Looking for a fun, easy craft to do with the kids? Make a colourful Chinese dragon mask together. Follow these clear step-by-step instructions for a vibrant, imaginative activity.
Creating a fiery dragon mask is a joyful craft and a lovely way for children to celebrate Chinese New Year. This activity encourages creativity, imaginative play and can be adapted for different ages and abilities.
Our dragon mask craft is perfect for roleplay and storytelling — the finished masks are great for parades, dragon dances or simple dress-up fun.
What You Need To Make Our Dragon Mask Craft
All the basic supplies to create your own dragon mask
- Paper plate
- Scissors
- Red paint (or crayons/markers)
- Paintbrush
- Sticky tape
- Glue
- A4 shiny red craft card
- A4 shiny gold craft card
- Sticky gold stars or other small embellishments
- Strips of fabric, ribbon or cellophane for the dragon’s fiery breath
- Lolly or popsicle stick for a handle
How To Make A Dragon Mask
Simple step-by-step instructions to make your dragon mask
Step 1 – Make the eye holes
- Cut triangle eye holes in the paper plate so the wearer can see comfortably.
Step 2 – Paint the dragon face red
- Paint the plate a bright red. If you prefer, children can colour the plate with crayons or markers for a quicker option.
Step 3 – Cut out the dragon features
- Use the metallic red and gold card to cut out dragon features: horns, large and small golden spikes, and a large golden mouth.
Step 4 – Attach the dragon features
- Glue or tape the red horns and the larger golden spikes along the top of the plate to create the dragon’s head.
- Attach the golden mouth to the lower part of the plate and add smaller golden spikes to serve as teeth. Draw nostrils or other facial details with markers if you like.
Step 5 – Add the fiery breath
- Attach strips of fabric, cellophane or ribbon to the base of the mask so they hang down like the dragon’s fiery breath. Use glue or tape to secure them well.
Step 6 – Decorate with stars
- Finish decorating with sticky gold stars, sequins or a little glitter for extra sparkle.
Step 7 – Add the popsicle stick handle
- Attach a popsicle stick to the back bottom or side of the mask so it can be held up in front of the face. Reinforce with tape if needed.
Try more kids art projects and activities for classroom or home craft time.
Further tips and learning opportunities
This is a great Chinese New Year craft to use in the classroom or at home.
- If you’re working with very young children or have limited time, pre-cut the card shapes and templates before the craft session.
- Older children or those confident with scissors can cut their own shapes to practise fine motor skills.
- Use the dragon masks for imaginative play, make up a dragon dance, or include them as part of a Chinese New Year celebration.
More kids crafts and seasonal activities are perfect for extending this project.
More Dragon Activities To Try
- Fire Breathing Dragon — a paper-roll dragon craft for extra movement and fun.
- Chinese Dragon Puppet — try a puppet version for group play or storytelling.