STREAM Activity: Lunar New Year Dragon Puppet
Happy Lunar New Year!
Activity best for children ages 4 and up
Lunar New Year, celebrated by various cultures, marks the beginning of the lunar calendar. This holiday is significant and varies across countries like China, Vietnam, Korea, and others, with common themes of family reunion, honoring ancestors, and more. Today we will be making a Lunar New Year Dragon Puppet. This dragon, typically crafted with colorful materials, embodies the traditional Chinese dragon, which is a symbol of good luck and prosperity. Now let’s gather our materials and get crafting!
Materials:
Glue
Scissors
Red construction paper
Two other colors of construction paper (felt also works)
Black marker
2 popsicle sticks
Guiding Questions:
What are some of the key traditions and customs that your family celebrates?
The Lunar New Year celebration promotes a sense of community. How do you promote your community?
Directions
Step 1
Start by gathering your materials for your dragon puppet.
Step 2
Next, we will grab our red construction paper and fold it back and forth like an accordion.
Step 3
Once our entire paper is folded like an accordion, we will draw half circles on the paper with a black marker. These will be our dragon’s scales.
Step 4
Now that we have our dragon’s body, we will draw the frills on the side of their heads. Once it’s drawn, cut it out.
Step 5
Our dragon will also need a tail! Draw the tail on red construction paper or felt and cut it out.
Step 6
Now that we have our tail and frills cut out, we will glue them to the body.
Step 7
Our dragon needs a face! Let’s create the head. We will draw a head shape, eyes, and lips on our construction paper or felt. Then we will cut it out.
Step 8
Our final step is to give our dragon some movement! Grab two popsicle sticks and glue then to both ends of the dragon. One at its head and the other at its tail.
Step 9
Now, our dragon is ready to soar to new heights! Where will you fly your dragon?
Grown Ups- Are you looking for more ways to extend your child’s learning? Check out these extension activities to build upon today’s STREAM activity!
Reading Connections
A Big Mooncake for a Little Star by Grace Lin
The book explores the phases of the moon and engages art activities as well as science lessons on moon cycles and the reason behind the moon’s phases.
Share your Lunar New Year Dragon Puppet with us on Instagram by tagging @sdcdm320!
Questions about this activity? Email education@sdcdm.org
