3 Easy Chinese New Year Craft Activities For Kids 2022
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3 Easy Chinese New Year Craft Activities For Kids 2022

Get ready for the Lunar New Year with Clare Buswell’s easy-to-make papercraft decorations and accessories. These trio of projects are the perfect Chinese New Year crafts for kids!

Zoe Williams

Published: January 27, 2022 at 12:30 pm

Lunar New Year marks the start of the traditional Lunar calendar. Get children creating to celebrate with three easy papercraft projects to try at home. This year, the event will fall on the 1st February 2022, heralding the new year of the tiger.

Festivities continue for 16 days until the Lantern Festival on February 15th, 2021. In this post, we'll show you 3 crafty Chinese New year crafts for kids to try. We think grown-ups will enjoy crafting them too!

First up, we'll show you how to make your own Lunar New Year Decorations with simple DIY lanterns. Once you've mastered those, why not have a go at making easy paper envelopes? Finally we'll show you how to make papercraft fortune cookies, step by step.

You don't need any expensive supplies to make any of these projects; just some papers and a few craft basics.

We've used a Trimcraft Paper pad but you could use any floral or plain papers from your craft stash. We've got lots of free patterned papers for you to download here on Gathered, ready to turn into Chinese New Year crafts!

These easy crafts will work for a wide range of ages – whether you're looking for Chinese New Year EYFS activities for homeschool or teenage craft ideas.

If you like this, you might also enjoy our 50 craft ideas for kids to make at home, or our Paper crafts for kids round-up. We've also got craft ideas for toddlers and craft ideas for teenagers. But now it's time for our trio of Chinese New Year crafts for kids, enjoy!

Lunar New Year crafts for kids

How to make simple Chinese New Year Decorations – DIY Lanterns

Our first Chinese New Year craft for kids is these gorgeous paper lanterns. Decorate your home with colourful lanterns to celebrate the New Year. Plus they're so simple to make!

You will need:

  • Patterned papers
  • Hot glue gun
  • Bone folder (Optional)
  • Stapler
  • Ruler
  • Pair of compasses
  • Paper clips
  • Mini pegs

Paper Lantern tutorial

Step 1

Score and fold a 260x180mm piece of patterned paper in half horizontally. Draw 60mm lines from the folded edge towards the open edge, spacing them 20mm apart. Cut along the marked lines.

Step 2

Unfold the paper. Apply a piece of double-sided tape along one side and attach to the other side to create a tube. Secure the top and bottom of the lantern using
a stapler. Wrap two 260x20mm pieces of contrasting patterned paper around the top and bottom of the lantern and secure in place.

Step 3

For the handle, attach one end of a 260x25mm piece of patterned paper inside the top of the lantern. Secure the other end on the opposite side. Attach two 260x30mm pieces of patterned paper inside the top and bottom of the lantern to finish. Paper lantern complete!

DIY Paper Fortune cookies

Create paper versions of these sugary treats, complete with your own messages. This sweet make is topping our must-make list of Chinese New Year activities for kids as it’s a two part treat – show your kids how to make them but keep the messages a surprise for a big reveal at the end.

Chinese New year activities for kids DIY fortune cookies

Step one

Search online for “fortune cookie printable messages", pick your favourites and then print them or copy them onto white paper and trim into narrow strips. Use a pair of compasses to draw 100mm circles onto patterned papers and cut out.

Step two

Fold a circle in half without creasing the fold line. Holding the rounded edge of the folded semicircle in one hand, carefully  slide the fortune strip into the opening on the side. Then press your finger into the centre of the straight edge and pull the sides inwards to meet each other.

Step three

Secure the folded sides of your fortune cookie together with a hot glue gun. Use a paper clip or mini peg to hold in place while the glue sets. Repeat to make several fortune cookies with different patterned papers.

How to make your own Money wallet

This Chinese New Year craft for kids will teach them about the ancient tradition of handing relatives money for the New Year. Present money or vouchers for friends and family in a traditional red envelope and get your kids to decorate there’s however they like. 

Chinese new year crafts 2021 paper envelopes

Step one

Open out an old C6 envelope to use as a template (or you can find these to download online, for example this one from Gathering Beauty). Trace the envelope template onto red patterned paper and cut out. Score along the fold lines and then crease with a bone folder.

Step two

For the insert, trace the top and central parts of the envelope template onto contrasting patterned paper. Carefully cut the template out, trimming slightly inside the marked lines. Attach to the reverse side of the envelope.

Step three

Fold and glue the sides together to assemble the envelope. Wrap a 25x225mm piece of contrasting patterned paper around the envelope and secure. Trim a butterfly from patterned paper and attach to the wrap to finish. If you’re not confident of your butterfly drawing skills, you can use a Butterfly Paper Punch for this bit.

We hope you and your little ones have enjoyed our Chinese New Year crafts for kids. For more lantern tips, check out our video guide and template to learn how to make traditional Chinese New Year paper lanterns for grown ups. We also have more projects to celebrate a range of holidays. Check out our Hanukkah crafts for kids to make and our easy Diwali kids craft ideas.

Zoe Williams

Launch Editor, Gathered.how

Zoe launched Gathered.how as editor in 2019. A keen crafter, quilter and sewist, she has worked with the UK’s best-selling craft magazines – from Today’s Quilter to Love Patchwork & Quilting, Simply Sewing and The World of Cross Stitching. With over a decade of craft publishing experience under her belt, she loves crafting with her kids and curling up on the sofa with a spot of hand patchwork. Zoe has previously written for radiotimes.com, Simply Knitting and The World of Cross Stitching and was previously Deputy Editor of Papercraft inspirations magazine. She has guest-lectured at Bath Spa University. She’s a keen quilter with 5 projects in progress at any one time and another 12 or so planned. Specialist skills include hand modelling for YouTube craft tutorials and fabric foraging (she has an inbuilt radar for local haberdasheries and community craft gatherings).
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