Chinese New Year Dragon Craft

About Chinese New Year

The Chinese New Year is celebrated each year in January or February. The date changes every year, because the Chinese calendar is based on the lunar cycle. This celebration is considered to be the most important holiday on the Chinese calendar. The celebration lasts for several days, and includes a variety of festivities, including fireworks displays, parades, feasts, family reunions, and the traditional Lantern Festival event.

Dragons play a major role in Chinese New Year celebrations. For example, the highlight of the big Lantern Festival event is often the traditional Dragon Dance. The dance involves numerous young men holding up parts of a large dragon crafted from a combination of bamboo, silk, and paper as they dance through the seats.

Chinese New Year Dragon Crafts for Kids

The Dragon Dance

• If your kids and their friends would enjoy putting on their very own Dragon Dance parade, you'll be thrilled to find detailed instructions for how they can create their very own super sized Chinese New Year dragon craft project with a few basic supplies and a little help from you. This Chinese parade dragon project is perfect for a scout troop, elementary school class, or any group of youngsters who spend quite a bit of time together.

• Kids will enjoy creating this dancing dragon toy, which is a small replica of the giant dragon puppets used in many Lantern Festival celebrations. This easy to make craft is fun for kids to make, and provides an excellent opportunity for parents to teach their kids about the traditional Chinese New Year Dragon Dance. Kids will enjoy playing with the finished craft, and it can also be used as a decorative element in your home during the Chinese New Year.

• Youngsters who enjoy coloring will be thrilled with these Chinese New Year coloring pages. Kids will enjoy coloring the many different types of dragon designs and can even create their own greeting cards with their completed artwork.

• Elementary school children will enjoy creating these unique Chinese dragon cutout crafts. They are fun and easy to make, and make terrific additions to the family refrigerator during the Chinese New Year celebration.

Crafty Ideas for Grownups

• Your friends will be thrilled to receive a Happy Chinese New Year e-greeting from you. Select your favorite dragon greeting and send it to everyone in your email contacts list. You just might start a new tradition!

• Grownups often like to express their creativity in the kitchen. Fortunately, food is a big part of Chinese New Year celebrations. See Food Network's Holiday Fortune Cooking page for great traditional and modern Chinese New Year recipe ideas. You can also find appropriate and delicious recipe ideas for this holiday on the BBC Food News and Events page. Keep in mind that if your kids have been busy creating crafts in honor of the occasion, they might be open to trying new recipes tied to Chinese New Year traditions.

Educational Benefits of Chinese New Year Dragon Craft Projects

It's a great idea to encourage youngsters of all ages to develop a solid understanding of the holidays celebrated by people of cultures and backgrounds. One of the best ways for children to learn about cultural traditions around the world is to participate in creating crafts that help them understand the symbols and festivities.

Not only do arts and crafts projects help kids discover and cultivate their own artistic abilities, they can also enable children to develop a deeper understanding of the world in which they live by learning about the traditions of other cultural groups.