Celebrating Chinese New Year: A Cultural Exploration

Gōng xǐ fā cái – Happy Chinese New Year

One of our favorite ways to learn about different cultures is by celebrating their holidays. Each tradition offers a unique window into the values, history, and customs of a particular community.

Chinese New Year is a great opportunity to learn more about Chinese mythology and customs with living books and fun hands-on activities.

Chinese New Year Unit Study Plan

Day 1: Read The Race for Chinese Zodiac

Ask students to identify their zodiac symbol.

Day 2: Read more books about Chinese New Year like Lunar New Year (Celebrate the World) and Baby Loves Lunar Phases Chinese New Year.

Ask students to compare how these customs are similar and different to our New Year celebrations

Day 3: Create Chinese New Year Art by following Art for Kids Hub Chinese New Year tutorials or making paper lanterns out of red and gold construction paper.

Ask students how their art and lanterns are related with Chinese New Year.

Day 4: Watch a video about traditional foods served during Chinese New Year.

Following this activity prepare a meal that includes traditional Chinese New Year food and hand out red envelopes.

Day 5: Experience a Chinese New Year festival or visit local art displays or watch the highlights of the SF Chinese New Year Parade.

Ask students to narrate what happened at the festival and how the different performances, displays, and activities compare to how we read Chinese New Year is celebrated. This can be a written or oral activity.

Red lanterns hanging between buildings on Grant Street in SF Chinatown

Chinese New Year Books

The Race for the Chinese Zodiac by Gabrielle Wang

Baby Loves Lunar Phases on Chinese New Year! by Ruth Spiro

Lunar New Year (Bright Baby Touch & Feel) (Bright Baby Touch and Feel) by Roger Priddy

Lunar New Year (Celebrate the World) by Hannah Elliot

Holidays Around the World: Celebrate Chinese New Year: With Fireworks, Dragons, and Lanterns by Carolyn Otto

I just enrolled in the Amazon Associates program and some of the links in this post are affiliate links. I hope they help you find the books easier.

Chinese New Year Activities

South Coast Plaza Year of the Snake Exhibit – January 23rd 2025 – February 9th 2025

Free NorCal Chinese New Year Events

SFPL Celebration: Year of the Golden Snake – January 25th, 2025

Lunar New Year Celebration at the Chase Center – February 2nd, 2025

SF Chinese New Year Parade – February 15th, 2025

Find an Event Near You

If you don’t live near an event listed above you can look for local Chinese New Year Events by looking for community events hosted by your city, municipal parks, and libraries.

(Bonus) Lunar Phase STEM Connection

We discussed that Chinese New Year occurs on the first new moon of the lunar year after reading Baby Loves Lunar Phases. We continued our inquiry about Lunar Phases by reading Gail Gibbon’s The Moon Book.

The Moon Book explains the lunar phases, lunar phenomena, and the lunar landings with simple prose and illustrations.

My preschool aged kids loved the book have been excited to label the phases of any picture of the moon they observe.

My school aged child found it a helpful refresher that sparked further inquiry about the revolution and rotation of the moon around earth.

We followed this reading by creating a PBS kids moon flip book. The moon is currently rising after midnight in our part of the world, so we are trying to observe it shortly after waking up in the morning.

Seven Founding Hills