Free Build A Chinese Dragon Printable Craft!
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Looking for a fun and educational Chinese New Year craft? Our Free Build a Chinese Dragon Printable is just what you need!
Perfect for the Year of the Dragon in 2024 (February 10th), this craft is a great way to engage kids in learning about Chinese culture and the significance of dragons in Chinese mythology.
With easy-to-build components, it’s suitable for both younger children and older students.
Don’t have time for this printable now? Be sure to tap the heart icon in the bottom right of the screen to save this post for later!
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Build A Chinese Dragon Printable
Celebrate the Year of the Dragon with a Creative Twist!
Chinese New Year is a vibrant and colorful festival, and what better way to celebrate it than with a traditional symbol of good luck – the Chinese dragon?
We’re excited to introduce our Chinese dragon printable, a perfect activity for both home and classroom settings.
This printable craft is more than just a fun activity; it’s a gateway to exploring Chinese culture and traditions. The dragon is a significant symbol in Chinese mythology, representing power, strength, and good fortune.
By building their own dragon, kids can learn about these cultural aspects in a hands-on way.
For more Chinese dragon crafts, check out our 21 Dragon Crafts & Activities for Appreciate A Dragon Day!
Introducing – Dingxiang the Dragon!
Dingxiang is a Chinese name that means stability and fortune.
If you are a regular on The Purple Pumpkin Blog, you’ll notice that our buildable characters have a cute, chubby style.
And if they are animals, they are anthropomorphic, which basically means that they have human traits – like standing on two legs instead of four.
Our Free Printable Buildable Characters are a great activity for kids of all ages. Whether that is at home, at an activity group or club, during homeschool, or in the classroom!
You can find links to all our other buildable character sets at the bottom of this post.
Our printable characters help kids with their cutting and pasting skills, as well as give them the opportunity to get creative with other materials, too, like sticking on pieces of fabric or sequins or using glitter glue.
2023 was the Year of the Rabbit, and we will be updating all of our Free Chinese New Year Printables with Dingxiang the Dragon, including free printable Chinese dragon coloring pages, red money envelopes, and paper lanterns.
What Is In The Chinese Dragon Printable Template?
Your download includes all the pieces to assemble Dingxiang the Dragon:
- Body – three versions are available in the large template:
- Completely blank
- With the belly attached
- With the belly and face attached
- Belly
- Snout – with and without mustache
- Eyebrows
- Horns
- Ears
- Arms
- Legs
- Scales – top and sides
- Tail
There are two sizes for this free printable dragon template:
- Regular – the pieces are on one sheet of paper and create a character around 4″/10cm tall.
- Large – the pieces spread over several sheets of paper and create a character around 12″/30cm tall.
For those who love to add their personal touch, we also have a black-and-white version available in the Purple Pumpkin Printables shop. Kids can color it in, making each dragon unique and personal. This version is great for stimulating creativity and can be a fun way to engage in independent work or group activities.
Where Are The Downloads?
- Both the regular and large templates are in the same document—you no longer have to download two different ones!
- You will find the free PDF download links further down this page, surrounded by a purple box.
- Tap the purple download buttons to save the file(s) to your device.
- The printables are in two sizes—A4 and US Letter (8.5″ x 11″). Use the size that is appropriate for your printer.
- Visit The Purple Pumpkin Printables Shop for more awesome printables and products!
How To Use the Build a Chinese Dragon Printable
Download the high-quality PDF download at the bottom of this post and print as many copies as you need onto white (printer) paper. For best results, use good quality, thick/heavy paper.
Alternatively, you can use the pieces as a template to trace onto coloured paper or card stock and build a dragon with them.
You can print the free printable at home, school, office, or at a Print Shop. Then, cut all the pieces out with scissors.
The dragon printables are suitable for children of all ages; however, the regular-size free template is suitable for older children who are more skilled at cutting or for those looking to hone their fine motor skills.
The large size should be a lot easier for younger children—or you can cut them out for them—you know your children, so you will know what suits them best.
Once cut, place the pieces in the correct order to figure out where everything goes before sticking them in place with a glue stick or sticky tape.
We like using this roller glue because it is easy to use and has less sticky mess!
