Making a Chinese New Year Dragon is a Fun Chinese New Year Craft for Kids

There is no better way to instill good morals and values in one's children or students than by experiencing a multitude of cultures and traditions. With the Chinese New Year on the way, one great activity for kids is to create Chinese New Year dragons. Contrary to Arthurian legend, in Asian lore dragons are wise and noble creatures. While creating your Chinese New Year dragon alongside your child or student, make sure to talk about the importance of understanding other people's differences and backgrounds.

Supplies needed:
Safety Scissors
Pencil
Child safe glue or adhesive
Brightly colored construction paper (red, white, blue, orange, purple)

Chinese New Year Dragon - The Head
Creating the head of a Chinese New Year dragon is fun and easy. Alongside your child or student, draw a large head shape onto one of the pieces of colored construction paper. Now proceed to carefully cut out the dragon's head from the construction paper

Chinese New Year Dragon head tip:
If your child or student isn't a very good drawer, or if one would like to create multiple dragons fast, then make all the Chinese New Year dragon parts ahead of time so that your child or student can trace them.

Chinese New Year Dragon - The Mouth

Next, we are going to make the mouth by using a different color construction paper to make teeth. When the teeth have been cut out, adhere them to the bottom from of the Chinese New Year dragon.

Chinese New Year Dragon mouth tip:
Keeping the teeth connected together will make it easier to affix them to the dragon's head rather than cutting each tooth out individually and pasting them.

For those who wish their dragon to be menacing, draw and cut out a blast of fire, to be affixed from the bottom back of the Chinese New Year dragon.

Chinese New Year Dragon -- The Beard
Now we need to make a beard of the Chinese New Year dragon. There are a couple of different beards one could choose from. One could draw a swirly beard, or an evil mustache (or both!). After a design has been settled upon, attaché the beard from behind the bottom of the dragon's mount and the mustache on the front of it.

Chinese New Year Dragon - The Tail
Making the tail of your Chinese New Year dragon will take mere minutes. One will need to have two long thing pieces of different colored construction paper. Form a ninety degree angle between the two pieces of colored construction paper so that an "L" is formed. Glue the end in place, and begin to criss cross the paper so that they overlap upon each other. Glue the other end when finished, and then glue the tail to the head.

You now have a Chinese New Year dragon!

Did you enjoy this article? You may like:
President's Day Pages and Printables for Kids
Free Mardi Gras Ecards Mardi Gras Party Invitations, and Mardi Gras Greeting Cards
Why Homework is Essential in High School, College, and Your Career

Sources:
"Chinese New Year - Make a Chinese Dragon ", topmarks.co.uk. Retrieved January 29, 2010 from http://www.topmarks.co.uk/chinesenewyear/ChineseDragon.aspx
"Chinese New Year - Make a Chinese Dragon (Part 2)", topmarks.co.uk. Retrieved January 29, 2010 from http://www.topmarks.co.uk/chinesenewyear/ChineseDragon2.aspx