As Lunar New Year quickly approaches, I can't help but feel an incredible sense of excitement and pride for my heritage growing up in Hong Kong. Lunar New Year is a time of immense celebration for me and many other Chinese people living overseas. Generally, this joyous occasion can last up to 15 days, with festivities such as vibrant street parades, traditional Lunar costumes & dances, captivating firework displays delicious food, and creative arts & crafts! In this blog post, it is devoted to the Lunar New Year and will provide 12 fun-filled activities that everyone can engage in – not just for kids, but the entire family!
As a parent to children of Canadian and Chinese descent, I'm eager to share this joyous occasion with them alongside the traditions that come along with it. Hence, it is important to many other immigrant families that we teach our kids about their cultural background, so here are 12 fantastic activities you can do together during Lunar New Year!
1. Watch Lunar New Year Videos With Kids
Celebrate the Lunar New Year with your kids by introducing them to its customs, stories, and traditions through 19 fascinating videos! Our blog post showcases a selection of fun-filled clips that can help younger generations gain insight into this wonderful festival. From traditional dances, 12 zodiac animals, and decorations to food- these remarkable videos have it all!
2. Lunar New Year Decorations
Lunar New Year is a fun time to celebrate Chinese culture with your family. You can help decorate the house by making Chinese banners and Chinese knots. Thus, Chinese banners are an essential Lunar New Year custom, often used to decorate homes and businesses during the Lunar New Year. These are typically composed of brightly colored fabrics and decorated with Chinese characters with a traditional meaning or blessing for the upcoming year. Chinese banners come in different sizes and shapes, ranging from rectangular flags to circular medallions.
Parents can help their children with the decorations by having them draw or make Chinese-themed art pieces to hang around the house. Additionally, kids can also be involved in helping to choose the decorations that they won't put up in their room.
Chinese banners have special Chinese characters that give a blessing for the new year. Here are 10 Lunar New Year banner designs to share with your children. So download, get creative and have fun designing and writing your Chinese banner!
Read: 10 Free Lunar New Year Banner Printables (Stroke Directions)
3. Learning About the 12 Zodiac Animals
Lunar New Year is an excellent opportunity to learn about Chinese culture and zodiac signs. Chinese astrology assigns a different animal sign to each Chinese year, with the current cycle beginning in 2021 with the Chinese zodiac sign of the Rat and ending in 2030 with the Chinese zodiac sign of the Ox. Children can have fun learning about all 12 Zodiac animals, their characteristics, and how they relate to humans. At the same time, parents can also use this as an educational activity for their children by teaching them Chinese words associated with these animals.
So why not take time this Lunar New Year to explore Chinese culture together? Check out our resources below for more information on Chinese customs and traditions!
Download: Free Lunar New Year Connect the Dots Worksheets
Watch: 12 Zodiac Animals Videos Available in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese Chinese
4. Embracing the Rich Traditions of Lunar New Year
Lunar New Year is a time to embrace the vibrant traditions that have been passed down for centuries. From awesome dragon dances to cool red envelope exchanges, there are so many customs to learn about and get involved in during this festive time. Kids can even make their own paper lanterns or Chinese dragons and learn about the cool symbolism behind these decorations.
Other fun activities include making dumplings, which symbolize prosperity and wealth, or writing Lunar New Year couplets to hang around the house. These activities not only let kids express their creativity but also teach them about the importance of family, community, and cultural traditions.
Learn more about Lunar New Year:
- Top 7 Questions about Chinese New Year – Unfamiliar China
- CHINESE NEW YEAR FACTS FOR KIDS – Made with Happy
5. Spring Cleaning to Welcome Lunar New Year
Chinese families often participate in spring cleaning, a Lunar New Year tradition. This practice involves tidying up and removing unwanted items around the house to create a clean and welcoming environment for the Lunar New Year. You can organize, sort through your kids toys, or donate old clothes and toys with your child. Lunar New Year is an excellent opportunity to bring the whole family together for a fun and meaningful activity that can help create lasting memories.
6. Lunar New Year Treats
Making ChLunarinese New Year treats is a fun and easy way to celebrate Lunar New Year with your family. Chinese New Year snacks usually involve sweet or savory ingredients such as red bean paste, lotus seed paste, Chinese dried dates, Chinese chestnuts, Chinese noodles, and more. Kids can help make these treats with their parents in the kitchen. Here's a delicious recipe for making dumplings together as a fun activity with your children to welcome the Lunar New Year!
7. Lunar New Year Family Gathering
Lunar New Year is a time to bring families together to celebrate Chinese culture and traditions. Families often gather during Lunar New Year for an annual reunion dinner, which includes traditional Chinese dishes such as the Chinese Rice Cake (年糕), Chinese Dumplings, and Sweet Rice Balls (湯圓). Kids can help prepare these Chinese dishes or even help set up tables for the family gathering.
In addition to reuniting with family members, Lunar New Year often involves children visiting friends and relatives with their parents. This custom is known as 拜年 (visiting on Lunar New Year). During this visit, parents and elderlies usually give children red pockets (利是 or 紅包) as give blessings for Lunar New Year wishes.
