Children's CNY Crafts and Activities

Children's CNY Crafts and Activities

While these activities are split roughly into two groups, activities can be adapted for any age range. (Older students can do research to present themselves, more complex crafts just for upper elementary, or if the school has multiple grades and you start early older students can use any of these activities to set up stations for the younger ones.)

Preschool - ~3rd Grade

PBSkids online game to Countdown to the New Year (some require a Flash Plug-In)

Coloring Pages

Dragon Dance Coloring Page
Chinese New Year Lion Dance Coloring Page
CNY Boy in Traditional CostumeZodiac Animals

Or, see a list of just Coloring Pages.

Paper Lanterns
http://www.kidsdomain.com/craft/lantern1.html
http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/chinese_lantern_sheet.htm
http://lhs1701.0catch.com/clankids.htm

CNY Word Search: http://www.cstone.net/~bry-back/actpag126.html

Dragon or Lion Masks:The Lion Dance is performed during the Lantern Festival with performers wearing Lion Masks at the end of Chinese New Year. Lions are believed to bring good luck and scare away evil spirits. Have your students make lion masks —scary, cute, or funny—to help them celebrate. Or, make their own dragon puppets or a mask for a parade or for decorating the room.

http://www.kidsdomain.com/craft/dragon.html
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/chinesenewyear/lion/
Make a Dragon (html file)
Parade Dragon Puppet (html file)
http://www.kidsdomain.com/craft/chindragonhard.html (html file)

Read about it: I like Enchanted Learning's books – it seems worth subscribing just to get these. In 2006, the price was $20 for a year.

For early readers

For fluent readers

More craft ideas:
http://www.web-holidays.com/chinesenewyear/crafts/default.htm

More for Upper Elementary grade levels

Chinese New Year's Greetings (characters) to Color: Decorate your room with Chinese New Year greetings from Childbook.com. Students can color these jpg images for the classroom or bring them home for friends and family. (Stroke order is not given.)

Happy New Year
Truth
Good Fortune/Prosperity
Peace

(General) New Year Quiz (recommended for grades 6 – 8) :New Year Celebrations Around the World (PDF file) and New Year Celebrations Around the World Answer Key (PDF file)

Red Gift Envelopes: It's traditional in China to give gifts of money in red envelopes at New Year's. Have your students make their own Chinese Gift Packet. Rather than money, have them write good luck wishes to send.

Firecracker, Firecracker! Make “firecrackers” out of rolled cardboard tubes to simulate Chinese New Year's Firecrackers.

Paper mache Dragon Head

Crossword Puzzle: Eduplace.com has a Happy New Year (PDF file) puzzle and Happy New Year Answer Key (PDF file).

Chinese Zodiac Word Finds (from eduplace.com):

Chinese Zodiac (PDF file)

Chinese Zodiac Answer Key (PDF file)

Write Chinese: Have students become acquainted with Chinese Calligraphy and Chinese ideograms or characters. (Please tell them about stroke order. In fact write a character following the stroke order and then in some other order and see if the students find that one just looks right, one more appealing.)