Lunar New Year Art Projects and Book

Hello! Are you looking for some fun art projects to do during January? The Lunar New Year is coming up Wednesday, January 29, 2025 this year. I have a few fun art projects planned for some of my classes and I wanted to share with you these great ideas!

First, I’m going to read some of the classes this book: I Love Lunar New Year (Amazon Affiliate links used at no extra cost to you. Money earned goes towards maintaining this website and buying art supplies!)

Cover of "I Love Lunar New Year" by Eva Wong Nava and Xin Li. Features a child holding a dragon decoration against a festive red and gold background with lanterns.

Illustration of a grandmother and granddaughter interacting with a dragon and enjoying tangerines, capturing the vibrant colors and warm expressions of Chinese New Year festivities.

Two illustrated pages from a children's book depict a girl with adults engaging in art activities while decorating for the Lunar New Year and observing a dragon. The text beautifully describes traditions, the spirit of the Chinese New Year, and the boundless realm of the girl's imagination.

Dragon Art Puppet for Kids

I usually do a dragon project with my 3rd graders. They study Asia in their social studies class and this dragon “puppet” ties in perfectly.

Create a vibrant dragon craft perfect for Chinese New Year celebrations using paper strips and a drawn face, adorned with red and yellow streamers for limbs. This engaging art activity is sure to delight and inspire festive creativity.

I saw this project on a Facebook group several years ago. I apologize I cannot remember the name of the person who shared it. To make this dragon:

Draw a symmetrical dragon face. Fold a piece of card stock in half (portrait orientation). Draw your face on one half of the paper with black oil pastel. Fold it over and rub the back of the paper vigorously with the flat side of a marker to transfer the oil pastel to the other side. Outline in black marker. Color in your dragon face with crayons or markers.
Cut 12″x18″ paper lengthwise so it is 6″x 18″ long. Accordion fold this paper for the body. You can add embellishments with markers or construction paper crayons if you’d like.
Cut out the dragon tail template or draw your own. The free download is available here. Glue all of the body parts together.
Finally add folded and curled paper strips for the beard and streamers on the tail (and body) if you’d like.
Thick popsicle s ticks can be added to turn it into a puppet.

Spiral Snakes Craft

2025 is the year of the Snake! This easy project has been a staple in my art room for easy sub plans over the years. I use this with Kindergarten and since it’s the year of the snake I plan on using these fun spiral snakes again this year! This project comes from Tracy Nichols Art Room and she has the template on her TPT shop. It’s really a chance to practice coloring neatly, patterning and cutting skills.

A hand holds a vibrant paper spiral snake craft in orange, green, and red patterns, reminiscent of Chinese New Year decorations; an instructions sheet is visible in the background, making it a perfect choice for festive art activities.

Two paper snake spirals: one colored green and orange, the other black and white with instructions at the top, perfect for Lunar New Year art activities.

Moveable Snake Art Project

I saw these cute moveable snakes on Nic Hahn’s Instagram! I’m planning on doing this with my 1st graders!

Illustration of a green, accordion-style paper snake with red and yellow patterns, wavy edges, and a red tongue. Perfect for Lunar New Year art activities, this vibrant design brings cultural festivities to life with a touch of creativity.

Lunar New Year Word Search

If you are looking for a fun “extra” activity for your students to do when they are finished with their art projects, here is a Lunar New Year Word Search you might be interested in.