The Year of the Rooster begins on January 28, 2017. People who are born in the year of the Rooster are believed to be quick-witted and smart. They can come up with practical solutions to meet fresh challenges.

To embrace the spirit of this year, get a head start by checking out the following top 9 Rooster themed Chinese New Year Decorations. Some ideas are simple art projects that young children and parents will enjoy working on together. Others are challenging Chinese New Year decorations DIY ideas that might take more time, effort and lots of attention to details.

Each craft idea is unique, fun-filled and certainly will bring enjoyment and good memories to all your family members!

1. Simple Rooster Lantern

*Image Courtesy Of: Crayola

*The image on this lantern is a dragon, but the idea is the same

A DIY Chinese New Year lantern that is easy to make and looks great inside the house or out on a porch or balcony.

Materials:

• Paper
• Water Colour Pens
• Scissors
• Glue

Instructions: Draw a rooster and write “Happy New Year” on a paper, then colour the picture. Next, take a spray bottle with water and spray a little water on the picture. Allow the picture to dry. Once it is dry, fold it in half, cut one inch lines into the center of the picture and open it. Glue the sides of the picture together. Cut a strip from another piece of paper and add it to the top for the lantern handle.

2. Chinese New Year Chopstick Rooster Frame Craft

Image Courtesy Of: OTC Direct Inc.

Go for this one if you want an easy Chinese decoration to make with your kids.

Materials:

• Paper
• Water Colour Pens
• Scissors
• Disposable Chopstick
• Glue
• Red ribbon

Instructions: Take a piece of white paper, write the Chinese character for rooster and then colour it with a red or gold marker. Alternatively, you can draw a picture of a rooster and colour it.

After that, cut the paper into a square shape and glue chopsticks on all four sides. You can also draw two small pictures of roosters, cut them out and glue them onto opposite corners of the frame. This picture uses different center art but gives you a good idea of what your finished craft will look like. If you want to hang it up, be sure to tie some red ribbons to the top part of the chopstick frame.

3. Paper Roll Rooster Firecracker

Image Courtesy Of: Crafty-Crafted.com

A simple yet convincing firecracker Chinese New Year decoration.

Materials:

• Toilet paper roll (without toilet paper) 515
• Red coloured paper
• Gold coloured paper
• Watercolour pens
• Foil 205
• Glue
• Scissors

Instructions: Take a toilet paper roll and cover it with gold coloured paper. Cut the paper so that it does not go beyond the end of the roll. Next, cut two circles from the red coloured paper and glue them on the top and bottom of the roll. Then cut a rectangular strip of red paper and glue it around the toilet paper roll. Make sure that the gold paper is visible both on top and at the bottom of the red paper.

Draw a rooster on the red paper or simply write “Happy Year of the Rooster” using a black watercolour pen. When you are done, take a small piece of aluminum foil, crumple it to look like the top of the firecracker and insert it at the top of the toilet paper roll. This makes a great decoration for any shelf or table. Here is a picture of this project with the image of a tiger so you can get an idea of what it will look like.

4. Chinese New Year Firecracker Rooster Wall Hanging

Image Courtesy Of: The Silly Pearl

If you want challenging DIY Chinese New Year decorations to make on your own or with your kids, pick this one. Materials:

• Toilet paper rolls
• Red plastic plates 715
• Red coloured paper
• Gold coloured paper
• String
• Scissors
• Glue

Instructions: Start by choosing how many empty toilet paper rolls you want to use. The image shows 20 rolls and the finished craft looks great. However, you can shorten it if you want.

Wrap gold coloured paper around each roll and tie the ends, leaving some gold paper sticking out on each end. Do the same with the red paper but make sure that it does not completely cover the gold paper.

Next, take two red plates and glue them together. Draw a picture of a rooster on white paper, cut it out and glue it in the centre of the plate. Tie the rope onto the ends of the toilet paper rolls. Use the scissors to make a hole in the bottom end of the plastic plates and tie one end of the rope with firecrackers here. Cut another part of the rope, make another hole in the top part of the paper plates and tie a small piece of rope so you can display your craft project on the wall.

5. Simple Chinese New Year Rooster Firecracker Wall Hanging

Image Courtesy Of: Wander With Alice

A simple DIY rooster craft for Chinese New Year.

Materials:

• Toilet paper rolls (without toilet paper)
• Red coloured paper
• Gold coloured paper
• Watercolour pens
• Glue
• Scissors
• Red ribbons
• Tape

Instructions: Cover 10 empty toilet paper rolls with gold coloured paper. Next, cut rectangular strips of red coloured paper and glue them over the gold coloured paper, allowing it to stick out from the top and bottom. Cut a circle from the red coloured paper and write the character for rooster in the middle using a black watercolour pen. You can also write “Happy Year of the Rooster” on the toilet paper rolls if you want.

Put the ribbon through each toilet paper roll as shown in the image and then tape the red circle on the top. Allow some ribbons to stick out from the top if you want to hang your decoration on the wall.

