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Ramadan Arts and Crafts Ideas

One thing to draw or make at a time for Ramadan and Eid: lanterns, crescents, night counters, cards, table pieces.

Ramadan Arts and Crafts Ideas

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  1. A six-sided lantern from card panelsSix tall rectangles taped edge to edge. Cut the same arch window in each before you join them.

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Paper lanterns 12

  • A black card lantern with tissue-paper panes Cut a window in each of four card panels, back them with coloured tissue and tape into a box.
  • A card with a lantern that lifts on a paper spring Fold two strips over each other into a spring, glue it to the card and glue the lantern on top.
  • A fanous drawn as a tower: dome, glass box, base The fanous is the Ramadan lantern that began in Egypt. Stack a dome, a box of panes and a wide foot.
  • A jam-jar lantern covered in tissue squares Brush glue on a clean jar, overlap tissue squares and add a wire handle. Use a battery tea light.
  • A lantern bookmark with a yarn tassel A tall, narrow lantern fills a strip of card. Punch a hole in the top and knot yarn through.
  • A lantern silhouette against a sunset wash Wet the paper, drop in orange and purple, let it dry, then paint the lantern in solid black.
  • A paper lantern cut from one folded sheet Fold a sheet lengthwise, cut slits from the fold, open it, roll it into a tube and add a handle.
  • A paper-cup lantern pricked with dots Prick a pattern through a paper cup with a pencil point. A battery light inside shows every dot.
  • A six-sided lantern from card panels Six tall rectangles taped edge to edge. Cut the same arch window in each before you join them.
  • A stained-glass lantern on tracing paper Outline the lantern in black marker, colour the panes with felt-tips and tape it to a window.
  • A string of six small lanterns for a window Lanterns and lights decorate homes and streets in Ramadan. Thread six small ones on yarn.
  • Three hanging lanterns in gold pen on navy paper Draw the three chains first, each a different length, then hang one lantern from each.

Crescents and stars 12

  • A chalk-pastel crescent with a glowing edge On black paper, draw the curve in white and smudge outward with a fingertip for the glow.
  • A crescent filled with one repeating shape Outline the moon, then fill it with rows of one small shape: diamonds, dots or petals.
  • A crescent mobile with stars hanging from its tip Thread three card stars on cotton and tie them to the lower point of a card crescent.
  • A crescent moon cut from a paper plate Draw a curve inside the rim, cut along it and paint the crescent gold. The offcut is a second moon.
  • A crescent wreath wrapped in yarn Cut a crescent from cardboard, wind yarn or ribbon round it and hang one star in the gap.
  • A garland of folded paper stars Cut five-pointed stars from folded paper, punch a hole in each and thread them on string.
  • A splattered night sky with a masked crescent Lay a paper crescent on dark card, flick white paint from a brush, then lift the mask.
  • A standing card crescent that cradles a star Fold card, cut a crescent with the fold along its back, stand it up and rest a star inside.
  • A sun-catcher moon of tissue scraps Scatter tissue scraps on sticky clear film, seal with a second sheet and cut out a crescent.
  • An eight-pointed foil star embossed with a pencil Lay foil on a magazine, draw the star and its pattern with a blunt pencil, then cut it out.
  • The first thin crescent low over rooftops Ramadan begins when the new crescent moon is seen. A hair-thin curve at dusk, the roofs in black.
  • Moons and stars stamped from a kitchen sponge Cut one crescent and one star from a sponge and stamp them in turn across plain paper.

Counting the nights 12

  • A branch in a jar with a paper star tied on each evening Stand a bare branch in a jar. Cut the stars in one sitting and keep them in a bowl beside it.
  • A calendar of lantern doors that open Cut a flap for each night in one sheet, glue it over a second sheet and draw a picture behind each.
  • A countdown chain, one paper link for each night Count the nights of the month on this year's calendar, make that many links, take one off each evening.
  • A good-deeds jar with a painted label Ramadan is a month of charity. Decorate a jar and drop in a paper star for each kind thing done.
  • A large lantern drawing with a pane to colour each night Draw one big lantern, rule its glass into small panes and fill one pane each evening.
  • A moon calendar with one circle to shade each night The month runs from one crescent to the next, the full moon in the middle. Shade tonight's shape.
  • A moon dial with a window that turns Draw eight moon shapes round a card circle, pin a disc with a window on top and turn it each night.
  • A night-sky poster that gains a star each evening Paint card dark blue and add one gold star every night until the sky is full.
  • A paper crescent with the last ten nights numbered along it Write ten down to one along the curve and cross one off each night until Eid.
  • A sunset strip, one stripe of sky colour each evening The fast ends at sunset. Each evening, paint one stripe the colour the sky was.
  • A table sign with suhoor on one side and iftar on the other Suhoor is the meal before dawn, iftar the meal after sunset. One word on each face of a folded card.
  • Small envelopes pegged along a string, one a night Fold each from a square of paper, number it, and put a kind deed or a small drawing inside.

