Chinese New Year is on February 8, 2016, and with it comes the Year of the Monkey.
If you’re born in a year of the monkey, you’re called a “Monkey” in China. If you or your child was born in a multiple of-12 year, like 1980, 1992, 2004, or 2016, you’re a Monkey.
As a Year of the Monkey child myself, I’m sharing in the fun by monkeying around with my daughter and making some monkey crafts and DIY projects to celebrate the new year. Here are my favorite monkey crafts that you can make at the craft table either with or for your kids.
More Craft Projects for the New Year:
Monkey Crafts and DIY Projects for the 2016 Chinese New Year
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How to Paint a Monkey
Grab just three colors of paint (brown, tan, and black) along with a paintbrush and get ready to paint a monkey. Art for Kids Hub has a great monkey-painting video tutorial that lets all members of the family join in and paint together.
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Clay Monkey Pencil Toppers
There will be no doubt that your child will have the coolest pencil in the entire class when you make these clay monkey pencil toppers with them. FimoKawaiiEmotions has an easy to follow video tutorial that will easily transform the dullest pencils into the cutest creations.
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Geometric Monkey Printable
Fancy coloring books are all the rage, but who says just the adults get to have fun? Print out this amazing geometric monkey printable from Twine and Table, and the whole family can create beautiful works of art in watercolor, tempura paint, or plain ol' crayon!
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Monkey Hooded Towel
There really is nothing cuter than a baby in a hooded towel after bathtime. Make one of these monkey hooded towels from Crazy Little Projects as a present for any babies arriving in the year of the monkey, and you're sure to make mommy happy.
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Pony Bead Monkey
This pony bead monkey from Beadie Critters reminds me of my favorite summer camp crafting afternoons. You could transform him into a keychain or just attach him as a zipper pal to any backpack.
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Easy DIY Sock Monkey
This easy DIY sock monkey tutorial from themissalliecakes is the perfect introduction to hand sewing projects for kids. In fact, I have a feeling that a lot of my daughter's friends are going to be receiving these as presents in the near future.
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Bendable Monkey
Create a bendable monkey with pipe cleaners and a template from Busy Bee Kid Crafts, and have him hanging all around the house.
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DIY Monkey Ears
Turn your little monkeys into actual monkeys with these adorable DIY monkey ears from Mimi's Dollhouse. They're so simple to make and would last forever in the dress-up closet as well.
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Monkey Corner Bookmark
I know my daughter is always in search of a bookmark, so we'll be sitting down to make a couple of these smiling monkey corner bookmarks designed by ForeverMinty.
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Rainbow Loom Monkey
I might still be figuring out how to master a regular bracelet, but kids everywhere have truly mastered the art of making anything out of rainbow looms. These rainbow loom monkeys are made from simple pieces, and the video tutorial from DIY Mommy Designs will have you crafting them in no time.
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Paper Bag Monkey Puppet
Ready to put on a puppet show? Just whip up a few of these paper bag monkey puppets from A Little Bit of Everything, and you're ready for a performance with a whole family of monkeys.
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Origami Monkey
Teach your child the ancient art of origami paper folding and create adorable hanging origami monkeys. I followed the simple instructions from Origami Club and created this guy, so I know you'll be able to do it too!
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Five Little Monkeys Finger Puppets
If you've ever indulged your kids by singing, "Five Little Monkeys Swinging in the Tree," then you know just how much fun it would be to make these adorable monkey finger puppets from Doing Splendid. Sing the nursery rhyme and play along with the puppets, and then do it all again and again.
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Monkey Heart Card
Create a special monkey card just to show someone how much you care. This adorable card from Crafty Morning is the perfect DIY for your child's crafternoon.
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Crochet Monkey
This little crochet monkey is just the right size gift for any deserving boy or girl. The instructions from Little Things Blogged are clear and easy to follow, even for beginners.
