Simple DIY A4 Paper Lantern for Moms and Kids

To ensure a joyful Mid-Autumn Festival for your child, step away from phone screens or unwind after intense study hours. Engage with your child in crafting lanterns, a meaningful and affectionate activity. Here, PasGo will guide you through 4 ways to make A4 paper lanterns with easily accessible materials.

1. Easy DIY A4 Paper Lantern in Diamond Shape

Prepare

Prepare Materials for DIY Paper Lantern

- Get 2 stiff A4 sheets, each in a different color. Choose colors your child loves for the lantern.

- Grab a roll of double-sided tape.

- Also, have a roll of twine, opt for a twine design suitable for gift wrapping.

- Additionally, gather: scissors, marker, and a ruler.

Procedure

Creating diamond-shaped paper lanterns for Mid-Autumn Festival decoration and moonlit night illumination involves the following steps:

Step 1:

Use a ruler to measure the width of the A4 paper, approximately 5cm.

Mark with a pen to draw a more symmetrical rectangle shape and cut with scissors.

Step 2:

With the remaining paper, continue cutting along the width of the paper, approximately 1cm wide.

Step 3:

Fold the recently cut paper in half, then make evenly spaced vertical cuts along the width of the paper, leaving the paper partially connected.

Step 4: 

Apply double-sided tape to the inner side of the cut paper. The tape should align along the horizontal edge of the paper.

Once the tape adheres to the paper, affix the remaining side onto the pre-cut A4 rectangular paper from step 1.

Step 5: 

With the remaining paper, you can cut it into multiple small strands to create decorative borders for the Mid-Autumn lantern.

Step 6:

Finally, all you need to do is take the small string you prepared beforehand and thread it through both ends to create a handle for the lantern.

There you go, you have successfully completed making the Mid-Autumn Festival lantern as a gift for your beloved child.

2. Making a spherical Mid-Autumn Festival lantern with A4 paper

Preparation

Materials for crafting a spherical Mid-Autumn Festival lantern with paper include:

- 2-3 sheets of A4 paper, choose colors based on personal preferences, it's recommended to use different colors for each sheet.

- Compass for creating more aesthetically pleasing paper cuts.

- Scissors, ruler, gift wrapping twine, adhesive glue, or double-sided tape.

Implementation Steps

The process of creating spherical A4 paper lanterns for the Mid-Autumn Festival involves 6 steps:

Step 1: Use a compass to create 16 circles with a radius of 8cm on the prepared A4 sheets, fold those circles in half. Note, if you want a larger lantern, cut more circles.

Step 2: Next, use scissors to cut a rectangular piece of A4 paper measuring 17.5cm x 10cm (or larger if you have more than 16 circles), use a pen to evenly divide it into small lines on one corner of the paper.

Step 3: Paste the recently cut circles onto the small lines previously marked on the paper in step 2. While pasting, aim for the center of the paper, leaving some empty space to create the top and bottom of the lantern.

Step 4: Decorate the lantern by adding small paper turtles made from the excess paper. Alternatively, use a pen to draw additional decorations on the lantern.

Step 5: Finally, affix the paper turtles to the bottom of the lantern, glue together the two ends of the rectangular piece to form a circular shape for the lantern. Cut a long piece of string, approximately 16cm x 1cm, securely attach it to both ends of the lantern, the bottom of the lantern. Use another piece of string, about 12cm x 1cm, glue it in between to create a handle for the lantern. Adjust the string size as desired.

3. Creating A4 paper lanterns in the shape of a bonfire for the Mid-Autumn Festival

Preparation

Materials for making bonfire-shaped Mid-Autumn Festival lanterns with paper include: 

- 9 sheets of A4 colored paper (medium thickness)

- Scissors, ruler, drawing pen.

- 1 roll of gift wrapping twine

Implementation Steps

Step 1: First, fold the A4 paper horizontally.

Then, unfold the paper and fold it again vertically to find the midpoint of each edge.

Step 2: Next, open the inner side of the A4 paper and use a pen and ruler to connect 4 points to form a diamond shape.

Starting from the first point horizontally, measure distances of 2.3cm, 5.4cm, and 8.3cm consecutively.

Step 3: From the 3 marked points, continue using the ruler to draw straight lines up, rotate the paper, and do the same for the lower part.

Step 4: Use scissors to cut out the diamond shape along with the small straight lines inside.

Be careful while cutting these small sections.

Step 5: After cutting, fold the shape in half, then connect them using the cut lines at the top of the paper piece.

Repeat the same process with the remaining sheets of paper.

Once you have shaped them, continue stacking them together until you run out of paper.

Step 6: Lastly, use a round tube made of stiff paper to insert into the center of the lantern, then secure its shape.

4. Creating a bouncing paper lantern for a joyful Mid-Autumn Festival

Preparation

Materials needed to make a fun bouncing paper lantern for the Mid-Autumn Festival include: 

- Assorted colored crepe paper

- 1 sturdy cardboard sheet

- Ruler, paper cutter, scissors, adhesive glue, hot glue gun, tealight candles, thin rope, etc.

Implementation Steps

Step 1: Use scissors to cut the crepe paper into a rectangular shape, measuring 40 x 50cm.

Fold the crepe paper vertically, creating a zigzag pattern like folding a paper fan.

Step 2: Fold horizontally, roll the paper into a circular shape to form the lantern.

Use tape to secure the body of the lantern.

Step 3: Take a sturdy cardboard sheet, cut it into a circular shape to create the base for the lantern.

Use adhesive glue to securely attach a tealight candle to the center of the cardboard base and glue the base to the lantern.

Step 4: Cut another cardboard sheet, create a hollow circular shape, and glue it to the top, leaving a 1cm edge.

Step 5: Punch holes on opposite sides and thread a piece of twine through to create a hanging rope for the lantern.

Step 6: When you want to illuminate it, simply push down the crepe paper, light the candle, and release the crepe paper.

Above are 4 simple ways to make Mid-Autumn Festival lanterns with paper, making it easy for moms and kids to create at home without much effort. Mid-Autumn lanterns hold significant meaning for Children's Day, allowing kids to parade with lanterns, creating a happy and memorable childhood. Making lanterns also helps children stay away from phone screens in today's technological era.

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Explore the suitable restaurants for booking your 2023 Mid-Autumn Festival celebration in Ho Chi Minh City HERE