Kids Craft: Chinese New Year Dragon Puppet

Chinese New Year Dragon Puppet - Mypoppet.com.au

Have some fun this Chinese New Year and make a colourful dragon puppet to celebrate this vibrant festival.

Kids of all ages will love painting the dragon in bright colours – a red dragon red is especially lucky.
So easy to make with paper plates, an egg carton and some other basic craft items you probably already have at home.

If you’ve ever been lucky enough to experience a Chinese Dragon procession, you’ll know it’s quite the exciting spectacle.

I fondly remember the excitement of seeing Melbourne’s iconic Chinese Dragon as a child. Dancing its way along the Moomba parade route with all the noise of the fire crackers and smell of gunpowder.

I’ve added streamers to this Chinese dragon puppet to capture that same excitement and swirling colour as children  dance around with their puppet.

If you are making this Chinese New Year craft activity with several kids or a school classroom art project, you may like to have a dragon parade with all the finished dragon puppets to celebrate Chinese New Year.

You may also enjoy this other Chinese New Year Craft idea – Chinese New Year Paper Cut Bookmark

You will need:

  • 2 paper plates
  • egg carton base
  • stapler
  • glue
  • acrylic paint
  • paintbrushes
  • feathers and streamers

How to make a dragon puppet supplies

How to make a paper plate dragon puppet:

1. Gather your supplies

2. Cut one plate in half and fold the other in half as pictured.

3. Cut the end of the egg carton off, these will be the eyes.

4. Staple the plate edges together around the edges and glue or staple egg carton section on top.

How to make a dragon puppet steps

5. Paint brightly in your favourite colours.

6. When dry, glue on feathers and streamers behind the eyes.

Dragon puppet side botton and top view

Chinese dragon puppet fnished

Time to have some fun.
Here is some behind the scenes action of Emma’s puppet making style.

Chinese New Year Dragon Puppet Kids Craft - Mypoppet.com.au

Chinese New Year Dragon Puppet Kids Craft - Mypoppet.com.au

Chinese New Year Dragon Puppet Kids Craft - Mypoppet.com.au

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Chinese New Year Dragon Puppet Kids Craft - Mypoppet.com.au

Revised post – Originally published Jan 2012

7 Comments

  • Cat from Raspberry Rainbow says:

    This is fabulous! I wish I had thought of some thing like this last week when my 5 year old needed a dragon costume for kinder (we live in Hong Kong), so Dragons everywhere now! Luckily she had a dinosaur-like-but-passed as a dragon jacket to wear over her Chinese dress.

  • A Spoonful Of Sugar says:

    Love your dragon puppet – what a fun project! We spent Chinese New Year in Shanghai – it was such an amazing celebration for the year of the dragon.

  • emilylovesbagpuss says:

    This is Fantastic. My wee one is doing China at school here in the UK. Think I may give this a go with him when he gets home…something cool for show and tell!

  • jet says:

    like the dragon very much, he is cool.
    I will send a link to my sis she is a school teacher.
    thank you for the great simple how to, and the sharing. XO’s

  • Kate Lloyd says:

    Absolutely adorable. My little girl would love to make this.

  • Melissa says:

    Love the dragon and Chinese New Year.

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