Mid-Autumn Festival is around the corner. A fun and easy way to celebrate this Chinese holiday is to make a paper lantern.

Celebrating Chinese holidays like Mid-Autumn Festival is a great way to help kids cultivate a love of learning Chinese.

This is also a great way to help children who have Chinese heritage connect with and learn more about their own cultural background.

I have such fond memories of celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival with my cousins at my grandparents’ house when we lived in Taiwan. I wanted to help you have that experience too with your kids!

We bought this kid’s qipao in Taiwan but you can find similar ones on Amazon. We usually buy one per year so she can wear it for all the Chinese holidays that year.

Mid-Autumn Festival Lantern How To

Materials:

• • empty Kleenex box (smaller size)

• • LED candles

• • brown paint or color of your choice. You can also not paint

• • string

• • one dowel rod (can substitute with chopstick, pencil, stick)

• • tape

• • glue gun & stick

• • hole puncher

• • my free printable (see below for download info) 

How To

Scroll to bottom of page for my video tutorial.

• Cut rectangles that are 3 inches wide and 4″ long on each sides of the Kleenex box. (This is my favorite craft knife that makes crafts like these easy to do)

• Punch two holes on the top of the box

• Paint the box brown or whichever color you prefer. I chose brown to make it look like the older lanterns made out of wood. Let it dry

• Put one of the string into the hole on the top and create a knot to keep it from falling out. Repeat on the other side.

• Tape the printables with characters 中秋快樂/Zhōngqiū kuàilè/Happy Mid-Autumn Festival on the inside of the box. I’ve added an additional option with a bunny this year!

• Hot glue the string to a wooden dowel to help stabilize it
• Place LED candle inside the lantern and enjoy!

Loved seeing other families’ renditions of this last year! See pictures below for different ways you can create a beautiful lantern out of a kleenex box.

Karen of @kyl.scrapbook on IG created this nature inspired lantern last year with her daughter. Isn’t it so beautiful? Be sure to follow her for more inspiring crafts and Chinese learning ideas.

 

@littlecitytales also made this beautiful sun catcher lantern with a kleenex box and cut Chinese characters into the box to make a festive lantern for Chinese New Year. Be sure to follow them for beautiful and inspiring crafts!

 

中秋節快樂！中秋节快乐！Zhōngqiū jié kuàilè! Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!