If you’re looking for a fun and easy Chinese New Year craft for kids we’ve got you covered! Join us in the celebrations with this super fun and completely FREE Chinese New Year Cootie Catcher Printable.
Our Chinese New Year Fortune Teller is not just any ordinary new year craft—it’s 12 crafts in one, with a unique version for each of the Chinese zodiac animals! And best of all, it won’t cost you a single one of your lucky red envelopes because it’s absolutely FREE!
Free Lunar New Year Fortune Tellers
This printable paper fortune teller is such an easy and fun paper game to make and play with and can be enjoyed by kids of all ages. It’s a wonderfully interactive craft to explore the beginning of Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival and its spirit of renewal and good luck for the year ahead.
Each cootie catcher template is decorated with a beautiful image of one of the 12 the Chinese zodiac animals inspired by traditional Chinese culture and art. They offer kids a hands-on experience that is both fun and educational. (You might also like our free printable Christmas Cootie Catchers too.)
Each new year is the year of a different zodiac animal. There’s a Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig, Rat Ox, Tiger and Rabbit.
2024 Is the year of the Dragon, 2025 will be the year of the Snake and 2026 will be the year of the Horse and so on, as it cycles through each of the 12 animals.
In Chinese tradition it’s believed that the year we are born in affects our personality as we take on some of the animal’s traits from that particular year. For example, people born in the year of the Dragon are said to be brave, energetic and warm hearted, and those born in the year of the snake are said to be quiet, agile and wise.
Kids can enjoy making a Dragon Cootie Catcher to celebrate 2024 which is the year of the dragon. Or perhaps they’d like to make the animal from their own year of birth, or maybe they’d like to make all 12!
Lunar New Year Cootie Catcher Craft
With these free printables, kids will have so much fun decorating the gorgeous designs with different colors and writing or drawing their own messages for a happy new year or fortunes inside. It’s such a great way for kids to have fun together and celebrate the lunar new year and its traditions.
Whether you choose to make one, two or all 12 Chinese Zodiac cootie catchers, you’ll have a blast! It’s a wonderful new year craft that combines tradition, fun, and a touch of good fortune!
Craft Supplies:
- Free Printable Template (Get your printable file at the bottom of this post.)
- Sheet of Paper
- Scissors
- Coloring Materials: Pens, Pencil Crayons etc.
How to Make a Chinese Zodiac Cootie Catcher
Step 1 – The first thing to do is download and print the Chinese New Year cootie catcher onto paper or thin cardstock. (Get the individual fortune tellers below or scroll to the end to the whole set of 12 sent to your inbox.)
Step 2 – Carefully cut out the square piece of paper. (It’s important that it’s a perfect square to make folding easier.)
Step 3 – Follow the simple origami folding step by step instructions on the printable template or in the photo above.
The best thing about a cootie catcher is that once kids know how to fold them they can easily make their own blank cootie catcher simply with a square of notebook paper. They’ll be able to have hours of fun decorating them in lots of different ways and with lots of different themes. It would be a really easy way to celebrate every holiday of the year!
Chinese Zodiac Animals
Below you’ll see a picture of each Chinese Zodiac free printable cootie catcher for each of the animals. You can download each one individually or scroll to the very bottom of the post and fill in the short form with your email address and the full set will be sent straight to your inbox.
Year of the Dragon
Dragons hatch in special years like 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, or 2024! So, gear up to soar high and have a super brave, super energetic, and super warm-hearted year!
Download the Year of the Dragon Cootie Catcher here.
Year of the Snake
Wriggling snakes are born in special years like 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, or 2025! Get ready to slither into a year full of cleverness and exciting snakey escapades that’ll make you hiss with joy!
Download the Year of the Snake Cootie Catcher here.
Year of the Horse
Yeehaw, awesome horses! If you were born in 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, or 2026, get ready to dash into a year packed with fun, freedom, and thrilling horse adventures!
Download the Year of the Horse Cootie Catcher here.
Year of the Goat
Giddy goats are born in 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, or 2027! Embrace a year of gentle joy, kind heartedness and mountain-high adventures that will make you bleat with happiness!
Download the Year of the Goat Cootie Catcher here.
Year of the Monkey
Hey, playful monkeys! If you were born in 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, or 2028, get ready to jump into a year bursting with fun and adventures that’ll make you go bananas with happiness!
Download the Year of the Monkey Cootie Catcher here.
Year of the Rooster
Cock-a-doodle-do! Wake up awesome Roosters. If you were born in 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, or 2029! Strut into a year of full of self confidence, excitement, and feathered fun that will make you crow with delight!
Download the Year of the Rooster Cootie Catcher here.
Year of the Dog
Loyal and lovable Dogs are born in 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, or 2030! Bark your way into a year of loyalty, friendship, and tail wagging adventures that will have you howling with happiness!
Download the Year of the Dog Cootie Catcher here.
Year of the Pig
Oink-tastic Pigs are born in 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, or 2031! Trot into a year of goodies, good luck, and piggy-perfect parties that will have you squealing with joy!
Download the Year of the Pig Cootie Catcher here.
Year of the Rat
Hey speedy Rat friends born 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, or 2020! Scamper into the limelight with your clever and quick charm, turning every year into an epic adventure!
Download the Year of the Rat Cootie Catcher here.
Year of the Ox
Mighty Oxen are born in 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, or 2021! Thunder into a year filled with determination, hard work, and loads of ox-tastic fun!
Download the Year of the Ox Cootie Catcher here.
Year of the Tiger
Hey Roaring Tigers. If you were born in 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, or 2022 unleash your inner roar for a year bursting with tiger-tastic fun and adventure!
Download the Year of the Tiger Cootie Catcher here.
Year of the Rabbit
Hopping Rabbits are born in 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, or 2023! Bounce your way into a year filled with friendly and fluffy fun sure to make every day extra hoppy!
Download the Year of the Rabbit Cootie Catcher here.
How to get your Free Printable Lunar New Year Cootie Catcher Templates
Our Lunar New Year Cootie Catcher Coloring Craft is such a fun activity that lets kids explore Chinese culture and tradition and have lots of fun. So get your free digital product today and let the Chinese new year adventure begin!
Simply fill in the form below to subscribe to our newsletter (you can unsubscribe at any time). As a thank you, I will send the free pdf file of the whole set to your inbox, so you can enjoy your instant downloads straight away.
Don’t miss out on the fun, grab your free printable cootie catchers today!
May the Year of the Dragon bring joy, laughter, and endless fun to you and your little ones! Happy New Year!
Looking for More Chinese New Year Crafts?
Try our Waving Lucky Cat, Paper Cup Dragon and Zodiac Animal Coloring Pages
More fun Chinese New Year Crafts To Try:
