How to Make Fans for Lunar New Year
Lunar New Year is a festival typically celebrated by Asian countries such as China, Vietnam, and Korea. The celebration begins on the second new moon after the winter solstice, which signals the beginning of spring. With this special holiday comes food, parades, and the presence of friends and family. To honor this joyous occasion, we asked our crafty friend Brandy to share a fun and simple craft to celebrate Lunar New Year. What did she come back with? An adorable fan craft! This is a great activity for little globetrotters to engage their crafty side, as well as a wonderful way to celebrate different cultures.
DIY Lunar New Year Fan Craft
In ancient China, fans came in various shapes and forms and were made of different materials such as silk, jade, bamboo, and even feathers. The original Chinese fan, the tuánshàn 团扇, is said to have been modeled after the full moon, and signifies union and happiness. For over 3,000 years fans have been used as fashion statements, art displays, and a way to keep cool or provide shade. Fans are also viewed as good luck charms and expressions of generosity.
Check out how we made paper fans using plain white copy paper. Better yet, do you have pages and pages of your child’s art and drawings stacked up in the kitchen? This is a great way to turn that art into an object!
Supplies You’ll Need for Your Fan:
- (3) 5×8″ pieces of copy paper
- 2 craft sticks
- 1 tiny hairband
Instructions
Step 1: Score each paper on the 1/2″ mark. You can fold it without scoring, but scoring will help children get even folds all the way across.
Step 2: Accordion fold each piece of paper. Then, fold each paper in half.
Step 3: Using a glue stick or hot glue, glue each fan piece together until you have one seam left. Next, glue a craft stick to each side. Close with a mini hairband and it is ready to travel with you!
Step 4: Once dry, open up your fan and enjoy! Tip: use the mini hairband to hold the craft sticks together when your fan is open.
If your child enjoyed engaging in the traditions of Lunar New Year, they’ll love exploring different countries and customs with our World Edition subscription!
Want to read more from Brandy?
Northern Lights Activity for Kids!
Brandy is a California girl married to an Alaskan boy. They’ve lived all over the country, moving where the Coast Guard sends them, and are parents to 4 children (and a black lab puppy). Brandy has been surrounded by creative influences her entire life. Her biggest mentors being her mother and grandmother. When she grew up and started to have a family of her own, her desire to create blossomed as she turned each new house into a home. Her blog, gluesticksblog.com, is a collection of some of her favorite kids’ activities, projects, recipes, and craft tutorials.