raised funds for charity but also earned features in prestigious nationwide publications.