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Festival Lantern

Make a simple lantern from a glass jar, tissue paper, and a battery tea light. Mid-Autumn Festival rooted.

Cartoon illustration of a parent and child at home: make a simple lantern from a glass jar, tissue paper, and a battery tea light.
  • Age2 to 6 years
  • Time30 to 60 minutes
  • EnergyCalm
  • CostLow cost
  • WhereIndoors
  • Prep5 min

Decorate a glass jar with torn or cut tissue paper, place a battery-powered tea light inside, and carry it as a lantern. Rooted in Mid-Autumn Festival tradition but enjoyable any evening as a making and light-play activity.

How to do it

  1. Set out a clean glass jar (a jam jar or similar), torn pieces of coloured tissue paper in several colours, and watered-down white craft glue (roughly 1 part glue to 1 part water in a small dish).
  2. Show your child how to tear tissue paper into rough pieces about 3-5cm across: any shape is fine.
  3. Help your child brush a thin layer of the diluted glue onto a section of the jar's outside surface using a small paintbrush or their fingers. Press tissue paper pieces over the glue, overlapping slightly. Continue until the whole outside surface is covered.
  4. Brush a final thin coat of diluted glue over the top of the tissue paper to seal it. Leave to dry for 20-30 minutes (or speed up with gentle air from a fan).
  5. Once dry, place a battery-operated tea light inside the jar. Switch it on in a dim room and observe the coloured light pattern on the walls.
  6. The lantern can be carried by an adult holding the jar, or a wire handle (a pipe cleaner looped through string around the jar neck) can be added for child-carrying.

What you need

  • Glass jar
  • Tissue paper
  • Craft glue
  • Paintbrush
  • Battery tea light
  • Lantern handle

Signs it is working

Your child covers most of the jar surface with tissue paper without losing interest. They are visibly excited when the tea light is switched on and the coloured light appears. They carry the lit lantern through a dim room or show it to another family member

If it is not quite clicking

The tissue paper tears into very tiny pieces that are hard to handle: Tear larger pieces in advance and let your child choose from a pile; very young children find large pieces easier to press down. The tissue paper bleeds colour onto hands (especially deep red or blue tissue paper): This is normal and washes off easily: have a damp cloth nearby. The diluted glue dries up while waiting: Add a few drops of water and stir. Bubbles form under the tissue paper: Smooth them out with a brush while wet; they will flatten as the glue dries

Make it yours

Younger (2-3y): Parent brushes on the glue; child presses the tissue pieces down: the pressing and patting is satisfying at this age even without fine placement. Use larger pieces. Older (5-6y): Child can try more deliberate patterns: strips going around the jar, alternating colours, or a night-sky design with dark blue and star-shaped gold pieces. Extension, Mid-Autumn context: If making this for the Mooncake Festival (Mid-Autumn / Zhongqiu), share a simple version of the moon story while making it. Take the lantern outside in the evening and look for the moon.

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