Kai-Lan's Chinese New Year Fancy Lantern

Join the Lantern Festival Parade or host a lantern party with these fancy paper lanterns from Kai-lan and her friends!

Watch Kai-lan every day on Nick Jr.

Materials

• Colored Lantern Templates
• Colorable Lantern Templates
• Scissors
• Craft knife
• Craft glue
• String, ribbon, or yarn
• Small red tassel
• Red pom-pom trim (optional)
• Fabric glue (optional)

Directions

1. Step 1

   Print and cut out four copies of the lantern body shape from either the colored templates or black-and-white templates. Kids can color in the black-and-white templates.

2. Step 2

   Cut two slits with a craft knife on each lantern body shape where designated. (Parents need to do this part.)

3. Step 3

   Fold each lantern shape inward vertically in the middle, ideally forming a 90-degree angle.

4. Step 4

   Glue the two folded shapes together through one half-side of each shape. The two half-sides glued together should match each other's shape. Now you should have a flat base consisting of two unglued half-sides and two glued half-sides sticking up in the middle. This will constitute half of the lantern. Do the same to the other two folded lantern shapes.

5. Step 5

   Before gluing the two halves of the lantern back to back, place a piece of string, ribbon, or yarn in between, along the axis of the lantern. Leave about 5 inches of the string both above the top and below the bottom of the lantern.

6. Step 6

   Print and cut out the two lantern scroll stripes either in black-and-white or color. Have your child color in the black-and-white version. Glue one to another's end over the tab so they become a one-piece scroll. Insert the scroll through the four slits on the lantern. When the end of the scroll meets the top, glue over the tab to form a circle. Adjust the scroll circle so each character's face appears in the middle of its "quarter."

7. Step 7

   Cut the bottom string to the desired length and knot the tassel onto the end.

8. Step 8

   Make a knot at the top of the string, and then hang your lantern!

9. Step 9 (OPTIONAL)

   Cut out four segments (each containing one hanging pom-pom) of the red pom-pom trim. Use fabric glue to affix the red pom-poms to the four lantern eaves.