Chinese New Year is one of my favourite festivals and celebrations. There are lots of Chinese New Year activities you can do, and there are different ways to incorporate this festival within the areas of learning. For example, telling the story of the 12 animals who competed in a race to represent the years of the Chinese zodiac – these are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. Read on for 9 suggestions for activities and crafts chosen to celebrate Chinese New Year
1. Chinese Restaurant Pretend Play:
Why not transform the home corner into a Chinese Restaurant and include chopsticks and play dough scented with ginger or soy sauce. Add noodles for messy play or to taste. Why not incorporate dolls for the added element of imaginative play and have them enjoy their play food?
Try using the Chinese Play Food Set which has 64 pieces! It will help to make pretend play for the home corner more realistic, as the play food pieces look like the real thing. The children can learn to use the chopsticks provided, which are of small size for little hands.
2. Lucky Red Envelopes
Lai See or Lucky Envelopes are traditionally given to children by their relatives instead of presents during Chinese New Year. Typically containing money – these envelopes are seen as providing luck to the younger generations particularly if the quantity amounts to the lucky numbers of 6 or 8.
Why not encourage your little ones to explore this tradition by filling their lucky envelopes with items for their friends or family. For an extra challenge, ask your children to write a little message to pop in the envelope to accompany the gift.
3. Paint Fans
Painting fans has always been an important part of Chinese culture because it was believed that they would protect their owners from evil spirits. The tradition of painting fans continues today with many families spending hours making these beautiful works of art to hang at home or give away as gifts to friends and relatives.
You can decorate paper fans with anything you please, from paint to crayons, to tissue paper and glitter. Get creative and make a work of art!
4. Chopsticks game
Chopsticks are a great way to practice fine motor pincer skills. Put your little ones to the test in a fun race against the clock or their friends.
Simply fill one bowl with items – cotton wool balls or pom poms work great – and leave a second bowl empty nearby. Challenge the children by asking them to move the cotton wool balls from one bowl to the other using the chopsticks as quickly as they can.
5. Paint Paper Lanterns
Paper lanterns are beautiful, inexpensive decorations that can be used for many different occasions. Encourage your little ones to get creative with their designs and see how they can try and incorporate the colour red – a symbol of good fortune, prosperity and culture in China
6. Learn Mandarin!
What better way to immerse you and the little ones in Chinese culture than learning some Mandarin!
Using a tuff tray and some sand, children can practice the art of calligraphy using a paintbrush or their finger and following the lines of the downloadable Chinese characters. A fun and educational activity for your setting!
Why not explore some of our other free Chinese New Year downloadable resources such as the zodiac headbands or the dragon fine motor practice?
7. Make Dancing Dragons
Looking for more challenging Chinese New Year activities? Dancing dragons are the way to go. Follow the instructions below to make your very own dancing dragon!
- Cut a mouth shape into a piece of the cardboard
tube. Decorate the tube with paint or tissue paper - For the body, glue the ends of two differently
coloured pieces of paper together at a right angle. Fold the bottom strip over
the top strip, and continue crisscrossing until you reach the desired length.
Glue the ends together, but leave an inch overhanging. - Glue the ends of the paper strips inside the
cardboard tube head - Add eyes, ears, and tissue paper fire
And there you have it, a delightful dancing dragon!
8. Create a Panda habitat using a tuff tray
Pandas have become a symbol of China and are a huge part of Chinese culture. They can find food for themselves, climb trees and withstand extremely cold temperatures.
Help to teach children more about these beautiful animals with a Panda tuff tray set up. Children can create a panda habitat and answer questions like “what do Pandas like to eat?” “Do they prefer warm or cold climates?” “When do they sleep?” A great way to explore another side of Chinese culture and history
9. Re-enact the Great Race
What is the story behind the Chinese Zodiac?
The tale starts with the Jade Emperor inviting all the animals to take part in a Great Race across a huge river to determine the order which in the animals would be placed in the zodiac.
Recreate this traditional tale with your little ones using a tuff tray and puppets to bring the story to life and help children get immersed in the history of the Chinese New Year!
This article has been written with the help of early years consultant, Anne Rodgers, from ATR Consultancy.
About Anne Rodgers
Anne Rodgers is an Early Years Consultant (ATR Consultancy) and Writer. Anne has 36 years experience of working in the childcare and education sector – including training practitioners, managing numerous settings over the years, and writing articles for Early Years Educator and the CACHE Alumni website.
