Celebrate Lunar New Year with this creative Chinese New Year Dragon Craft! It’s a fun and easy-to-make toilet paper roll craft perfect for using up discarded tissue paper rolls AND, of course, perfect for a colorful celebration!
Kids love bright colored crafts and this fun Chinese New Year Dragon craft will surely fit the bill!
It’s an easy recycling craft using discarded toilet paper rolls and a few other simple supplies that can be interchanged to let kids get creative and use their imaginations.
Simply follow the easy step-by-step instructions.
As a symbol of China, the dragon is an important part of Chinese culture symbolizing wisdom, power and wealth. And, they’re considered to be good luck!
The dragon is represented in Chinese New Year celebrations via the Dragon Dance, which can be traced all the way back to the Han Dynasty of 206 BC – 220 AD. Dancers wear a traditional costumes and look like a moving dragon when they all move together.
This dragon craft is made of jointed parts that move thanks to metal brads – simulating the motion of the dragon dance. It can also be used as a puppet.
This fun dragon craft is also a great opportunity to teach the kiddos about the Chinese New Year!
Fun Facts About Chinese New Year
The Chinese New Year (also known as the lunar new year) is one of the most important holidays celebrated in China.
For 2021, the holiday will begin on February 12th (the new moon) and last about 15 days or until the full moon arrives with the Festival of Lanterns.
Around 1912, China began using the Western calendar (our typical calendar) and recognize New Year’s Day as January 1st however they, and others, still celebrate Chinese New Year.
So, as you can see, it’s the perfect time to make this fun dragon craft!
For even more fun, be sure and check these other Chinese New Year activities!
FUN WORD SEARCH PUZZLE:
This FREE Printable Chinese New Year Word Search Puzzle features 24 words related to the holiday such as ancestors, fortune, lantern, and more.
It’s a great addition to the classroom or homeschool curriculum to help kids review and understand these words and support discussion about how they play a part in the celebration.
DIY FORTUNE COOKIES:
Why not make these fun Fruit Roll-Up Fortune Cookies for the kids to snack on while working on the dragon or doing the word search?
LUCKY RED ENVELOPES:
Make your own DIY lucky red envelopes for giving gifts of money to celebrate the new year.
You can make as many fortune cookies as you want! Then create your own messages – whether they be fortunes, riddles, or encouraging messages to tuck inside.
I know you will love the puzzles and fortune cookies, but for now, let’s get back to this fabulously creative Chinese New Year Dragon Craft!
Chinese New Year Dragon Craft
Materials needed:
2 paper towel-sized cardboard tubes, cut into thirds
Red paint (I used tempra but acrylic would also work)
Paintbrush
6 to 8 brads, depending on chosen length
Colorful paper flowers
2 wiggle googly eyes
2 small red buttons
Glue or glue dots (I used glue dots)
Gold ribbon
Scissors
2 craft sticks, if making as a puppet
Paper FlowersRed Tempera PaintGoogly EyesBrads / Paper FastenersGlue DotsCraft Sticks
How to make this cute Chinese New Year Dragon Craft:
1. Cut large cardboard tubes into three equal pieces (about 3 inches long.) Depending on your desired length, you can use four to five of these pieces.
2. From the sixth tube, cut a piece about 2 inches wide. Fold the piece and cut a curve from one side so it will rest on another tube to form the head of the dragon. Glue this piece towards one side of a cardboard tube. On the opposite side, cut a curve so the body will fit together and have room to move.
3. On each of the other tubes, cut a curve in each side so that the body will have room to move when they are attached. Punch a hole in each pointed side created by removing a curve.
4. Paint cardboard tubes with red paint and allow them to dry completely.
5. Once dry, decorate the head using the paper flowers, buttons, and eyes.
6. To create the golden flames from the mouth, cut lengths of ribbon and attach them together before gluing to the inside of the dragon’s mouth.
7. Connect the body pieces using brads.
8. To make a puppet, use scissors or a craft knife to pierce a small slice on the bottom of the head and the last piece of the body. Poke a popsicle stick into each hole.
Print this cute Chinese New Year Dragon Craft!
Chinese New Year Dragon Craft
If you are looking for a totally adorable craft then look no further than this creative Chinese New Year Dragon Craft! It is an easy-to-make toilet paper roll craft perfect for using up discarded tissue paper rolls AND, of course, perfect for celebrating the Chinese New Year!
Materials
- 2 paper towel-sized cardboard tubes, cut into thirds
- Red paint (I used tempra but acrylic would also work)
- Paintbrush
- 6 to 8 brads, depending on chosen length
- Colorful paper flowers
- 2 wiggly eyes
- 2 small red buttons
- Glue or glue dots (I used glue dots)
- Gold ribbon
- Scissors
- 2 popsicle sticks, if making as a puppet
Instructions
- Cut large cardboard tubes into three equal pieces (about 3 inches long.) Depending on your desired length, you can use four to five of these pieces.
- From the sixth tube, cut a piece about 2 inches wide. Fold the piece and cut a curve from one side so it will rest on another tube to form the head of the dragon. Glue this piece towards one side of a cardboard tube. On the opposite side, cut a curve so the body will fit together and have room to move.
- On each of the other tubes, cut a curve in each side so that the body will have room to move when they are attached. Punch a hole in each pointed side created by removing a curve.
- Paint cardboard tubes with red paint and allow them to dry completely.
- Once dry, decorate the head using the paper flowers, buttons, and eyes.
- To create the golden flames from the mouth, cut lengths of ribbon and attach them together before gluing to the inside of the dragon’s mouth.
- Connect the body pieces using brads.
- To make a puppet, use scissors or a craft knife to pierce a small slice on the bottom of the head and the last piece of the body. Poke a popsicle stick into each hole.
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Marisela Zuniga says
this is a really cute idea
Antoinette M says
This looks very cool. What a fun craft!
John Smith says
The paper flowers are very effective and I like the buttons on the nose!