6. Chinese New Year Rooster Candle

Image Courtesy Of: First Palette

This DIY Chinese New Year decoration can be easily adapted to give it a rooster theme.

Materials:

• Glass jar
• Red tissue
• White glue
• Paintbrush
• Black acrylic paint
• Candle

Instructions: Empty the jar. Mix an equal amount of white glue and water together, tear the red tissue paper into strips and dip the paper strips into your glue and water mixture. When you are done, place the strips onto the glass jar, completely covering it. Don’t worry about tissue paper that sticks up above the top part of the jar; you will cut it later.

Wait for the paper to dry on the jar. When it is done, cut off the red paper sticking up above the top part of the jar and paint a black ring around the top. Write the character for rooster on the jar with the paintbrush and allow the black paint to dry. Finally, place a candle inside the jar. Because the jar used in this activity is taller than the one in the picture, a taller candle is also used. Even so, the picture gives a good idea of what your project will look like when you are done.

7. Handmade Paper Fan with Rooster

Image Courtesy Of: Evermine Occasions

These Chinese New Year craft decorations are great toys for kids but can also be displayed on a shelf.

Materials:

• Paper
• Popsicle Sticks
• Super Glue
• Scissors
• Water Colour Pens

Instructions: You need a sheet of paper that is 36 inches long and 5 inches wide. Cut and glue two or three sheets of paper together to achieve the right length. Next, draw and colour a rooster on the paper. The more colourful it is, the better.

When you are done, fold the paper accordion style. This means you will need to fold the paper forward, turn the paper over and then fold it forward again. Do this until the entire paper is folded. When finished, glue each end of the paper on a Popsicle stick. Allow it to dry before showing it to others or putting it on display. Here is a picture of a fan (with a different theme image).

8. Fingerprint Kumquat Art

Image Courtesy Of: Let’s Go Fly A Kite

A Chinese New Year wall picture your kids are sure to enjoy making

Materials:

• White paper
• Watercolour pens
• Red paint
• Red or gold coloured paper
• Scissors
• Glue

Instructions: Take the red or gold coloured paper, cut a rectangle from it and then draw a rooster using a black watercolour pen. Glue the rectangle onto the bottom center of the white paper. Next, draw branches of various sizes and shapes with the brown red coloured pen.

Place some red coloured paint on a plate, dip your finger (or your child’s finger) in the paint and place the finger carefully on or near various branches. Allow the paper to dry before putting it on display. If you want, you can make a frame using brown coloured paper or disposable chopsticks. If you use chopsticks, you will probably need to cut the paper into a rectangular shape so that it does not stick out from the ends.

9. Circular Chinese Rooster Lantern

Image Courtesy Of: Homemade Gifts Made Easy

If you want to make really amazing Chinese New Year craft decorations, then this is for you. It is harder to make than the Chinese lantern mentioned above but the extra effort is certainly worth it.

Materials:

• White paper
• Gold or Red coloured paper
• Fine permanent marker
• Red string
• Needle
• Scissors

Instructions: Print this Chinese ball lantern template on white paper. Cut it out and then use this cutting as a stencil to trace the lantern shape onto red or gold coloured paper. When you are done, draw one or more rooster images (or write the rooster character) using fine permanent markers. The next part is a bit complex. You need to thread some red string through the needle and then run the needle through the small bottom circles on the lantern template. After you run the string through each bottom circle, do the same with the top ones. Finally, tie a knot at the top when you are done. If you want to hang your lantern from a roof, be sure to add another piece of string onto the top part of the lantern by tying it onto the knot you have just made. If you are making more than one of these lanterns, you can tie all of them onto a piece of string and then attach both ends of this string to nails on opposite sides of a wall.

10. Circular Chinese Rooster Lantern for Children

Image Courtesy Of: Homemade Gifts Made Easy

Children will need help with this project but it is one of the best Chinese New year DIY decoration ideas you will find.

Materials:

• White paper
• Watercolour pens
• Red string
• Needle
• Scissors

Instructions: Print this Chinese ball lantern template on white paper and cut it out. Next, thread some red string through the needle and then run the needle through the small bottom circles on the lantern template. After you run the string through each bottom circle, do the same with the top ones. Finally, tie a knot at the top when you are done.

When you are done making the lantern, draw some rooster body parts on a sheet of white paper. These include eyes, the beak, the wattle and the crest. You can also draw the tail if you like. Colour these parts in, cut them out and carefully glue them onto your lantern. Allow the glue to dry before you hang your lantern up. Here is an idea of what your lantern may look like although you can be creative and make it look a little different if you want.

Chinese New Year DIY decorations may take time and effort but it is time well spent. Your decorations may not look like those in the stores but they will be unique because no decorations will be exactly like yours. Here are some tips that can help make your craft time easy:

• Make sure you have all the materials together before you start
• Read the instructions carefully and look at the picture to envision what your finished craft should look like
• If you don’t have some materials, consider substituting them. For example, red crepe paper can be used instead of red tissue paper or you can use a knife to poke holes instead of a hole puncher or scissors.

No matter which activity you choose, have fun!