Lunar New Year Lantern Wreath Craft for Kids
Wreaths are crafts that you can make all year long. And this easy to make Lunar New Year wreath can be loads of fun for kids.
You have a fun paper plate wreath with lanterns that kids can make and then place around the wreath.
You can talk about lanterns as a of the Lunar New Year.
We have included links to some of the products and resources we have used with this activity. If you purchase via the links we may earn a small commission.
This is a great addition to the wreath crafts on the site.
Why Are Lanterns A Part of the Lunar New Year?
The lanterns can symbolize the people letting go of their past selves and getting a new self or just letting go of one year as they head to the next year.
A Fun Lunar New Year Lantern Book to Read
A fun book that kids can read is Playing with Lanterns. It is a fun book about kids and laterns at their village. It is a great look in to the Lunar New year as well.
It show so many different lanterns that kids might see. And it is free in Kindle unlimited. And there is a sample you can check out of the book as well.
What we used to make the Lunar New Year Wreath Craft
How we made the Lunar New Year Wreath Craft
You will see all the steps below we did to make the wreath.
Dot Marker the Paper Plate
You want to start by using the dot marker on the paper plate. We start this first so it has time to dry.
You can see we are using the center of the paper plate to keep from getting the dot marker on the table.
You can see how great the paper plate looks as it is finished. We used gold dot marker that has a slight glitter in it. You can’t see it in the picture, but it shimmers a little bit.
Punch Out Red Circles
Next you punch out the circles. This can be done in advance or let kids punch them out.
When possible, let kids punch the circles. It is great for a sensory activity to push the lever and see the circle afterward.
You can see how the circle looks at we did the punch. We used a 1 and half inch circle.
You could use a bigger circle if wanted.
Draw Yellow Lines on the Red Circles
The next step is to draw on the yellow lines on the circles. Now this will vary in how kids can do it. Just remember they can be flexible in their lines. We did four lines on each lantern.
And if the lines are straight that is great. If the lines are all different directions that is great! Give directions on what they are doing but let them be creative with it.
One reason we used cardstock and not construction paper is that it holds up better when coloring on it.
Cut the Gold Strips
You want to take the gold strips and cut them into small pieces. You want them about the size of the top of the circle.
You could do this in advance, but it is great fine motor practice for kids to cut them.
Glue the Top and Bottom of the Lantern
After you have the gold strips cut up, you want to glue them onto the red circles you made. You can use any glue you want. We used clear glue.
But if we were to make this lantern wreath again, we would use a glue stick instead.
Glue the Lanterns of the Paper Plate
Finally, you glue your lanterns on the wreath. You can see we put them around the wreath in different formations. You can fill the wreath or do a few of the lanterns.
Final look at our Lunar New Year Wreath Craft
More Lunar New Year and Chinese New Years Activities For Kids
Watercolor Lanterns for Chinese New Year is a simple watercolor craft you can make with kids for the Lunar New Year.
No-Prep Chinese New Year Weekly Packs has weekly packs with a Chinese new year theme. They have PreK, Kindergarten, First Grade, Second Grade, Third Grade, and Fourth Grade. You will find 4 pages of printables for each day. They have a mix of math and language activities.
Chinese New Year Letter Easy Reader Book has 8 pages with beginning sound of themes from the Chinese New Year.
Chinese New Year Dot the Number & Count: Lantern is a great counting printable with dot marker numbers and dot marker counting on a lantern in color and black and white.
Chinese New Year Zodiac Animals Easy Reader Book is a simple book with the animals from the Chinese Zodiac with tracing for the animal name in the book.
Chinese New Year Addition Puzzles are a great hands-on addition printable you can use with kids.
Check out all the fun Lunar New Year Printables & Activities on 3 Dinosaurs.
Cassie – 3Dinosaurs.com