Chinese New Year for Kids

History and Facts

Lunar New Year Zodiac Animals: Coloring Pages  (Y,T)
Printable coloring pages from the San Francisco Asian Art Museum that feature the 12 of the Chinese Zodiac animals.

All Things Chinese New Year  (Y,M,O,T)
ChineseNewYear.net is your one-stop-shop for everything Chinese New Year. The website contains fun facts and a ton of informational articles and videos about the holiday, traditions, symbolism, and more.

Chinese New Year: What Is It and How Is It Celebrated?  (Y,M,O,T)
All about Chinese New Year, including dates, New Year animals, origins and myths, traditions and celebrations, superstitions and taboos, foods, New Year greetings, and more from ChinaHighlights.com.

San Francisco Asian Art Museum: Chinese New Year Resources  (M,O,T)
The San Francisco Asian Art Museum has a large collection of resources for delving deeper into learning about the Lunar New Year and Chinese culture. The collection features crafts and activities for younger students, cultural articles and lectures for older students, and a large online collection of art and artifacts.

Lunar New Year Family Zone  (Y,M,O)
A collection of Lunar New Year coloring pages, crafts, art tutorials, and performance videos from the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Chinese New Year Activities and Printables  (Y,M,T)
The Chinese New Year resource collection from Teacher Planet has fun activity ideas, printable worksheets, coloring pages, games, crafts, and more!

Animals of the Chinese New Year: Lesson Plans  (Y,M,T)
Students can dive deeper into Chinese culture through learning about the history and significance of these mythological Chinese animals. Lesson plans from EDSITEment.

Animals of the Chinese Zodiac  (Y,M,O,T)
A series of lesson plans from EDSITEment that have students investigate how animals are used as symbols of human characteristics and then use what they discover to learn about the Chinese zodiac. For grades K-5.

The Myth Behind the Chinese Zodiac (Video)  (Y,M,O)
A brief, informational video from TED that teaches the mythological story behind the Chinese Zodiac. It is accompanied by additional resources, and a quiz.

Cultural Implications of the Chinese Zodiac (Video)  (O)
This TED video explains the cultural significance of the Chinese Zodiac and how it affects the culture, society, and economies of those countries where its belief is prevalent.

The Origin and History of Chinese New Year  (M,O,T)
Chinese New Year celebrations date back to at least 3,500 years ago. Learn more about the history of the holiday and how its customs have changed over time in this article from China Highlights.

Chinese New Year Religious and Spiritual Traditions (Video)  (O)
"The Chinese tradition of celebrating the New Year began more than 4,000 years ago, and has evolved into a holiday that includes a combination of rituals from Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism." Students can learn more about the religious and spiritual rituals surrounding the holiday in this video from PBS Learning.

Chinese New Year: Lion Dance Puppets  (Y,M,O,T)
In this K-2 lesson from the Kennedy Center, students will “learn the history of the Chinese Lion Dance and create lion head puppets to perform in a parade. Students will learn about the traditional dance, the costumes that are worn, and the music that accompanies the dance performance.”

Chinese New Year Facts  (Y,M,O,T)
Chinese Yew Year is one of the biggest holidays in China, and festivities can last longer than two weeks! Learn more fun facts and find games, coloring pages, worksheets, and more on SoftSchools.com.

Chinese New Year Facts and Activities  (Y,M,T)
Learn more about Chinese New Year facts, customs, and zodiac from TopMarks.co.uk. Activities include a printable puppet and Chinese dragon counting game.

10 Interesting Facts about Chinese New Year   (Y,M,O,T)
Did you know? Chinese New Year is not only celebrated in China. Indonesia, The Philippines, Vietnam, South Korea, Malaysia, North Korea, Singapore, and Brunei also celebrate the holiday. Learn more fun facts about Chinese New Year from ChinaHighlights.com.

How Children Celebrate Chinese New Year  (Y,M)
Chinese New Year is all about family. Here's how children traditionally get involved. From ChinaHighlights.com.

Chinese New Year for Kids  (Y,M,O,T)
China Family Adventure is your one-stop shop for Chinese New Year Resources. It contains articles covering the history, traditions, and celebrations around the world, as well as crafts to try at home.

Chinese New Year Activities, Recipes, and Printables

Chinese New Year Activities and Printables  (Y,M,T)
Activity Village offers tons of resources for teaching Chinese New Year including crafts, games, printables, worksheets, coloring pages, and more.

Chinese New Year Couplet Cookies  (Y,M,O,T)
From Cute Foods for Kids. Practice your Chinese writing skills while making cute couplet cookies.

Symbolic Food and Recipes to Celebrate Chinese New Year  (Y,M,O,T)
Learn about and try out some of these symbolic Chinese dishes to bring good fortune in the new year. From the Spruce Eats.

Crafts and Activities for Chinese New Year  (Y)
Crafts, activities, coloring pages, worksheets, and short lessons for younger children on the Chinese New Year. In addition to Chinese New Year, students can learn about the Great Wall of China, Lunar Phases, China’s geography, and more. From Enchanted Learning.

Chinese New Year Scavenger Hunt  (Y,M,T)
Learn about Chinese New Year traditions and symbols with this fun family scavenger hunt from Tired but Crafty Mummy.

Paper Chinese Lantern  (Y,M,O,T)
This paper Chinese Lantern is easy to make and looks great. Make lots and string them together for a cool decoration.

Lucky Chinese Red Envelopes Printable  (Y,T)
These Chinese Envelope printables are easy to make at home. The printables from Chalk Academy also have several template options for Chinese blessings to decorate with.