Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節) is coming soon! It's a time to spend with our family since this festival symbolizes a family reunion. But why not try some fun educational activities with your children too? I've created a bunch of beautiful free printables for you to download and use. I'll share some ideas on Mid-Autumn Festival activities you can enjoy with your children. If you're still wondering why we celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival or what food we eat, don't worry! I'll cover that too.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a wonderful time for my family to come together and eat delicious food. We exchange mooncakes with our friends and relatives. This means that we get to try many different flavors of mooncakes! Yum! My children enjoy playing with lanterns in the evening while we watch the bright, full moon. Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, I will also create some activities for my children to learn about this Chinese festival since this is not covered in Canadian schools.
Download: Mid-Autumn Festival Printables, Moon Phases Printable, Mid-Autumn Festival Flashcards
What is the Mid-Autumn Festival?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the lantern or moon festival, takes place on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. This year, September 10th is when it will occur. Families and friends get together to celebrate by eating mooncakes, playing with lanterns, and viewing the moon.
Mid-Autumn Festival Story
The tale of Hou Yi (后羿) and his wife Chang'E (嫦娥) is one of the most well-known versions of the myth and legend surrounding the Mid-Autumn Festival.
According to the legend, after shooting down nine of the ten suns causing drought and disaster on Earth,
Hou Yi was rewarded with an elixir of immortality.
Feng Meng (逢蒙), Hou Yi's apprentice, attempted to steal the elixir of immortality.
Chang'E stopped him by consuming the elixir herself and became immortal as a result. She floated away to the moon, where she could no longer be with her husband.
Every year on the very same night when the moon is said to be the fullest and brightest, Hou Yi prepares a feast hoping he might see his wife's shadow again.
Mid-Autumn Festival Traditions
The Mid-Autumn festival is a time for family and friends to come together and celebrate. To sum it up, it is similar to Thanksgiving for North Americans.
Mooncakes
One of the most popular activities is eating mooncakes (月餅).
Mooncakes are a pastry usually filled with red bean paste, lotus seed paste, or egg yolk. They are often served with tea.
Everyone in my family loves mooncakes! There are just so many kinds of mooncakes out there!
The traditional mooncake is made with lotus seed paste, and egg yolk is in the middle.
My favorite kind is the snow skin mooncake which needs to be stored in the freezer and tastes like mochi ice cream.
Another type I like is the tea-based mooncake, which contains tea powder in the skin filling.
Mooncakes are very filling and contain quite a lot of calories!
That is why it is usually served with tea to help digestion after eating high-calorie food.
Lanterns
People hang Moon Festival lanterns up several days before the festival to generate a pleasant festive atmosphere and welcome the celebration.
In Chinese culture, since most lanterns are round, and “round” in Chinese has a similar pronunciation to “reunion,” the lantern is also a sign of a happy reunion.
My children love playing with lanterns. We usually wait until the sky is dark, and I let the children roam around outside holding their lanterns.
They get even more excited when they pick up their lanterns in the store.
There are many different designs, such as cartoon characters, animals, etc.
Moon
Viewing the moon (月亮) is another popular activity during the Mid-Autumn festival.
The moon is said to be the fullest and brightest on this night, so people gather together to admire it.
Some families even put out food and drinks for the occasion.
We like to set up chairs in our background, gaze at the moon and eat mooncakes.
The children will run around with their lanterns while we as adults chat with each other and sip our hot tea.
After all, it is a reunion with family and an excellent time to bond outside enjoying the beautiful scenery of the moon.
14 Mid-Autumn Festival Activities for Kids
Below are the Mid-Autumn Festival activities your children can learn about the Festival.
In addition, you can squeeze in other subjects like math, literacy, and science!
This is also a great time to learn about the moon during Mid-Autumn Festival.
1. Read Books About Mid-Autumn Festival
Reading books is a marvelous Mid-Autumn Festival activity to start with! I like to read books about the Mid-Autumn Festival and the moon with my children before the festival. Therefore, they will expect what will happen during the festival.
