With Chinese New Year around the corner, it’s the perfect time to dive into some colorful crafts with your kids. This year, let’s celebrate with an easy, fun, and dragon-themed activity that’s sure to bring smiles and good fortune.
Since this Chinese New Year brings in the Year of the Dragon, let’s make our own Egg Carton Dragon craft!
Why Dragons?
Dragons are symbols of power, strength, and good luck in Chinese culture, especially during New Year celebrations.
During Chinese New Year, dragons take center stage in various festivities, embodying the spirit of growth, prosperity, and auspiciousness.
The dragon dance, a highlight of the celebrations, is performed with a team manipulating a long, flexible figure of a dragon using poles positioned at regular intervals along the length of the dragon. The dance is believed to bring good luck and drive away evil spirits.
Unlike Western dragons, which are often seen as malevolent, Chinese dragons are benevolent and signify wisdom, power, and wealth.
Creating a dragon craft taps into this rich cultural emblem, allowing children not only to enjoy the artistic process but also to connect with the deeper meanings and traditions of Chinese New Year, instilling a sense of cultural appreciation and wonder.
As we usher in the Year of the Dragon, what better way to connect with these cultural festivities than by creating your very own Chinese dragons at home?
Related: 14 Chinese New Year Facts for Kids That Are Fascinating And Fun
This craft isn’t just an artistic endeavor; it’s a doorway to discussing and celebrating Chinese culture’s rich traditions and stories with your little ones.
Materials Needed
Before we get started, let’s make sure we have everything needed for our fiery friend.
You can complete this eco-friendly craft using materials you likely already have at home! Our Egg Carton Dragon project is all about turning the ordinary into something extraordinary.
Start with an old egg carton, a staple in recycling crafts, and give it new life with some paint and creativity. Grab those leftover straws, construction paper scraps, and any spare googly eyes from previous projects.
Even the paint can be a mix of what you have on hand. This activity not only sparks joy and imagination in kids but also emphasizes the importance of reusing and recycling.
It’s a fun way to teach the value of sustainability, all while crafting a colorful symbol of Chinese culture. So, gather those recycled bits and bobs, and let’s create a magical dragon!
Not only is crafting a fantastic way to spend quality time with your children, but it also helps in developing their fine motor skills, boosting creativity, and enhancing their understanding of cultures and festivals.
This Egg Carton Dragon is ideal for home or school, allowing kids to work together or dive into their imagination solo.
Chinese New Year Egg Carton Dragon Craft
Get ready to unleash your child's creativity with this Egg Carton Dragon craft!
Perfect for celebrating Chinese New Year, this easy and enjoyable activity transforms everyday materials into a vibrant, mythical creature.
Kids will love painting, cutting, and assembling their own little dragon while enhancing their fine motor skills and learning about an important cultural symbol.
This craft is an excellent way for kids to participate in the festivities, especially as we welcome the Year of the Dragon! So grab your egg cartons, and let's create a fiery friend!
Materials
- Empty Egg cartons
- Red and orange paint (acrylic paint works great, you can also use kids washable paint)
- Paint brush
- Scissors
- Glue
- Thin wire or thread
- Straw
- Googly eyes
- Construction paper in suitable colors (red paper ,orange paper ,and yellow paper Black Marker or sharpie
Instructions
- Prepare the Dragon's Body: Cut the egg carton creating around 10 egg carton pieces. You can use more or less, to make a longer or shorter chinese dragon.
- Make small holes in each section of the dragons body.
and adjust the shape of each egg carton peice as needed. - Paint each piece with a vibrant mix of red and orange paint. Allow it to dry.
- Layer the body: Cut small strips of straw and attach them between the egg carton segments using thin wire, threading between the small holes in each piece of egg carton
- Continue until all pieces are threaded in this way
- Facial Features: Choose one segment of egg carton for the face. Cut a slightly bigger hole in this one, to give space to add the firey tongue
- Cut strips of the yellow, orange and red construction paper and glue them into this hole to create the fire breathing dragon effect
- Add googly eyes to the face
and cut two small paper triangles for horns. 
then add these in place 
- Colorful Scales: Cut small strips from the construction papers
and glue them onto the dragon's body for a fiery effect and to add the texture of the dragon scales - Attach the face to the body.
- Then, with a marker, draw two small dots for the dragon's nostrils.
- Your egg carton chinese dragon is complete
Whether you’re a crafty parent or someone looking for a simple activity, this egg carton dragon is a delightful project for the lunar new year. It’s manageable for younger kids while still engaging for the older ones, and the best part is that you likely have most materials at home already.
As the Chinese New Year approaches, creating an Egg Carton Dragon is more than just a craft; it’s creating a moment, a memory, and a new understanding of a vibrant culture. So gather your materials, round up the kids, and start crafting your way to a festive, fun-filled celebration!
More Chinese New Year Crafts and Activities
We hope you enjoyed this easy recycled Chinese dragon craft. Please go ahead and share this blog post with friends and family or on social media.
Keep crafting! There’s a whole world of Chinese New Year crafts and activities to explore, from paper lanterns to fortune cookies.
Keep the festive spirit alive and let creativity blossom throughout the Year of the Dragon!
- Paper Craft Fortune Cookies for Chinese New Year
- Recycled TP Roll Chinese Lanterns for Chinese New Year
- Paper Plate Chinese Lantern Craft for Chinese New Year
- How to Make Red Envelopes for Chinese New Year
- Chinese New Year Color By Number Pages (Free Printable)
- Chinese New Year Shaker
- 30 Best Chinese New Year Books for Kids
Why not pin our easy recycled Chinese New Year dragon craft on Pinterest? We appreciate your support!
2 thoughts on “Egg Carton Dragon Craft For Chinese New Year”