Chinese New Year Activities for Kids

Looking for a way to celebrate the Chinese New Year with your kids? These Chinese New Year Activities for Kids are the perfect way to teach your kids about the holiday and other Chinese traditions. Plus, they’ll have a blast learning all about dragons – one of the most important symbols of the Lunar New Year.

For more activities to do this winter, check these fun Winter Activities for Kids.

These activities are perfect for homeschoolers or anyone who wants to learn more about Chinese culture. Check the list below and get started on your own celebration today.

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Chinese New Year Facts: Foods That Will Bring You Good Luck

Chinese New Year is a time for family, friends, and feasting. And what would a feast be without lucky foods? In China, there are many traditions surrounding the foods that are eaten during the New Year celebration. Some believe that eating certain foods like noodles, fish, dumplings, and fruit (mandarin oranges and tangerines) will bring good luck in the coming year, while others believe that the shapes and colors of certain foods represent different aspects of life.

So if you’re looking for a bit of extra luck in the coming year, be sure to include some of these lucky Chinese New Year foods in your celebrations!

Why Kids Need to Learn About the Lunar New Year

Teaching kids about the Lunar New Year gave us a natural way to talk about traditions, calendars, and cultural history. It fit easily into our homeschool without feeling forced or overwhelming.

• Cultural awareness helps kids understand celebrations outside their own experience.
• Calendar skills introduce how lunar calendars differ from the one we use daily.
• Story connections allow learning through legends and traditions.
• Math links show up through patterns, counting, and themed problem-solving.
• Creative expression gives kids space to show understanding through art and writing.

Recommended Chinese New Year Books

To give your child a better understanding of this special holiday, you can read a Chinese New Year book together. Not only will they learn about this event, but also about the cultures and traditions of other countries.

Holidays Around the World: Celebrate Chinese New Year: With Fireworks, Dragons, and LanternsDragon Dance: A Chinese New Year Lift-the-Flap Book (Puffin Lift-the-Flap)Home for Chinese New Year: A Story Told in English and ChineseBringing In the New YearLunar New Year (Celebrate the World)Ruby’s Chinese New Year

 

Lunar New Year Reading Lists

Lunar New Year Books for Elementary Students – Bring the joy of festive celebration into learning with these books.

Lunar New Year Books for Kids – Do you want your kids to discover the traditions and stories about the Lunar New Year? These books will be a great start.

Lunar New Year Books for Kindergarten – Celebrate the Lunar New Year with your little one using this wonderful list of Lunar New Year books, featuring fun and engaging stories about traditions, culture, and festive fun.

Lunar New Year Books for Preschoolers – Introduce your little one to the traditions and fun of the holiday with this list of colorful stories perfect for young kids.

How to Make Learning Fun About the Lunar New Year

I found that mixing creative work with academic tasks kept my kids interested longer. Switching between crafts, reading, and worksheets helped meet different learning styles.

• Hands-on projects kept lessons from feeling too academic.
• Printable activities added structure without extra prep.
• Read-aloud sessions helped introduce new ideas naturally.
• Simple games made the review feel relaxed.
• Open-ended art allowed creativity without strict rules.

Recommended Winter Printable Packs

Seasonal printable packs saved me time when planning themed weeks. I used them alongside our Lunar New Year lessons to reinforce skills while maintaining a winter theme.

Lunar New Year Activities Supplies

Most of these activities use items you likely already have at home.

• Printer (I have this one)
• Construction paper
• Crayons or colored pencils
• Child-safe scissors
• Glue sticks

I have the HP printer 8710, but it’s no longer available. It’s been running well for years now. Consider another HP Instant Ink-ready printer so that you can use their program to send you ink cartridges whenever your printer gets low on ink.

Lunar New Year Printables

Lunar New Year Handwriting Worksheets – Help your child practice writing while learning about the holiday with these fun and festive printables perfect for early learners.

Lunar New Year Activity Pages – These activity pages are a fun way for kids to learn about the holiday’s traditions. They can explore the celebration with coloring, puzzles, and matching while practicing key skills.

Lunar New Year Lacing Cards – These cards are a fun, hands-on way for kids to practice fine motor skills while celebrating the holiday’s festive traditions.

Lunar New Year Cutting Worksheets – These worksheets help kids practice scissor skills while exploring symbols and themes from Lunar New Year.

Chinese New Year Addition Puzzles – Encourage your child to practice their addition skills with these Chinese New Year addition puzzles.

Printable Chinese New Year Bookmarks – Looking for a fun Chinese New Year activity for kids to make and share with family and friends? Try these printable bookmarks.

Lunar New Year Worksheets – With the arrival of the Lunar New Year comes an opportunity to engage with and learn about unique cultures that are celebrated around the world.

Lunar New Year Coloring Pages – Bring the spirit of the Lunar New Year into your home with these colorful and interactive coloring pages.

What kids will learn from these activities?

These activities supported both academic skills and broader learning goals. I liked how they blended cultural lessons with everyday subjects.

• Fine motor practice through cutting, tracing, and crafting.
• Early math skills using themed puzzles and worksheets.
• Reading readiness with simple text and visual supports.
• Cultural knowledge through symbols and traditions.

Recommended Lunar New Year Toys

Themed toys worked well as quiet-time options or follow-up play after lessons, especially when reinforcing what we already learned.

