Arts and Crafts of Dragons for a 7 Year Old

I am not a craft dad. In fact, the last time I cut into construction paper with a pair of scissors (before today), it was most definitely the '80s. "Dallas" was still on television. But I have a vivid, childhood memory of making rocket ships out of toilet rolls with my Dad around the time I was the age my son is now (3½), and I've been wanting to share that joyful experience with the boy for awhile now. And so it is that — emboldened by the strong ~dragon vibes~ of the Lunar New Year — I have decided to set aside my fear of colored tissue paper and Elmer's glue and craft with my dragon-obsessed child. Here's how that went.

These are all the supplies I assembled. It made me feel very crafty just having them!

Craft #1: Simple Paper Plate Dragon Craft

Materials: Paper plate, googly eyes, popsicle stick, decorating materials (construction paper, markers or paint), scissors, stapler

Instructions: Learn With Play at Home

This nice easy one from Learn With Play at Home has "Simple" in the title and only involves minor, routine surgery on a paper plate. I felt pretty confident we could handle this one.

I made a few adjustments in the decoration stage of this project – namely that we opted to glue colored tissue paper onto the plate instead of painting ourselves, our home, the cat, and any other unfortunate creature within a 10-foot radius (which would be the only possible outcome if either of us were to be entrusted with paint at this stage of our crafting careers), but I have to say I'm quite proud of how this one came out.

Not that what I think matters in the slightest. Here's my boy's review:

What do you like about him?

- "He's really scary."

- "He breathes fire when my eyes are closed."*

- "This dragon has wings."

- "He's a funny big dragon!"

- "He has a very long tail and a long neck."

*I did not witness this, but if he only breathes fire when people's eyes are closed, I just have no real way of verifying it.

Any criticisms or room for improvement?

- "He looks like a dinosaur."

- "He's not a dragon; he's an Allosaurus."*

*The child eventually walked this back, but it was a tough and unexpected review at the time.

What shall we call him?

- "I will name him Swag-on."

Final thoughts?

- "Swag-on is pretty heavy because he's long."*

*Swag-on is made out of a paper plate, a popsicle stick, and some tissue paper. He is not heavy, but I guess everything's relative when you're 3 years old.

All in all, a big success. Swag-on was a hit, and fun to make. On to the next one.

Craft #2: Toilet Roll Dragon

Materials: Toilet roll, construction paper, pom poms, googly eyes, tissue paper, glue stick, glue gun

Instructions: One Little Project

This one, from One Little Project, is a fire-breathing dragon head that you can blow into to make the tissue paper fire flicker. It rules.

The boy and I (OK, this was mostly my fault) failed to obtain a glue gun as we were instructed, and we only had one size of pom pom, so we had to do a bit of improvisation involving cutting holes in the toilet roll and pulling the pom poms through so the dragon's nostrils weren't the same size as her eyes, but other than that, I feel like it was a success.

Here's the boy's review:

What do you like about her?

- "She's breathing fire."

- "This is the scariest dragon."

- "This dragon is funny."

Any criticisms or room for improvement?

- "This dragon – she doesn't have wings because she can't fly."*

- "Her arms are inside her body"**

*I'm aware that this notion creates something of a causal paradox, but what can you do?

**I couldn't technically disprove this.

What shall we call her?

"Her name is Trentamine."

Final thoughts?

- "I want to bring her to school."

Two for two. Trentamine is a worthy addition to our growing dragon family, even if her arms are inside her body. One more to go.

Craft #3: Colorful Paper Plate Dragon

Materials: Paper plate, decorating materials, googly eyes, scissors, stapler

Instructions: Pink Stripey Socks

Another delightful and easy paper plate dragon design, this time from Pink Stripey Socks. I was attracted to this one because I already feel quite confident cutting into a paper plate.

Once again, we (OK, I) chickened out about painting or coloring our dragon and just glued construction paper onto the design, so our dragon ended up as a tasteful, geometric, minimalist beast rather than the cool, expressionistic dragon in the instructions. Pink Stripey Socks provides a printable template for this one, so it's super easy to make, and you can be a lot more creative than we were when it comes to decorations.

Here's the boy's review:

What do you like about him?

- "He can sit!"

- "He's making a big sound."*

- "This dragon has wings."

- "His tail is very sharp!"

*I was unable to confirm this.

Any criticisms or room for improvement?

- "He goes upside-down and turns into another dragon."*

*I don't know what this means, but it is a troubling thought.

What shall we call him?

- "His name is Swazzert."

Final thoughts?

- "I would like to bring a dragon for 'Show and Tell.' I want to bring Swazzert."*

*Being selected for "Show and Tell" by my child is the highest compliment an object can receive. It's basically the Pulitzer Prize for toys.

What a success! The boy and I are both incredibly proud of our crafting achievements. I asked him which one was his favorite and he said, "all of them," which warmed this Dad's cold heart. Then he said, "I don't need socks," which is a) a non sequitur, and b) false. Nonetheless, we sent him to school with three dragons and no socks on because you have to pick your battles.