Since 2025 marks the Year of the Snake, we’re sharing an enjoyable Chinese New Year spiral snake craft for children to create at school or at home. It’s the traditional swirly paper snake project, given a creative twist with the addition of yarn.
Cutting out the snake, weaving yarn through the holes along its body, and adding plastic beads turns this Chinese New Year activity into an entertaining way for children to celebrate Lunar New Year while also developing their fine motor abilities.
A complimentary printable template for the snake craft is available when you enter your email address at the bottom of this article.
Marked sections run along the snake’s body on the template, helping children identify where to begin and end each color. I chose a striped design featuring several classic colors, including red, orange, and yellow.
There is also a second template version without divided sections, allowing children to decorate the snake however they choose.
Cartoon-style eyes and a tiny red tongue poking out complete the snake’s look.
After it is cut out, the snake’s body curls into a spiral, while red yarn is woven through the paper holes to give it a more celebratory appearance.
Additional Chinese New Year snake crafts
This Chinese New Year snake paper hat showcases the same charming snake along with several wording choices: 2025 Happy Chinese New Year, 2025 Year Of The Snake, 2025 Happy Year Of The Snake or 2025 Happy New Year.
2025 Year of the Snake decoration – A lovely design showing the snake encircled by fireworks and cherry blossoms. Children can also color in the year 2025 along the decoration’s lower section.
Chinese New Year Snake Agamograph – Agamographs are entertaining projects that merge two pictures into one, with each image appearing from a different viewing angle. Here, one picture features a snake, while the opposite side displays the words “Chinese New Year”.
Chinese New Year spiral snake craft
Materials:
- Free printable spiral snake – provide your email address at the end of the article to get the printable
- White printer paper
- Scissors
- Colored pencils or felt-tip markers
- Red yarn
- Plastic yarn needle
- Hole puncher
- Tape
- Plastic beads
Instructions, step by step
First, download the free printable snake craft, located at the end of the article, and color the design.
Follow the spiral line to cut out the snake.
Punch holes across the snake’s body, placing one hole in every segment.
Snip a piece of red yarn. Attach one end to the back of the snake’s head with tape, then insert the other end into a plastic yarn needle.
Weave the yarn through each hole in the snake’s body until every one has been filled.
Thread plastic beads onto the end, then knot the yarn into a loop for convenient hanging.
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