12 Easy and Adorable Ways to Make Mid-Autumn Lanterns for Kids

Everyone has passed through and seen that handmade lanterns are more meaningful than ever. That’s why this is a chance for you to show off your dexterity and express your love for children through this small gift. Hopefully, the gift will bring a meaningful Mid-Autumn Festival for the children. Start making lanterns now!

For more information: 5 easy and fun activities

1How to make a simple paper lantern

Simple paper lantern

Materials needed

• 9 sheets of A4 colored paper, medium thickness
• 1 pair of scissors, 1 ruler, 1 pen
• 1 roll of string for wrapping gifts

Instructions

Step 1 First, you fold the paper in half vertically and horizontally to find the midpoints of each edge. Then, use a ruler to measure and connect the vertices together to form a diamond shape.

Step 2 From the starting point, you measure the distances one after the other which are 2.3cm, 5.4cm, 8.3cm and from those points, draw the straight lines up, turn the paper over and perform the same steps.

Step 3 Use scissors to cut the diamond shape together with the small sections, then fold the shapes back together and join them with the heads of the cut lines.

Step 4 Finally, place a circular tube cut from stiff paper in the middle to secure the shape of the lantern.

For more details: 

2How to make an Angry Birds lantern with bamboo

How to make an Angry Birds lantern with bamboo

Materials:

• Bamboo sticks
• Pliers
• Wire
• Colored glass paper, red, white
• Colored paper, felt-tip pens

Instructions:

Step 1 Soak the bamboo in water to soften it, cut the bamboo into long, thin sticks, so that they can bend into a circle.

Step 2 Form the bamboo sticks into a circular shape, tie them together with wire, create two circles of different sizes, attach the two ends to each other.

Step 3 Attach the short bamboo sticks in the middle of the two circles to create the shape of the lantern.

Step 4 Paste colored shiny paper on the lantern, create eyes and a nose for the Angry Bird and you’re done!

3How to make a lantern with straws

The Straw Lantern is complex, inexpensive, and very meaningful for the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Straw Lantern is extremely cute and colorful. The process is not too complicated, so you can make lanterns with your children for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

You need main materials such as straws, plastic bottles, hot glue guns, scissors, … You need to cut the plastic bottle, skillfully arrange the straws to cover the outside of the plastic bottle and that’s it.

For more information: Super cheap, super durable for children to play during the Mid-Autumn Festival

Straw Lantern

4How to make a Star lantern

The Star lantern is one of the lanterns that cannot be missed during the Mid-Autumn Festival. To make these lanterns, you need materials such as bamboo sticks, glue, glass paper, … What you need most is to create a frame and stick the glass paper panels to complete it. You can also decorate the outside of the lantern to make it more lively!

For more information: Simple traditional 3-step lanterns

Star Lantern

5How to make a military lantern

If you are handy or want to make a lantern yourself, you just need a few simple tools to make a cute military lantern right away. The meaning of the military lantern is to help children remember history and their love for the homeland through the image of soldiers in action.

How to make a military lantern from paper

Materials needed

• Glue
• Paper cutting knife
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Compass
• About 6-7 A4 colored or white papers
• 3-4 sheets of thick cardboard

Instructions

Step 1 Use a piece of stiff paper to cut a octagon shape like above, each side is 9.5cm to make the top of the lantern.

Step 2 Use another piece of stiff paper to make a handle for the lantern, also 9.5cm width. Use a compass to make a dot in the middle, each of the triangles must be removed is 1.5cm

Step 3 Use A4 colored paper to cut the width into 9.5 cm. Thus, each A4 sheet will have 2 sides. You can choose colors as you like. Then, punch a hole in the middle of each sheet of paper just removed.

Step 4 Take a white piece of paper to measure so that it fits perfectly with the window you have punched before, then glue the white sheet onto the lantern to create white window panes.

Step 5 Fold each end of each sheet you have made, around 1cm

Step 6 Glue the sheets together. Then take the remaining end of the sheets, glue them to the stiff paper to make the handle. And secure the sheets together inside the lantern

Step 7 Make a fan blade, this fan blade has the effect of spinning the shapes inside the lantern to cast shadows on the walls. Fix the fan blade and shape the fan blade

Step 8 Attach the axle to the fan blade

Step 9 Decorate the fan blade

Step 10 Fix the rotating shaft

For more details:  Super simple with paper for Mid-Autumn Festival

Military Lantern

5How to make a Kite lantern

If you are handy or want to make a lantern yourself, you just need a few simple tools to make a cute Kite lantern right away. The meaning of the Kite lantern is to help children remember history and their love for the homeland through the image of soldiers in action.

How to make a Kite lantern with paper

Materials needed