Children can greatly benefit from the Chinese New Year celebrations that this Dragon Puppet provides.
Chinese New Year Specialties for youngsters are a portion of our #1 occasion makes. Sharing these cultures with our children makes our hearts happy because they are so colorful and full of tradition.
CELEBRATING CHINESE NEW YEAR
One of our favorite things to do with the kids to mark Chinese New Year is to celebrate. Languages, beliefs, and customs from different cultures are shared during other cultural celebrations like Chinese New Year.
We think it’s important for our kids to try to learn from other cultures’ celebrations rather than participating in them.
WHAT DOES THE CHINESE DRAGON SYMBOLIZE?
The dragon plays a significant role in Chinese culture as a symbol. Dragons first made an appearance in ancient mythology. Where they were accepted to represent control over the water, precipitation, and all water-based climate frameworks. They are a modern symbol of strength, power, and luck.
DRAGON CRAFT
We thought it would be nice to make our own dragon craft because the dragon is at the center of the Chinese New Year celebration.
We hope you find this dragon craft to be as enjoyable to make as we have. This is without a doubt one of our favorite easy paper crafts!
SUPPLIES NEEDED TO MAKE THIS DRAGON PUPPET
- Chinese Dragon Puppet Printable (Below)
- Crepe Paper (Red, Orange, Yellow)
- Two paper straws or popsicle sticks
- Markers or crayons for coloring
- Markers or crayons for coloring
- Tape
- Ruler
HOW TO MAKE A DRAGON PUPPET
Print Chinese Dragon Puppet Printable
Have the children color the dragon. Encourage them to take their time and color in all the different details of the dragon
Cut out both the dragon head and tail. If they are not as strong with their scissor skills, then they can cut around the head with extra white. You can also cut them out for them.
Cut 3 -12 inch piece of crepe paper.
Lightly fold the crepe paper in half. Fold in half again. Then fold in half once more till the paper is approximately 1-2 inches in length.
Cut each piece of crepe paper in half lengthwise.
You will now have a 6 – 12 inch piece of crepe paper.
For the body of the dragon, stack three-piece of crepe paper on top of each other.
Fold into an accordion shape approximately a half-inch wide.
Turn dragon head and body over.
Tape the ends of the three pieces of accordion crepe paper to the backside of the head.
Tape the other end of the accordion crepe paper the other to the backside of the tail.
Cut the extra 3 pieces of crepe paper in half lengthwise and then again lengthwise, so they are 3 inches approximately in length.
Cut the edges of these smaller pieces to create fringe.
Tape those pieces to the back of the dragon to hang off the bottom.
Tape one straw or popsicle stick to the head and one to the tail with enough hanging off for the kids to grab.
DRAGON PUPPET FAQS
Here are a few questions you might be thinking about now that you’ve started this project
There are definitely ways to make this easy for smaller children. Simply cut the dragon puppets out for those children and let them color. Also, just cutting out the head of the dragon allows them to color and you can attach a popsicle stick or straw to it.
Dragons are symbols of power, strength, and good luck.
You can color your dragon any color you choose. In the past, the color of the dragon was determined by the dynasty. Red is a symbol of good fortune and the reason many of the dragons are red throughout the Chinese New Year celebrations.
CHINESE DRAGON PUPPET
Looking for fun way to Chinese New Year Craft to celebrate the Lunar Calendar, this Chinese Dragon Puppet is just the thing.
MATERIALS
- Chinese Dragon Puppet Printable
- Crepe Paper (Red, Orange, Yellow)
- Two paper straws or Popsicle sticks
- Markers for coloring
- Tape
TOOLS
- Scissors
- Ruler (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
Print Chinese Dragon Puppet Printable
Have the children color the dragon. Encourage them to take their time and coloring in all the different details of the dragon
Cut out both the dragon head and tail. If they are not as strong with their scissor skills, then they can cut around the head with extra white. You can also cut them out for them.
Cut 3 -12 inch piece of crepe paper.
Lightly fold the crepe paper in half. Fold in half again. Then fold in half once more till the paper is approximately an 1-2 inches in length
Cut each piece of crepe paper in half lengthwise.
You will now have 6 – 12 inch piece of crepe paper.
For the body of the dragon, stack three piece of crepe paper on top of each other.
Fold into an accordion shape approximately a half inch wide.
Turn dragon head and body over.
Tape the ends of the three pieces of accordion crepe paper to the back side of the head.
Tape the other end of the accordion crepe paper the other to the back side of the tail.
Cut the extra 3 pieces of crepe paper in half lengthwise and then again lengthwise, so they are 3 inches approximately in length.
Cut the edges of these smaller pieces to create fringe.
Tape those piece to the back of the dragon to hang off the bottom.
Tape one straw or popsicle stick to the head and one to the tail with enough hanging off for the kids to grab.
Now its time to let the kids play
