Celebrate strength, energy and progress this year with some amazing Year of the Horse crafts! Perfect for kids to welcome the Chinese New Year!

It’s time to celebrate another New Year, and this time it’s the Lunar New Year, celebrated with great enthusiasm throughout Vietnam, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, and of course, China!

According to the Chinese Zodiac, 12 animals correspond with each year in a 12-year cycle. This year, we welcome the Year of the Horse (⾺) on 17th February 2026

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What’s special about the Year of the Horse?

The Horse is the 7th animal in the Chinese zodiac
In Eastern cultures, horses represent action, speed and energy
People born in the Year of the Horse are believed to be adventurous and confident
Lucky colors for the Horse are red, green, blue and yellow
Lucky numbers for the Horse are 2, 3, and 7

The Chinese calendar is based on animals as well as yin and yang archetypes. So a year is actually decided by both factors – the animal and the archetype. This year, the animal is the horse, ruled by Yang Fire, which gives us the Year of the Fire Horse!

The last time we had a fire horse year was in 1966-1967, and the next one will be in 2086-87 – that’s a long way off! So why don’t we make the most of this year with some amazing Year of the Horse crafts?

15 Year of the Horse Crafts for Chinese New Year

1. Year of the Horse Printable Activity Pack

Here’s the perfect way to kickstart our list of Year of the Horse crafts – a full-fledged activity pack! it has coloring pages, greeting cards, crosswords, word searches and more!

2. Chinese Zodiac Horse Coloring Page

A horse is all about energy and speed, which is why this year is all about being motivated and ready to take action on something you want! This coloring page symbolizes the pose of a horse that’s ready to take a leap!

3. Chinese Zodiac Horse Printable Headband

The fact that the horse is in the middle of the Chinese zodiac shows that the Year of the Horse is the peak of your enthusiasm and energy. Let’s try to imbibe all that with a cute printable horse headband.

4. Chinese Zodiac Horse Cootie Catcher Printable

If you’re looking for Year of the Horse crafts for younger kids, these cootie catchers are perfect! You’ll find one for each animal of the Chinese zodiac, including a horse!

5. Year of the Fire Horse Paper Craft

The lucky colors for the Year of the Fire Horse are gold, yellow, red, and blue. Krokotak tries to include most of these in this collection of paper horses that you can make with craft paper!

6. Year of the Horse Paper Plate Craft

Red Ted Art shows us how to turn plain paper plates into Year of the Horse crafts! These are great for young kids, especially if you have a parent or older sibling to handle the cutting parts.

7. Chinese New Year Paper Cup Horse

Okay, we’ve done paper plates, now it’s time to make Year of the Horse crafts out of paper cups! KHÉO TAY CÙNG BÉ shows us exactly how to go about it, and we love how it’s turned out!

8. Chinese New Year Hobby Horse

Hobby horses are a classic, and Baker Ross gives us a complete step-by-step tutorial to make one that’s perfect for the Chinese New Year! We love all the glittery bits on it – gives it a very festive look!

9. Chinese New Year 3D Horse Coloring Page

If you’d like to take your coloring to the third dimension, be sure to grab this 3D coloring page from Red Ted Art! It features a horse with what looks like gold coins under its feet!

10. Lunar New Year Fire Horse Marionettes

A marionette is a puppet that is controlled by strings, and San Diego Family shows us how to make a fun, festive horse marionette that’s perfect for a special Lunar New Year puppet show!

11. Chinese New Year Horse Paper Cutting

Paper cutting is a traditional Chinese art form, and it’s been around since 420-589 A.D. It has several uses; in ceremonies, prayers and as decor. Here, Craftiments shows us how to use this ancient technique to make a horse craft for Chinese New Year.

12. Paper Roll & Popsicle Horse Craft

If you’ve got toilet paper rolls and craft sticks lying around at home and are looking for ideas for Year of the Horse crafts, you have got to check out this craft project from Daily Dose of Art!

13. Year of the Horse Oriental Hat

Got a Lunar New Year party to attend? Don’t forget to get your accessories right, like this pretty oriental hat from Clever Patch! It’s super easy to make – just grab the free template!

14. Chinese New Year Rocking Horse

You’ve heard of rocking horses, but have you heard of a rocking horse craft for the Chinese New Year? Well, The Handy Mind shows us that it exists, and that you can make one yourself too!

15. Year of the Horse Origami Horse Tutorial

Japan meets China in this lovely origami tutorial from Irene Blchua! Use pretty red patterned paper to make these Origami horses, and place them at different spots around your home!

We hope these Year of the Horse crafts inspire you to move forward with confidence and courage, holding your head high – just like a horse would! If you’ve been meaning to do many things in life, this is the year actually to take action on them; someday has come, and it’s today!

Here are more crafts based on other animals of the Chinese zodiac: