Family and Homeschool Activities for Teaching about Lunar New Year

Grade Levels: K-3

These family and homeschool activities are designed to complement the Lunar New Year topic page on BrainPOP Jr.

Year of the ? 

Tell your child that the Chinese Zodiac is represented by twelve animals whose spirits influence the year to come. With your child, research the animal of the upcoming Lunar New Year. Identify the characteristics of that animal. Next, have your child draw a picture of the animal, illustrating those traits.  

 

New Year New Game

Families play games during the Lunar New Year. Together with your child, choose a game you would like to play and begin your own family Lunar New Year tradition.  Here are some ideas:

  • Cards: Have children select a playing card (playing cards were a 9th-century Chinese invention) and tell a story starring that card’s number or figure.
  • Jegichagi: Jegichagi is a Korean game similar to modern-day hacky sack. Challenge your child to keep a small bean bag or ball in the air using their legs and feet—but no hands allowed! 

 

 Paper Lanterns

Together with your child,  make this paper lantern for the Lunar New Year.  

  1. Print out the lantern activity page.
  2. Have your child write a Lunar New Year wish on the lines and decorate! 
  3. Fold the dotted lines. 
  4. Cut the six lines but don’t cut all the way through
  5. Unfold and tape the long edges of the paper together

NOTE: You can also do this with colorful construction paper.

 

Paper Plate Dragon Mask 

Help children make their own dragon masks for the Lunar New Year! The materials needed are:

  • Paper plates
  • Paint or bright markers (and paintbrushes if using paint) 
  • Scissors
  • String
  • Glue
  • Colored construction paper

      What to Do:

  1. Ask children to paint or color the back of a paper plates. Let dry.
  2. Help children to cut out construction paper shapes to decorate the masks—these could be ears, horns, noses or any dragon shape they like. 
  3. Once the paper plate have dried, help children cut two eye holes into each plate and glue their construction paper shapes to the plate. 
  4. Have children punch one hole on each side of the plate, then tie string to either side. The string must be long enough to tie around the child’s head.
  5. Have a dragon parade!

 

Catch the Dragon’s Tail 

This activity is a good one to do with several children. Have them form a line with their hands on the shoulders of the child in front of them. The child at the front of the line is the dragon’s head and the child at the back is the dragon’s tail. The dragon head’s goal is to catch the dragon tail—and all the children in the middle must stop the dragon’s head without breaking the line! When the head catches the tail, the tail player goes to the front, becoming the new dragon’s head. All the other players move back one position.

 

 

Filed as:  BrainPOP Jr., Homeschool, K-3, Lunar New Year, family