Craft Projects Using our Free Printable Chinese Dragon
Adding Dimension: Mount the Chinese dragon cut-outs onto a larger piece of black construction paper and use other craft materials from a Dollar Store or similar to embellish the dragon! For example, glitter, craft foam, or tissue paper, to name a few. It’s a perfect activity for art class.
Laminating: For really little kids who can’t yet use scissors, they can still make this fun craft! Here’s how—use a laminator to laminate the printable and cut out each shape, leaving a tiny margin around them. Then, place some velcro dots so that the dragon can be assembled without cutting or gluing.
Moveable Figure: Use split pins/brads to construct the dragon instead of glue to make his arms and legs moveable.
Dragon Parade: Organize a mini dragon parade in your classroom or at home. This is a great addition to social studies lessons about Asian countries and the lunar calendar. The black-and-white version, available in the Purple Pumpkin Printables shop, would be perfect for this activity!
Everybody Loves Puppets: Grab some popsicle sticks and the regular-sized free printable to make a Chinese dragon puppet to use in storytelling sessions, exploring Chinese folklore and the stories of the lunar new year.
Festive Decorations: Attach several dragons to some ribbon or string and hang the paper dolls as bunting. They would make great decorations for a party or celebration or to hang around your classroom.
Educational Tool: Use the large dragon as part of a Chinese New Year study or for teaching about the Chinese zodiac animals. It’s a fun way to make learning about other cultures and traditions more engaging.
Make a Mobile: Similar to the previous idea, assemble several characters and glue them back to back with some ribbon in between. Hang them at different lengths on a wire hanger, and you have a cute decoration.
Roll-A-Dragon Game: This idea is based on the classic dice game and is so much fun to play – especially for young children!
To set up, print, and cut enough dragon pieces for each player. Assign a number to each piece—for example—Body/Head (1), Arms (2), Legs (3), Horns & Ears (4), Scales (5), Tail (6).
After rolling the die, the player picks up the corresponding piece to build their dragon. If players roll a number for a piece they already have, they skip their turn. The first player to collect all the parts and assemble their dragon is the winner!
Whether you’re using it as a classroom decoration, a dragon puppet for a dragon dance, or as part of a lesson plan on Asian studies, the possibilities are endless.
For more ideas, check out our Lunar New Year Crafts Board on Pinterest.
Chinese Dragon Craft Template Downloads
Download the Chinese Dragon Printable
Click the download link to save the printable file(s) to your computer.
The Shop opens in a new tab/window.
Visit The Purple Pumpkin Shop for more awesome printables and products!
Our Chinese dragon printable is not just a craft; it’s an educational journey. It’s a perfect activity for preK to 6th-grade students, offering a closer look into the rich tapestry of Chinese culture and the Lunar New Year celebrations. It’s a great way to add a fun cultural twist to your curriculum or seasonal crafts at home!
Remember, creativity knows no bounds! We can’t wait to see how you bring your Chinese dragons to life. Share your creations with us, and let’s celebrate the Year of the Dragon in style!
Other Buildable Characters!
We have lots of other buildable characters that you may like to download:
- Build An Animal Series
- Build A Person Series
- Build A Halloween Character Series
- Build A Christmas Character Series
- Build A Star Wars Character Series
- Build A Disney Character Series
- Build An Olaf
Featured by Twinkl inYear of The Dragon Crafts
The free printables are in PDF format and can be opened with the free-to-use Adobe Acrobat Reader (or other PDF Readers). If the download is a Zip File, it can be downloaded with WinZip, WinRar, or other software typically bundled on computers. Printables designed and created by The Purple Pumpkin Blog and its Designers are for PERSONAL USE ONLY and NOT FOR RESALE under any circumstances. Please read our full Terms and Conditions. You are welcome to print these free printables at an online print shop or print shop in-store if you don’t have access to a printer; however, some print shops may not print licensed characters. Colors may vary slightly on printing due to different screen and printer settings. You may share this free printable blog post on social media, including Pinterest, and on your blog/website with a link to this blog post. Please DO NOT share the PDF on social media or your blog/website. If you use any of our printables, it would be awesome to know about it! Post a picture on the social media platform you hang out on, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. Use the hashtag #TPPBprintables so we can find you!