If your kids love dragons, STEM activities, or hands-on learning, they are going to love this flying dragon craft. This craft uses simple materials you probably already have on hand (or could obtain easily) and is easy for both younger and older kids to experience.
And if you take deeper dive into the science behind this flying dragon craft, you have an in-depth dragon STEM activity on your hands! Yes, even high schoolers can enjoy some educational adventures when you do this activity properly. So what are you waiting for? Read on for the tutorial and lesson plans behind this easy kids craft.
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Are You Celebrating?
This paper craft is fun, simple, and easily adaptable for any celebrations you might be enjoying.
Planning a birthday party? The entire group can participate in the activity with minimal effort or mess on your part. Halloween coming up? Just make a bat instead of a dragon. Or enjoy a Harry Potter themed activity by changing your design just a little bit more.
If you are celebrating Chinese New Year, beyond the everyday educational aspects of this activity that I will go into more below, this flying dragon craft also doubles as a Chinese New Year activity. Be sure to include it in your festivities this year!
Flying Dragon Craft Tutorial
Your students are going to create a dragon using common household items that will “fly” a short distance. Students will be able to see force and motion in action as they pull the strings to make their dragon move.
This activity can be used along with a study of physics or a unit study on Issac Newton.
This flying dragon craft is easy for kids of all ages to follow. Preschoolers should be able to complete this paper craft activity with minimal adult supervision and older kids and teens can enjoy this STEM activity all on their own. No craft kit required!
Materials Needed
- Paper towel or toilet paper roll (cardboard tube)
- 2 Sheets colored construction paper or card stock
- Scissors
- Googly Eyes
- Yarn
- Glue dots
- Tape
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Markers, stickers, or paint for decorating
DIY Dragon Craft Instructions
- Measure and cut a rectangle from construction paper (or card stock) to fit the cardboard roll. Older students can use this opportunity to practice their measuring skills (math).
To measure, make marks on paper to show length and then roll the paper around the tube with a slight overlap and make another mark so you know where to cut. Use a ruler to draw lines from marks.
Create a Template for Dragon Wings, Head, and Tail
- For wings, fold a piece of construction paper in half and draw a half a wing beginning at the fold.
- For the tail cut a strip about 2cm wide down the width of the construction paper.
- Draw a small diamond shape (2cm x 2cm) to serve as the tip of the tail.
- For the head, using the same piece of folded construction paper, draw half of a head to be cut out. (Alternatively, older students should definitely experiment with designing their own templates. Your kids can even experiment with a fire breathing dragon!)
- Cut two 4-5 foot pieces of yarn
Making the Dragons
- Cut out head, wings, and tail.
- Allow students to decorate their dragon body and wings if they so choose.
(Affix googly eyes to the dragon head, finish drawing face, etc.)
- Wrap dragon body (rectangle) around cardboard tube and tape.
- Accordion fold (fold one way and then the other) the strip for the tail.
- Attach the tip of the tail with a glue dot.
- Attach the tail to the bottom of the seam side of the tube with a glue dot or tape
- Attach wings to the middle of the seam side of the tube with a glue dot or tape
- Attach head to the top of the opposite side with glue dots.
Making Your Dragon Fly
- Either tie the two pieces of yarn to something slightly elevated from your child or have a taller person hold them tightly.
- Thread the two loose ends of string through the dragon.
- Let the child pull the strings apart to watch the dragon fly away from them.
- Bring the strings back together for the dragon to return.
Turning this Dragon Craft into a STEM or Science Activity
Force and motion happen around us all the time. Force is the energy it takes to do the work, such as a push or pull. Motion happens when an object changes position compared to a place or object that is not moving, called the frame of reference. When force is exerted on an object, it creates motion.
Pulling the strings apart is the force which causes the dragon to move in a forward motion away from you. Friction from the strings will cause the dragon to stop at the end. Once the strings are brought back together, gravity brings the dragon back to the starting point.
