2025 Chinese New Year for Kids – Paper Snake

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Chinese New Year 2025 is the Year of the Snake and with that, it is time to revisit some of our snake crafts from many moons ago (yes, literally 12 years ago! I love how crafts come round again time and time again). That said – though we made these as Year the Snake crafts, snake loves can of course make these any time of year! It is such a cute and easy craft that the kids will love! Great for cutting skills and fine motor skills. And you can play with colours and patterns to add some additional educational elements!

Snake craft ideas

The original story

Just before Christmas Pip Squeak discovered her love for Paper Chains! We were visiting a friend who has some fabulously shiny, pre cut and with a self adhesive! Perfect for small toddler hands. So we made a fun chain… and with Chinese New Year approaching, I thought another simple snake craft for kids would be great – so we made some paper chain snakes (we have some more Chinese New Year’s Crafts for you to explore, do take a peek!). It took us 10min or so, with very little set up time but a very happy Pip Squeak at the end. I think I will offer to do these with Red Ted’s class once school starts again.

Variations and Educational Learning Opportunities

As you will see, we kept our snake craft pretty simple.. and just made some basic paper snakes (see below), however, here are some additional learning opportunities that you can include at home, at playgroup, preschool or classroom:

  • Cutting skills – get your preschooler to practice their cutting skills by letting them cut their own paper strips
  • Learning about Chinese New Year and the concept of auspicious and lucky colours and using these in particularly for this craft. For 2025 the lucky snake colours are, black, red and yellow.
  • Sequencing: though we made our snakes one colour, you can easily alternate colours or introduce other sequencing colour schemes. E.g. black, yellow, black yellow.. or red, red, yellow etc.
  • Counting: give your paper snake a certain number of segments – 10 is always great for counting to 10 skills or number bonds
  • Letter S Craft: use your paper chain snake to form an S!

Chinese New Year Craft for Preschoolers – Supplies

Supplies for these paper snakes are super simple:

  • Paper in desired snake colors. Black, red and yellow are great, but any colour goes
  • Glue stick or sticky tape (we found tape easier)
  • A pen for eyes or googlye eyes
  • Scissors

How to make a paper chain snake

Cut out the paper chain strips

In our case, I cut out the strips on this occasion. As Pip Squeak is only 3yrs old.

Preschooler Chinese New Year

Start threading your strips to make the paper chain

She threaded them through each other, then I held the loop for her, passed her some tape and she taped them all shut.

I used tape, as I thought it would be easier for Pip Squeak to manage.

I think with slightly older kids I would use the glue stick. I am not sure she could make this totally by herself, but I was impressed at how much better she was getting at inserting, turning and adding the tape.

Chinese New Years Crafts for kids

The paper chain snake’s head

For the head I cut strip twice as wide.

Then we glued on googly eyes and taped on a red snake’s tongue.

FINISHED!

Chinese New Year crafts for kids - year of the Snake

And done! Such a quick and easy Chinese New Year craft!

Very cute. Of course you can make snakes at any time of year.. They would be great for practicing your S letter – especially as you can nicely make the shape “S” with your snake.

More Chinese New Year and Year of the Snake Crafts and activities you simply HAVE To check out here:

Great Chinese New Year's Ideas for Kids

Here you have them all together again:

Paper Chain Snake for Chinese New Year