Contents

    – Step 1: Gather supplies to make a lantern

    – Step 2: Cut a rectangle of tissue paper to make the lantern

    – Step 3: Punch a pattern on the tissue paper

    – Step 4: Make the top part of the lantern

    – Step 5: Glue the tissue paper and place the candle in the lantern

Paper lanterns are synonymous with festivities and can be made for many occasions: Bastille Day, Halloween, Christmas, Candlemas, Midsummer’s Day… The basic technique is straightforward, within reach of a child of about ten years old. You have to adapt the colour of the paper to the colour of the holiday.

Here is how to make a lantern.

Materials needed to make a lantern.

1. Gather supplies to make a lantern

To make your paper lantern, you will need:

    – 1 round wooden (camembert type) or cardboard (Gruyere cream type) cheese box;

    – coloured tissue paper:

        ◦ orange, black or purple for Halloween,

        ◦ red or green for Christmas…;

Good to know: you can also use tracing paper and draw shadow-like patterns on it with a black felt pen.

    – 1 cylindrical candle if your lanterns are intended to light up the garden;

Tip: if you are making lanterns to decorate the house, use small led candles instead; it’s safer to avoid any fire risk.

    – scissors;

    – 1 cutter (to be used by an adult);

    – glue in a tube;

    – string;

    – 1 stapler.

Tip: you may want to bring an old magazine and a thin nail to make patterns in the tissue paper.

2. Cut a rectangle of tissue paper to make the lantern

Start by folding a piece of tissue paper twice: the lantern will be less fragile.

Tip: if you are using thicker tracing paper, there is no need to double fold it.

    – Measure the circumference of the cheese box and add 1 cm: you get a length L.

    – Cut a rectangle of length L and width corresponding to the height you want to give to the lantern, for example, 15 cm, from the double thickness of tissue paper.

    – Glue the two layers of tissue paper together at the edges.

3. Punch a pattern on the tissue paper

This step is optional.

    – Place the tissue paper rectangle on an old magazine.

    – Using the nail, punch random holes in it.

Good to know: you can also draw one or more patterns on the tissue paper with a pencil (stars, circles…) and then punch them.

4. Make the top part of the lantern

The purpose of the operation is to recover a ring of wood or cardboard without a bottom. To do this, cut the underside of the lid of the pie tin with a cutter: you get a ring on the one hand and a flat disc on the other.

Tip: If your children have started making lanterns, be there when you use the cutter.

Then cut a piece of string (you can fold it twice for strength) and staple it securely to the edges of the resulting ring. This will create a handle for hanging the lantern or holding it on the end of a stick. 

5. Glue the tissue paper and place the candle in the lantern

Start by gluing the outside of the bottom of the box, as well as the outside surface of the ring to which you have attached a handle.

Glue the rectangle of tissue paper to it, then place the candle in the bottom of the lantern.

Tip: If it’s a flammable candle, make sure it’s glued securely!