Read: 29 Astonishing Mid-Autumn Festival Books that Sparkle with Cultural Richness
2. Watch Over the Moon on Netflix
This is the most effortless Mid-Autumn Festival activity: sitting on the couch and watching TV. This Netflix movie “Over The Moon” is based on the story of Chang'E. It talks about Fei Fei building a rocket ship and flying it to the moon to meet the goddess Chang'E.
I love this movie! Not only does it has beautiful animation and graphics, but it’s also available in both Cantonese and Mandarin dubbed versions! This is perfect for a family movie night to learn more about the Mid-Autumn Festival.
3. Design Mid-Autumn Festival Mooncake
This is an easy Mid-Autumn Festival activity to prepare your kids to express their creativity.
Age Recommendation: 2+ years old
Materials:
Instructions:
- Offer the materials above.
- Ask your children to pretend that the paper plate is a mooncake and design their mooncakes.
4. “Make” the Moon Activity
This is another artsy Mid-Autumn Festival activity for your kids to enjoy.
Age Recommendation: 2.5+ years old
Materials:
Preparation:
Cut tin foil into tiny pieces with a pair of scissors.
Instructions:
- Give your children tiny pieces of tin foil, glue, and a white paper plate.
- Ask your children to glue tin foil pieces on the paper plate to “make” the moon.
- Once the whole paper plate is covered in pieces of tin foil, they are done!
- Optional: You can offer a picture of the moon for reference.
5. Make Mid-Autumn Festival Moon Cakes
Age Recommendation: 2+ years old
Making mooncakes with children is one of the exciting and educational Mid-Autumn Festival activity. When making mooncakes, your children will be exposed to new words, growing their vocabulary and allowing them to better comprehend the activities with various words. You may aid boost your children's vocabularies by explaining what you're doing and being descriptive during every action while you bake together.
Here are some mooncake recipes you can follow:
- Mooncake Recipe – (Quick and easy)
- Mooncake Receipt with 5 Popular Fillings (Lotus Seed, Red Bean, Green Tea & More!)
- Snow Skin Mooncake-Video Recipe with Custard Filling
6. Play with Playdough + Moon Cake Molds
Age Recommendation: 2.5+ years old
Another exciting Mid-Autumn Festival activity if you don't have time to make moon cakes is playing with playdough and mooncake molds! This is perfect for pretend play and sensory activity.
Materials:
Instructions:
- Offer the materials to your child.
- Show them how to make Play dough moon cakes using the moon cake molds.
Playdough Mooncakes: Mid-Autumn Festival Activity with Recipe!
Chalk Academy
7. Play with Mid-Autumn Festival Lanterns
Age Recommendation: 1+ year old
A popular activity during the Mid-Autumn Festival is playing with lanterns. Lanterns are traditionally made of paper and lit with a candle or light stick. Kids love playing with them, especially when they go outside and run around.
Materials:
- Stick
Instructions:
- Insert a Mini LED party light touch light inside a Chinese paper lantern.
- Use a stick as a handle to hold the lantern.
- Wait for the moon to come out and enjoy!
8. Sing Mid-Autumn Festival Nursery Rhymes & Recite Poems
Age Recommendation: 2.5+ years old
Singing nursery rhymes and reciting poems are great ways to get into the Mid-Autumn Festival's spirit.
月光光 (Bright Moon) is a Cantonese children's folk song that dates back to the Song and Ming dynasties. This song has gone through many changes in its lyrics. Check out the Youtube video below.
靜夜思 (Thoughts in the Silent Night) is the most renowned and beloved of all Li Bai (李白)'s poems. Chinese Poet Li Bai wrote it during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), which many people regard as the Golden Age of Chinese Poetry. In addition, he composed almost one thousand more poems that are still read today. 靜夜思 (Thoughts in the Silent Night) expresses his longing for home and an appreciation for the beautiful scenery around him.