In addition, parents can also teach kids traditional Chinese phrases such as 恭喜發財, which means “Wishing you wealth and prosperity” and 新年快樂, meaning “Happy new year.” Here's a blog post to create your own Lunar New Year banners with stroke order guidelines to help your children get started with their Lunar New Year greetings! There's also a list of Chinese greetings you can use as a reference to teach your children.
8. Lunar New Year Book Reading Activity For Kids
Reading Lunar New Year books can be an incredibly engaging and educating Lunar New Year activity for kids. Lunar New Year books are filled with stories, tales, and folklore about Chinese culture, traditions, and customs associated with the Lunar New Year. Reading Chinese New Year stories with your children can help them better understand Chinese culture and its history. Chinese books often provide a unique insight into Chinese customs that can help children appreciate Chinese culture from another perspective.
Reading Lunar New Year books will allow your kids to practice their Chinese language skills! Chinese books come in all levels so you can find one suitable for your child’s age and Chinese proficiency.
Here are some resources of recommended Lunar New Year Books:
- 12 Zodiac Animals Chinese New Year Book Recommendations
- 15 Best Children’s Books about Lunar New Year – Helen H. Wu
- 15 Best Chinese New Year Books For Kids In Chinese And English!
- 30+ Chinese New Year Books For Kids – The Educators' Spin On It
9. Picking Out New Clothes For Lunar New Year
Chinese families usually wear brand-new clothes on Lunar New Year to symbolize a fresh start for the upcoming year. Kids would love picking out their Lunar New Year outfits, and it is also an excellent opportunity for parents to teach children Chinese words like 紅色 (red color).
Parents can make this activity memorable by buying Chinese-style clothing with Chinese characters as decorations. This way, not only will kids look adorable in Lunar New Year pictures, but they also get to learn more about Chinese culture!
10. Enjoying Fireworks and Lunar New Year Celebrations Together
Fireworks are one of the most well-known symbols of Lunar New Year and are believed to bring good luck and fortune. Chinese families often gather together during Lunar New Year to light off fireworks and kids would love this activity as they enjoy colorful lights and loud sounds.
Fireworks can be dangerous if mishandled, so parents should always closely supervise their children when handling fireworks.
I suggest visiting local celebrations near you if you want the entire Lunar New Year experience. This year, I'm bringing my kids to Toronto Chinatown Celebrations so they can learn about and participate in this amazing tradition! It's sure to be an unforgettable event for them.
Please see the following link for more information for those who live in the GTA (Canada).
11. Red Envelope Craft for Year of the Dragon
Get ready to celebrate the Lunar New Year with a FREE Bitty Bao Red Envelope Craft for the Year of the Dragon! Download the cutest PDF and spread the joy!
Check out Bitty Bao's Red Envelope Craft (Year of the Dragon) in PDF format!
Bitty Bao also offers bilingual Chinese New Year books.
12. Lunar New Year Red Pockets
Red pockets/envelopes (利是 or 紅包) are a Chinese tradition that Chinese families give to one another. The value of red envelopes lies not in the amount of money contained within, but rather in the vibrant cherry-red paper, they are made of: a color that conveys good luck and joy. You can teach your kids that giving out Chinese red pocket is believed to bring luck and fortune for the upcoming year. Lunar New Year is the perfect time to teach kids about this Chinese tradition!
By sending red pockets to others, you demonstrate your desire for their well-being and prosperity. You can remind your children that it is impolite to open the red envelope in front of the giver.
Parents can buy or make their own Chinese red pockets for kids and fill them with money or candies depending on the age of their children. Kids would love receiving these little surprises from parents and will remember this gesture in years to come!
Want More Lunar New Year Activities For Kids?
Here are more Lunar New Year resources for you to enjoy:
Free 12 Zodiac Animal Worksheets
Check out our free 12 Zodiac Animal Dot-to-dot worksheets for your kids! Kids can color and connect the dots for each zodiac animal. Plus, they can trace each animal's name at the bottom of each worksheet. Best of all, they are available in English and Chinese (Traditional, Simplified, Zhuyin, and Pinyin).
Everything You Can Teach Your Kids About Lunar New Year With Videos
Lunar New Year is coming up soon, and it’s a great opportunity to teach your kids about the traditions and customs of this holiday. In this blog post, we will share 19 Lunar New Year videos to get your kids…
10 Free Lunar New Year Banner Printables (Stroke Directions)
Do you want to celebrate Lunar New Year with your kids but need decorations? We’ve got you covered! Download our free Lunar New Year traceable banner (春聯 /春联/揮春) printables. There are 10 traceable banner printables (Simplified/ Traditional Chinese) with stroke order guidelines inside. We also have non-traceable banner printables…
Conclusion – 12 Lunar New Year Activities For Kids
To conclude, here are the 12 Lunar New Year activities for kids:
With these 12 Lunar New Year activities, your whole family can have a safe and fun time while learning more about Chinese culture and traditions! I hope you and your family have a wonderful Lunar New Year and enjoy these Lunar New Year Activities for Kids! Happy Lunar New Year! Feel free to comment below on what Lunar New Year activities you are planning to do with your kids!
祝你新的一年快樂! 萬事如意!
