Play Dough and Finger Paint Crafts for Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year Crafts for Kids

Easy recycled craft ideas using Babipur paper tape, OkoNorm paints and play dough

Looking for Chinese New Year crafts for kids that are simple, creative, and easy to do at home? These two activities are ideal for open-ended making and family craft time. They also show how Babipur paper tape can be used far beyond gift wrapping, from recycled crafts to decorations for birthdays, seasonal celebrations, and festivals throughout the year.

These ideas come from our Babipur Buddy Sarah (IG @theclanmurray), who loves crafting with her children and making the most of simple materials. Like many creative families, they save useful bits and bobs “just in case”, and those saved pieces often become the starting point for their favourite makes.

Crafting together helps families slow down, stay connected, and focus on the process rather than the end result. These activities are designed to be adaptable, calming, and genuinely enjoyable for children of different ages.

DIY Chinese Drum

A recycled kids craft using finger paints and a used tape core

Child holding a Chinese Drum, made with Babipur tape, Okonorm finger paints and Grimm's wooden beads.

This drum is made using the cardboard core from a used roll of Babipur paper tape, making it a great recycled craft and a simple way to reuse everyday materials. It doubles as a musical toy and can easily be adapted for Chinese New Year, birthdays, Diwali, carnival themes, or any colour-led celebration.

As well as being a craft activity, this drum supports musical play and sensory exploration. Children can experiment with sound, rhythm, volume, and movement as the beads strike the drum, helping them explore listening skills, coordination, and cause and effect through play.

Supplies for Chinese drum kids craft - Okonorm glue and finger paint, empty tape rolls, string and wooden Grimm's beads.

What you’ll need:

OkoNorm finger paint
OkoNorm craft glue
The cardboard core from a used roll of Babipur paper tape
Cardboard (old delivery boxes work well)
Twine or string
A wooden stick or pencil
Grimm's wooden beads
Scissors

Kids Chinese New Year drum craft in progress, an empty tape roll with a dowel through the middle and two cardboard circles painted with Okonorm finger paint.

Okonorm red finger paint on cardboard, making a Chinese drum for Lunar New Year.

Step by step:

Poke two small holes on opposite sides of the tape core and one larger hole in the base.
Draw around the tape core onto cardboard and cut out two circles.
Paint the tape core and cardboard circles red, or any colour you choose.
Once dry, insert the stick through the base hole and glue in place.
Thread string through the side holes and tie to the stick.
Glue the cardboard circles onto each end of the drum.
Attach wooden beads to the strings so they tap the drum when shaken.
Decorate using Babipur paper tape and simple Chinese character designs.

This is a great example of how paper tape can be used decoratively and structurally, making it useful well beyond wrapping presents.

This recycled craft is great for creative play and music exploration. You can easily adapt the design of your drum to suit lots of different celebrations.

Kids crafted Chinese Drums made using empty tape rolls, Okonorm finger paint and Grimm's wooden beads.

DIY Cherry Blossom Tree

A simple Chinese New Year craft using play dough

Cherry blossom tree craft made with Okonorm Play dough, an old branch, sat in a red Grimm's wooden box, surrounded by red wooden figures by Grapat and Grimm's.

This activity encourages slow, hands-on making and works beautifully as a seasonal display.

Working with play dough supports tactile sensory play and fine motor control, while the repetitive, unhurried process encourages focus and calm.

What you need:

OkoNorm play dough
A natural branch
Stones or pea gravel
Grimm's box, jar or small vase
A cocktail stick

Supplies for crafts - Okonorm play dough, black card, pebbles and branch,

Step by step:

First use some play dough to fix your branch into your receptacle/jar/basket
Then pour in some pea gravel to cover the play dough
Roll some red play dough into 5 small balls and put together to make a flower shape.
Make a small yellow ball and press into the centre of the flower.
Press a cocktail stick into each of the 5 petals to make line detail.
Stick the flower onto the branch.
Repeat this process until you are happy.

Grimm's Large Wooden Red Box being filled by hand with pebbles.

Okonorm play dough turned into a red and yellow flower held by fingers.

These Chinese New Year craft ideas for kids are simple, adaptable, and rooted in using what you already have. They support sensory play, musical exploration, fine motor skills, and creative expression, while keeping the focus on time together and the joy of making.

No perfection required. Just materials, imagination, and space to play.