9. Mid-Autumn Festival Activity: Gift Mooncakes
One of the traditions associated with the festival is giving mooncakes as gifts.
If you're looking for a unique gift for someone during the Mid-Autumn festival, why not try giving them a mooncake?
Mooncakes can be found at most Chinese convenience stores or grocery stores.
They come in various flavors, so you're sure to find one that everyone will enjoy.
Another great thing about mooncakes is that they can be stored for a long time.
This means you can buy them ahead of time and give them to your friends and family as gifts later in the Mid-Autumn festival.
10. Make DIY Lanterns
Age Recommendation: 3+ years old
Making traditional lanterns is a fun Mid-Autumn activity that children will enjoy. You can find lantern templates online or at your local craft store.
Crafts on sea
Once you have the template, you need paper, scissors, and a pencil.
Just trace the template onto the paper and cut it out.
Then, use a pencil to poke holes along the sides.
Once your lanterns are cut out, it's time to decorate!
You can use paint, markers, glitter, or anything else you can think of.
Once you're finished, just string them up with some yarn or ribbon, and you're all set.
Singapore's child
11. Learn About Moon Phases
It is the perfect time to learn about moon phases during the month of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
For example, we can predict when there will be a full moon or when there will be a lunar eclipse.
Because the Moon revolves around the Earth, it may be hidden from light by the Earth.
This causes a shadow to fall across the Moon, which is why we have phases.
When the Earth blocks no light, a Full Moon occurs, and the entire surface of the Moon reflects sunlight; when the Earth entirely blocks light from the Sun, a New Moon occurs.
The moon's phases are also important for Chinese astrology.
Each phase of the moon is associated with a different animal.
These animals are used to represent various aspects of our lives.
Here are other ways for your children to learn moon phases:
- Montessori Moon Phase 3-Part Cards and Moon Journal
- Make and Learn Moon Phases with Play Dough Mooncakes
- Moon Phases Glue Resist Watercolor Painting Activity!
- 21 Super Activities for Teaching Moon Phases
12. Learn & Play with Moon Phase Wheel
Age recommendation: 4+ years old
I have created a moon phase wheel activity to allow your children to learn about the moon's phases.
It is available in multiple languages: English, French, Chinese (Traditional, Simplified, Zhuyin, Pinyin).
This moon phase wheel resource comes in a PDF with two printable sheets.
Download: Moon Phases Wheel: A Fun Printable Activity for Kids
13. Complete 19 Free Mid-Autumn Festival Worksheets
In honor of the Mid-Autumn festival, I have created a set of 19 free worksheets available in Chinese (Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Zhuyin Chinese, and Pinyin Chinese), English, and French.
14. Play with Mid-Autumn Festival Flash Cards Activity
Age recommendation: 2+ years old
I’ve created 16 Mid-Autumn festival flashcards in bilingual Chinese-English (Traditional, Simplified, Zhuyin, Pinyin).
These cards can be used for various activities, including matching games, memory games, and even flashcards for learning Chinese. You can download them for free here.
Download: Free Mid-Autumn Festival Flashcards
Materials:
- Flashcards printable (printed)
- White cardstock paper
- Laminator
- Laminator pouches
- Scissors or paper trimmer
Instructions:
Step 1 – Laminate
Wrap each sheet with a laminator pouch. Then laminate each sheet. This step aims to make flashcards more durable for children.
Step 2 – Cut
Cut the cards out. For better performance, you can use a paper trimmer.
Step 3 – Enjoy
Enjoy the flashcards!
Conclusion
Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival is a great way to bring families and friends together. These traditions and activities associated with the festival offer something for everyone to enjoy. Whether you make lanterns or learn about the festival's history, there are plenty of fun things to do. So gather your loved ones, celebrate the mid-autumn festival together, and sneak in some learning with my free printables!
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
Download: Mid-Autumn Festival Printables, Moon Phases Printable, Mid-Autumn Festival Flashcards
