Giant Paper Lantern DIY Tutorial

Celebrate the Chinese New Year with this super fun and easy giant paper lantern DIY tutorial

These fun Paper Lantern DIY decorations are all kinds of fun and great for decoration during the Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is coming up in a few weeks. Creating crafts for the holiday is one or favorite activities to do with the kids.

Be sure to check out out our full list of Chinese New Year Crafts!

Paper lanterns are a prominent decoration throughout Chinese New Year celebrations.

Why are Chinese lanterns important?

Chinese people originally used paper lanterns to provide light and use them in their Buddhist worship. Today they are really only used for decoration, celebrations and some worship.

What do paper lanterns symbolize?

Paper lanterns symbolize a bright and happy future. The red symbolizes happiness and gold symbolizes wealth.

Chinese lanterns were originally made with red gauze. They are now made with paper. Lanterns were originally were believed to ward away evil spirits and so they were hung on the front door. They are now hung as part of celebrations and ceremonies.

How to celebrate Chinese New Year

In China, there are many large celebrations across the country. In the US, I know that most major cities have celebrations of their own. There are lots of paper lanterns, dragons dancing,and celebrations.

We celebrate in the children’s classrooms by making Chinese New Year crafts. As a family, we like to go out to a Chinese dinner too.

Items you need to make a giant lantern diy project

We are taking a Made with HAPPY spin on a traditional paper lantern with this giant paper lantern DIY.

How do you make this Chinese lantern?

Start by cutting the piece of yellow card stock into three strips of paper. The paper should be cut (vertical) along the smaller side. Each strip should be 11 inches long.

The first strip should be one inch in width. The second should be two inches, and the third strip should be three and a half inches width.

Making the handle of the lantern

We are starting with the middle strip, the 2 inch strip. Wrap the end together and make a ring.

Using the tape, tape the end to the ring to secure it in place.

Next, take the one inch strip of paper and tape one end to the inside of the ring. You are taping this perpendicular to the two inch ring.

Tape the other end of the one inch strip to the opposite side on the inside of the ring. This should look like a handle.

Making the bottom of the lantern

paper lantern top and a second paper circle

Grab the third strip of paper, the three and a half strip.

Create a ring with that strip the same way you did it for the two inch strip.

Putting the lantern together

paper lantern top with a paper circle and diy tassel garland

supplies ready to assembled into paper lantern

Next you are going to create a DIY Tassel Garland with your crepe paper. This portion of the craft will only take five to ten minutes.

Blow up your balloon.

We are going to first add the paper handle to the top of the balloon to cover the tail.

tape piece attaching tassel to bottom of balloon

Tape the handle to the balloon on the inside.

You are going to tape the loop of the tassel to the bottom of the balloon.Carefully thread the tassel through the three and a half width paper ring. Tape that ring to the balloon the same way you taped the handle.

You have yourself a giant paper lantern!

Made with Happy holding two paper lanterns

Made with Happy holding giant paper lantern

made with happy holding two giant paper lanterns out in front of her

You can hang them as you would any other paper lantern. They are really light and could be hung with tape if needed.

Other Chinese New Years Crafts You Might Enjoy

CHINESE DRAGON PUPPET – This is one of the most popular kids craft on our site. The kids absolutely love coloring, and making the dragon. They are representative of the dancing dragons they might see at a Chinese New Year Celebration.
CHINESE NEW YEAR DRUM + PRINTABLE – Another fun Chinese New Year craft with a free printable “HAPPY” symbol to place on the front of the drum.
PRINTABLE CHINESE NEW YEAR ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS – We have a HAPPY Chinese New Year coloring page as well as a HAPPY Chinese New Year Word Search. These activity sheets are great for classroom celebrations.
GOOD LUCK ORNAMENTS – These are a fun craft where the kids can color and make their ornament their own.
RAINBOW FELT FORTUNE COOKIES CRAFT – These are fun simple craft that the kids love to hand out to their friends for the celebration.