Follow-Up Questions and Activities
These follow-up questions and activities are a great way to keep kids learning and to encourage critical thinking skills. Plus if you are willing to dive deep, this is where a teenage-friendly learning experience can really come through.
- What makes the dragon slow down, and eventually stop, at the end of the string?
- Do you think your dragon would move faster or slower if we changed the design?
- Did the dragon move faster when you pulled the strings, or when you held them together and let gravity pull the dragon? Why do you think that happened?
- If you had a longer arm span, would the dragon fly faster or slower?
- What do you think would happen if you pulled the strings apart faster? What would happen if you did it slower?
Study the effects of gravity by removing one string and switching positions. Tie the string to a lower area and stand above it to create a zip line. Put your dragon at the top and watch him fly to the bottom. Compare and contrast the difference between the two.
For Older Students (i.e. Middle School, High School)
Have older students calculate the speed their dragon is moving using the equation s=d/t (speed=distance / time ) Have them do the original experiment and the zip line and compare and contrast speeds.
It’s surprisngly easy to turn a child-friendly STEM activity into a STEM activity for middle schoolers and high schoolers. All it takes is a little bit of creative thinking and an easy way to research (such as the internet).
If your teens love STEM activities but you struggle with making them age-appropriate, check out this collection of STEM Made Easy books. The first one, an Edibles Edition, has 10 fun edible STEM activities that I show you how to adapt to be perfect for preschoolers all the way through high school seniors.
Or feel free to check out my other collection of dragon-themed STEM activities and craft ideas. Including an upcoming unit on dragon paper airplanes…Stay tuned for that!
More STEM Resources for Kids (Including A Free Printable)
If you liked this activity, you are going to love the STEM Made Easy Digital Subscription. Each month, you receive a project pack that includes 5 fully planned STEM project guides along with worksheets and instructions for how to make them fun and engaging for kids ages 3-19.
Want a free project sample? Sign up to get a complete 39-page project guide sent to you so you can see exactly what’s inside each of the STEM Made Easy Digital Subscription project pack.
I’ve also got this ultimate list of STEAM and STEM activities for kids of all ages if you want to take a look.
Flying Dragon Craft/STEM Project
This is such a fun craft for the kids!
Materials
- Paper towel or toilet paper roll (cardboard tube)
- 2 Sheets colored construction paper or card stock
- Scissors
- Googly Eyes
- Yarn
- Glue dots
- Tape
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Markers, stickers, or paint for decorating
Instructions
Measure and cut a rectangle from construction paper (or card stock) to fit the cardboard roll. Older students can use this opportunity to practice their measuring skills (math).
To measure, make marks on paper to show length and then roll the paper around the tube with a slight overlap and make another mark so you know where to cut. Use a ruler to draw lines from marks.
Create a Template for Dragon Wings, Head, and Tail
For wings, fold a piece of construction paper in half and draw a half a wing beginning at the fold.
For the tail cut a strip about 2cm wide down the width of the construction paper.
Draw a small diamond shape (2cm x 2cm) to serve as the tip of the tail.
For the head, using the same piece of folded construction paper, draw half of a head to be cut out. (Alternatively, older students should definitely experiment with designing their own templates. Your kids can even experiment with a fire breathing dragon!)
Cut two 4-5 foot pieces of yarn
Making the Dragons
Cut out head, wings, and tail.
Allow students to decorate their dragon body and wings if they so choose. (Affix googly eyes to the dragon head, finish drawing face, etc.)
Wrap dragon body (rectangle) around cardboard tube and tape.
Accordion fold (fold one way and then the other) the strip for the tail.
Attach the tip of the tail with a glue dot.
Attach the tail to the bottom of the seam side of the tube with a glue dot or tape
Attach wings to the middle of the seam side of the tube with a glue dot or tape
Attach head to the top of the opposite side with glue dots.
Making Your Dragon Fly
Either tie the two pieces of yarn to something slightly elevated from your child or have a taller person hold them tightly.
Thread the two loose ends of string through the dragon.
Let the child pull the strings apart to watch the dragon fly away from them.
Bring the strings back together for the dragon to return.
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