Free Printable Chinese Lantern Template
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Looking to add a festive touch to your Lunar New Year celebrations? Our Printable Chinese Lantern Template is just what you need!
This easy-to-use template lets you create beautiful paper lanterns that add a splash of color and culture to any space.
Whether you’re decorating for a party, teaching about cultural activities in school, or just looking for a fun activity, these lanterns are a great way to celebrate the Year of the Horse.
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Printable Chinese Lantern Template
Creating your own Chinese paper lanterns is not just a fun activity; it’s an opportunity to explore Asian culture, specifically the rich traditions of the Chinese New Year.
This project is perfect for enhancing fine motor skills in young kids as they practice cutting along vertical lines and assembling the lanterns. It’s also a great project for elementary school classes, tying into lessons on social studies, visual arts, or Asian studies.
We remember making this style of paper lantern using construction paper in school! They’re easy and fun to make, and if you make lots of them, they look great hung on a string across the room—a perfect decoration to celebrate the Year of the Horse in 2026.
For more fun celebrating the Year of the Horse, look at our Chinese New Year Bingo, Free Chinese New Year Memory Card Game Printable, and Free Printable Chinese New Year Activities Pack.
If you are planning a party or Chinese Banquet, be sure to take a look at these 50+ Delicious Recipes for Chinese New Year!
Year of the Horse!
Chinese New Year begins on 17 February 2026, marking the Year of the Horse.
Your Chinese zodiac is Horse if you were born in one of these years: 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2001, 2014, and 2026.
We have shared Chinese New Year Printables since the Year of the Monkey in 2016. These printables are updated annually to reflect that year’s zodiac animal.
This year, it’s the turn of the seventh Chinese Zodiac animal—the horse. We’ve turned our Free Printable Build A Horse Craft Template into a resource for all our Chinese New Year printables.
Different Types of Printable Templates
We love to give you options on The Purple Pumpkin Blog, so in addition to two sizes of Chinese lanterns, there are four different designs to choose from.
This year’s zodiac animal (horse) has a single image on the printable Chinese lantern template, smaller gold horses covering the page, a plain red background, and the Chinese character for good luck—Fu (福).
Pick your favorite or mix them up. You could even use Chinese zodiac animals from years past.
Creative Uses for Your Lanterns
Our free paper lantern template is user-friendly and suitable for crafters of all ages. After downloading the PDF file, you’ll find it easy to follow the thin black lines to cut and assemble the lanterns.
- Lunar New Year Celebration: Hang these DIY paper lanterns around your home or classroom to bring in the festive spirit of the Lunar New Year.
- Cultural Learning Tool: Use them in social studies or Asian studies classes as a practical, hands-on activity to learn about traditional Chinese customs.
- Party Decor: Perfect for decorating parties or as a fun activity at the end of the Chinese New Year and the Lantern Festival.
- Art Projects: An excellent project for visual arts classes, encouraging creativity and cultural appreciation.
- Look at some of our other Chinese New Year Crafts, like these paper Chinese Firecrackers and Paper Hand Fans.
- Light Them Up: Whilst our paper lanterns aren’t designed to hold a light, you can place them over an LED candle or battery-operated tealight to create a pretty centerpiece for a dinner party with Chinese food.
Chinese Paper Lantern Craft
To make the Chinese New Year lantern craft, you only need the free printable (under the tutorial card), scissors, and glue. The printable sheet includes all the required parts.
Crafting your mini lanterns with our printable Chinese lantern template is a fun way to celebrate the Lunar New Year and a creative learning activity.
Whether you’re looking for a simple activity at home, an educational project for school, or a cute decoration for a party, these lanterns are a great project that everyone will enjoy. Happy crafting and Happy Lunar New Year!
Save our How to Make Chinese Paper Lanterns video on YouTube, and don’t forget to subscribe while you are there!
Chinese New Year Paper Lanterns
Materials
- White Paper
- Free Printable Paper Lantern Template link in blog post below
- Red String/Yarn
TOOLS
- Roller Glue or
- Double-Sided Tape
Instructions
- Print [as many as you need] paper lanterns template onto good quality (120gsm/30lbs) thick paper or thin card and cut out.
- First cut the lantern handle from the printable, then the leftover red strip.
- Fold the paper in half, and using the guidelines, cut along them, to the gold band.
- Unfold, and turn over to the blank side. Apply roller glue or double-sided tape to the bottom ends.
- Fold around and stick into place. Gently push down to fan out the lantern.
- Apply tape or glue to each end of the handle and stick in place.
- Thread the handles of the lanterns onto a length of red string or yarn and hang across the ceiling.
Printable Chinese Lantern Template Downloads
These free printable paper lanterns are a fun and festive way to decorate your home, classroom, or party space for Chinese New Year and Lunar New Year celebrations. Whether you’re crafting with kids, adding handmade décor to your festivities, or exploring traditions through creative activities, this simple lantern craft is always a favorite.
Don’t forget to check out the Chinese New Year Printables available in the Purple Pumpkin Printables shop!
Fill in the form below to download your printable Chinese lantern template
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 opened 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 when 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.
Anonymous
March 24, 2020 @ 7:59 pm
Decorate with paper lanterns. Make Chinese lanterns out of red paper. In China, red lanterns symbolise family reunion, prosperity, happiness and vitality.