Mini TP Roll Lanterns for Chinese New Year
Let’s celebrate Chinese New Year with this some Chinese New Year Crafts! Time for some TP Roll Lanterns – make set of these and string some fairy lights around them?!
Every year the Chinese New Year will be on a different date, but it is usually late January to mid February. Chinese New Year 2020 falls on Saturday 25th January 2020! And it is the Year of the Rat!

(BTW make a multi coloured set of these and they also make a nice decoration for Carnival!)
Lanterns are a symbol that signify the reunion of people. In China, when the new year comes or people have a happy event like a wedding, they often hang many beautiful red lanterns in celebration.

Chinese New Year TP Roll Lanterns – Materials:
- 1 toilet paper roll per lantern,
- red paint,
- gold paint or gold foil or gold ribbon,
- scissors (I find nail scissors best or a Stanley knife – but do not let the children do this bit),
- if using foil,
- glue,
- red ribbon for hanging,
- staples for attaching ribbon

Painting your Toilet Paper Roll in Chinese New Year Colours
Step 1 Paint the toilet paper roll red, paint the inside too if you feel like a perfectionist
Step 2 Once dried mark two rims approximately 1cm from either end – either leave until last or paint gold now – or add gold foil or wrap a golden ribbon around it.

Shaping the Toilet Paper Roll Into a Lantern
Step 3 Cut strips from within these two rims approximately 0.5-1cm apart. This is fiddly and I find nail scissors work, better still a Stanley knife. This should be done by an adult. And yes, it is a little fiddly!

Pushing the Toilet Paper Roll into the Lantern shape
Step 4 Once all the strips are cut, push the ends together like a concertina. Make sure the “bend” in the strips is in the middle of the roll
Step 5 Paint tops and bottoms gold or glue on god foil if you didn’t already do it above
Step 6 Staple on the ribbon for hanging
Step 7 Repeat and then add all the lanterns to one long ribbon.
Done!
Happy Chinese New Year Crafts!
You may also love the Paper Lantern version of this craft:

This Dragon Paper Puppet is also popular on the site!

More fabulous Chinese New Year Craft ideas (including a recommended picture book list for Chinese New Year reading!):

For 2020 the Chinese Zodiac animal is the Rat – you may like these Mouse DIYs – replace them with greys, blacks and reds and you have the perfect Year of the Rat Activities!
