Want a fun Chinese New Year craft for kids? Keep scrolling to find out how to download a free Chinese New Year cootie catcher!
This Chinese New Year cootie catcher tutorial contains affiliate links which means if you purchase something from one of my affiliate links, I may earn a small commission that goes back into maintaining this blog.
Looking for a fun and easy Chinese New Year craft for your kids? Look no further!
This Chinese New Year cootie catcher is perfect for kids of all ages. There are 12 versions, one for each zodiac animal, so you can find the perfect one for your child.
They’ll love learning about the Chinese Zodiac with this fun activity. And it’s free – just download and print!
My kids LOVE playing with these and they are hoping to share them with classmates to ring in the 2023 Year of the Rabbit!
Keep scrolling to download these free PDFs now!

Lunar New Year Cootie Catcher Craft
What You’ll Need:
- Paper
- Printer
- Scissors
- Chinese Zodiac cootie catcher template
Chinese Zodiac Cootie Catcher Craft Instructions:
- Print out the Chinese Zodiac cootie catcher that you want to make on either copy paper or cardstock. If you’d prefer, you can send the design to a local print shop like Office Max to print copies of the printable.
- Trim the template carefully.
- Fold the cootie catcher along the lines, according to the instructions on the template.
Year of the Rat
This is for people born in the following years: 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, and 2020.

Year of the Ox
This is the Chinese zodiac for people born in the following years: 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, and 2021.

Year of the Tiger
This is the Chinese zodiac for people born in the following years: 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, and 2022.

Year of the Rabbit
This is the Chinese zodiac for people born in the following years: 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, and 2023.

Year of the Dragon
This is the Chinese zodiac for people born in the following years: 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, and 2024.

Year of the Snake
This is the Chinese zodiac for people born in the following years: 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, and 2025.

Year of the Horse
This is the Chinese zodiac for people born in the following years: 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, and 2026.

Year of the Sheep
This is the Chinese zodiac for people born in the following years: 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, and 2027.

Year of the Monkey
This is the Chinese zodiac for people born in the following years: 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, and 2028.

Year of the Rooster
This is the Chinese zodiac for people born in the following years: 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, and 2029.

Year of the Dog
This is the Chinese zodiac for people born in the following years: 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, and 2030.

Year of the Pig
This is the Chinese zodiac for people born in the following years: 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, and 2031.

A few more ways you can use your Chinese New Year craft are:
- Make several and include in a Chinese New Year goody bag.
- Add them as a pre-dinner activity during Chinese New Year.
- Use them as a class project at school.
I hope you enjoy making something new and fun with your family this year. It’s a fun way to kick off the Lunar New Year! Gong Xi!