Eid cards and decorations 12

  • A card bordered with a pattern drawn on a grid Rule a band of squares round the edge and repeat one small shape in each. It needs no lettering.
  • A door sign with the greeting inside a ring of stars Draw a circle of twelve stars round a plate, then letter EID MUBARAK in the middle.
  • A folded card box for Eid sweets Sweets are part of Eid. Fold a small box from a square of card and tie it shut with ribbon.
  • A gift tag shaped like a lantern Cut a small lantern from card, punch the top and leave the middle pane blank for the name.
  • A money envelope folded from patterned paper Gifts or money are often given to children at Eid. Fold a square into an envelope; seal with a star.
  • A pop-up card with a star that stands Cut two slits across the fold, push the tab forward and glue a star to its front face.
  • A thank-you card for an Eid gift A wrapped box on the front, drawn as a square with a cross of ribbon. THANK YOU goes inside.
  • An Eid Mubarak card with a crescent cut from the front Eid Mubarak means blessed Eid. Cut a crescent window so the gold paper inside shows through.
  • Brown paper gift wrap covered in white-pen stars Rows of small stars in white pen on plain brown paper. Turn every second star a little.
  • Bunting that spells EID MUBARAK Ten paper flags, one letter on each, with a plain flag between the two words. Tape them to ribbon.
  • Place cards for the Eid table A folded card for each guest, a small crescent in one corner and the name in your best letters.
  • Pleated paper rosettes for the wall Homes are decorated for Eid. Pleat a strip of paper, join the ends and flatten it into a circle.

For the iftar table 12

  • A box for dates with a crescent window Fold a shallow box from card and cut a crescent in the lid, backed with clear film.
  • A card tent that says who set the table tonight Fold a card to stand, letter TONIGHT'S TABLE BY, and leave a blank line for the name.
  • A dish for dates pinched from clay The fast is often broken with dates and water. Pinch a small oval dish and paint the rim gold.
  • A menu card for iftar Iftar is the evening meal after sunset. Fold a card so it stands, letter the dishes, add a border.
  • A paper table runner printed with lanterns Carve a simple lantern into a potato half and print it down a long strip of plain paper.
  • A place mat woven from paper strips Cut slits across a sheet, weave strips of a second colour through, and tape the ends at the back.
  • A set of coasters stencilled with one star Cut a star stencil from card and dab paint through it on to cork or card circles.
  • A tray liner with a star in the middle and a border Trace the tray on paper, draw one large star at the centre and a band of small shapes round the edge.
  • A water jug and a glass in marker Two tall shapes side by side. Draw the water line in both and one drop on the lip of the jug.
  • Crescent and star toppers on cocktail sticks Cut the shapes in pairs from gold card and glue each pair back to back over a stick.
  • Dates on a plate, drawn in brown and gold Each date is a wrinkled oval. Shade one side dark and leave a narrow glint on the other.
  • Napkin rings cut from a card tube Slice a tube into rings, wrap each in foil or paper and glue a small star on the join.

How it works

Ramadan arts and crafts ideas for the month and for Eid al-Fitr, the festival that ends it: 60 lanterns, crescents, night counters, cards and table pieces. All are objects and patterns. None draws a person or copies a line of scripture.

Read the full guide

A lantern starts as a folded sheet

The simplest lantern here is one sheet of paper: fold it lengthwise, cut slits from the fold, open it and roll it into a tube. The fanous, the Ramadan lantern that began in Egypt, is its taller cousin: a dome, a box of coloured panes and a wide foot.

Count the nights with the moon

The month runs from one crescent moon to the next, so the moon itself is the calendar. Draw a circle for each night and shade the shape you see. Half way through, the circle is full. The group Counting the nights has eleven more ways to mark the evenings.

  • Put a battery tea light in every lantern. Paper, tissue and card sit too close to a flame.
  • Gold pen on navy paper does most of the work. Keep to those two and the page looks finished.

Questions and answers

What are some easy Ramadan arts and crafts ideas?

Start with a paper lantern cut from one folded sheet, a crescent moon cut from a paper plate or a countdown chain with one paper link for each night. Each needs only paper, scissors and glue, with an adult near the scissors.

What is a fanous?

The Ramadan lantern. The custom began in Egypt and has spread to many countries, where lanterns and lights decorate homes and streets during the month. The traditional kind is made of metal and glass.

When does Ramadan start?

Ramadan, month nine of the Islamic calendar, begins when the new crescent moon is seen. That calendar follows the moon, so the month comes earlier each year. Check this year's date before you letter it on a card.

What does Eid Mubarak mean?

Blessed Eid. It is the usual greeting for Eid al-Fitr, the festival that marks the end of the fast, when homes are decorated, sweets are shared and children are often given gifts or money.

What is iftar?

The evening meal that follows sunset in Ramadan, often begun with dates and water. The meal before dawn is suhoor. The group For the iftar table has a clay dish for the dates, a menu card and a woven place mat.

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