Invitation to Create Lunar New Year Dragons – Two Ways

After reading books about the significance of the dragon during Lunar New Year, exploring photographs, and learning about the costumes and puppets used in parades, we extended the literacy experience by inviting the children to create collaborative dragons in two different ways. These creations will be featured in our upcoming Annual Lunar New Year Parade.

1. Symmetry Dragons: To create their dragons, the children folded their paper in half, squeezed paint drops and designs onto one side, folded the paper again, and gently rubbed the paint with their hands before slowly opening it. As they revealed their designs, they watched the paint transform—supporting their understanding of cause and effect through hands-on exploration. Once the paintings dried, we combined everyone’s artwork to form one large collaborative dragon.

2. Recycled 3-D Lunar New Year Dragon: The children were invited to decorate a 3-D dragon made from recycled packaging materials. Using paint, stickers, glitter, and plenty of glue, they worked together to transform the recycled structure into a magical collaborative creation.

While books help introduce children to different cultures, hands-on experiencea, such as creating art, have an even deeper impact on how children understand the world. Exploring cultural traditions helps children appreciate similarities and differences, learn about their own identities, and build early connections to history, geography, and family traditions. These experiences also strengthen their sense of belonging and curiosity about the world around them.

Lunar New Year, celebrated across many Asian countries, is a joyful time filled with traditions, family gatherings, and special foods that welcome the arrival of spring and the start of a new year. The dragon is one of the celebration’s most important and recognizable symbols, representing strength, wisdom, and good fortune. It is believed to bring protection and positive energy to the community as the new year begins.