Age group(s) for this birthday party activity:
Preschool and Younger
Elementary School
Middle School
High School & Beyond

Cost of birthday party activity:
depends upon the materials at hand/purchased

Birthday party planning information:
This is just the suggestion that a TP (toilet paper) tube is a time-honored vehicle for: cutely wrapping items ranging from candy to small nail polishes/lipsticks.

Paper can be grabbed from the office, and decorated with gel pens, markers, dot stickers, or stamps. It can be the comics from the Sunday paper, gift wrap (new or scrap). Flat-fold gift wrap is generally less expensive. Color is Key. Curling ribbon is a nice touch, and inexpensive; yarn or raffia works for tie-up, too. Pick up color cues from the occasion, the season, the color of your tableware/party goods.

Cut a piece of paper Wide enough to go around the roll, plus a bit to spare, and several inches Longer than the roll is.

Wrap that paper securely around the roll, fasten with tape; twist the extra paper at one end of the tube and tie on a bit of curling ribbon/yarn. Fill with items of your choosing; twist the paper at the opposite end of the tube, tie on 2nd piece of ribbon/yarn.

These can be excellent take-home party favors, as fancy or easy as you desire. Place in a pretty basket; you could tie balloons to them, of course. Or tie just one Red balloon to the basket, and place the basket near the door. (The red is a Reminder not to 4-get any departing guest's party favor!)

Other suggestions or comments:
If these are prepared for toddlers/children under 3, don't add: whistles, hard candy, tiny toys, or chewing gum; there are a variety of good chewable candies on the market. Kids (and pets) can wander off at parties and get into things they shouldn't, even if they are not handed to them directly. Consider siblings, too!

If all kidlets are old enough for all manner of treats, a "mixed bag" of pinata treats, sold at party stores or the party goods section of other stores, may work. Those are full of a variety of items, silly and cheap. (If you already had a pinata to whack to pieces, nix that and use somethin' else.) Some candies are good no matter what the age of the recipient.

Hair "scrunchies" can be poked into a tube. Beads can be bought in bulk, and lacing or other materials divided to make "kits" in snack-sized plastic bags, with instructions...and those can be inserted into tubes. Boys---would little toy cars fit in there, minus the packaging? Bandanas in wild prints. Think up age-appropriate, fun fillings, either connected to your Theme, seasonal, or just plain fun.