DAVAXI 20 CM Chinese New Year Plush Snake Animals 2025 Year of The Snake Stuffed Mascot Doll Snake Plush Toys Chinese Zodiac Snake Decor for Spring Festival Lunar New Year Gifts Blessing SouvenirBleacher Creatures Lunar New Year Dragon Kuricha 8XIZHI Rabbit Stuffed Animal Plush Pillow Toy Chinese New Year Plushes Year Zodiac Rabbit Mascot Decoration Gift for Adult Kids Spring Festival,11.8” RedLunar New Year Spin Drum Craft Kit, Makes 12Barbie Signature Lunar New Year Doll (12-inch Brunette) Wearing Red Satin Cheongsam Dress with Accessories, Collectible Gift for Kids & CollectorsBao Bao Learns Chinese Vol. 1, Chinese Books for Kids, Chinese New Year Gifts, Chinese Baby Book, Mandarin Chinese Board Books for Children, Chinese Learning Book, Bilingual Book & Musical Toys

 

Lunar New Year Activities

Your little one will have a great time learning about the Chinese New Year traditions and Chinese culture with these activities. Go ahead, grab your supplies, and try these awesome activities.

Lunar New Year STEM Activities – Ringing in the new year is a time to celebrate, and these bring unique opportunities for young kids to learn about STEM through fun activities.

Lunar New Year Activities for Toddlers – Enjoy these activities to help toddlers learn about Asian culture and traditions.

Chinese New Year Preschool Activities – Do you want your preschooler to have a memorable Chinese New Year while learning about Chinese culture? I have here a great list of fun Chinese New Year Preschool Activities that you can try.

Lunar New Year Crafts for Preschoolers – Let your little ones explore their artistic side while learning about traditions and having a blast.

Chinese New Year Activities for Kindergarten – Kindergarteners will love this new and festive way to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

Chinese New Year Activities for Elementary Students – Grab this chance to teach your elementary kids about Chinese culture and festivities with these fun activities.

Chinese New Year Math Activities – The Lunar New Year is fast approaching, and this is the best time to incorporate some math concepts into your lessons. Check this list of math activities for some awesome ideas.

Lunar New Year STEM Activities for Elementary – Explore the excitement of the holiday with this list of STEM Activities featuring hands-on projects inspired by the celebration.

Lunar New Year Worksheets for Kindergarten – Celebrate the holiday with fun, educational activities that teach kids about traditions, symbols, and culture.

Chinese New Year Crafts – If you are looking for fun crafts to do for the Chinese New Year, you have to check out this awesome list of Chinese New Year Crafts.

Lunar New Year Dragon Craft – Lunar New Year will never be complete without the dragons. If you want to try making your own mini version of the traditional dragon dance, you have to try making this dragon craft with your child.

More Chinese New Year Activities

If you want more, I’ll give you more. Here are some awesome Chinese New Year activities from other bloggers that are sure to bring a festive vibe to your home.

Yin-Yang Paper Plate Puzzle by Chalk Academy – Kids will enjoy this paper plate puzzle featuring yin and yang, two opposing but complementary forces of nature. An important part of Chinese culture.

Chinese Zodiac Wheel by Chalk Academy – Discover the different zodiac signs and animals with this Chinese Zodiac Wheel.

Torn Paper Fireworks Craft by 3 Dinosaurs – Make beautiful fireworks crafts using torn glitter papers.

How to Make an Egg Carton Dragon Craft by I Heart Crafty Things – Your empty egg carton will be very useful to make this beautiful Chinese dragon craft.

Chinese Coin Tree by First Palette – Feel lucky with this easy Chinese coin tree craft.

Chinese Rattle Drums to Celebrate the New Year by Artsy Momma – Let your kids chase the bad luck away with these Chinese rattle drums to celebrate the new year.

Chinese New Year Lantern Craft for Kids by Artsy Momma – Make a beautiful lantern craft using some empty baby food jars. You can write your wishes for the new year in Chinese characters, too.

Paper Plate Hand Fans by The Pinterested Parent – Create a beautiful paper plate hand fan this new year. Children will love it.

Awesome Cupcake Liner Dragon Craft by I Heart Crafty Things – Your cupcake liners will be great for this Chinese New Year dragon craft.

Chinese New Year Craft Stick Puzzles & Sensory Tray by Chalk Academy – This simple craft is perfect for little kids. These puzzles are great for teaching kids about important Chinese New Year greetings. They’ll enjoy solving these puzzles.

Lucky Cat Craft by Kids Craft Room – You and your little one will love this adorable lucky cat craft. So easy and perfect activity for the Chinese New Year.

Chinese New Year Paper Fortune Cookies by Woo! Jr Kids Activities – This fortune cookie paper craft will be a great activity to do with your little one to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

Chinese Dragon Mask by Messy Little Monster – Now who wants to be a dragon? This dragon mask will be perfect.

Handprint Dragon Puppet by Crafts by Ria – This dragon craft is very creative. It will be special because it’s made of your child’s handprint.

Whether you want to celebrate or just learn about Chinese culture, you will surely enjoy these activities about the Chinese New Year. With so many to choose from, I am sure you will find the right one for your child.

Happy Lunar New Year!

More Winter Activities

• Winter Magic Milk Experiment
• Toilet Paper Roll Snowflakes Toddler Activity
• Hibernation Coloring Pages
• Snow Learning Pack by 3 Dinosaurs
• Easy + Fun Winter Class Party Craft Ideas For Kids by Simple Everyday Mom
• Free Winter Printables by Homeschool Preschool