Chinese New Year activities for KS2 give students a lively way to learn about cultural traditions, stories and creative arts. These activities tick off curriculum goals across several subjects.
Teachers can get Year 3 to Year 6 pupils involved with hands-on crafts, zodiac animal studies, lantern making, dragon dances and reading tasks that explore the legends and customs of this festival. Chinese New Year 2026 lands on 17 February and kicks off the Year of the Horse, running until 5 February 2027.
The Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, opens up a great cross-curricular teaching chance for UK primary schools. Michelle Connolly, founder of LearningMole and a former primary teacher with over 15 years in the classroom, says: “Chinese New Year activities bring colour and excitement into the classroom whilst helping children develop cultural awareness and respect for traditions different from their own.”
Children can explore the Chinese lunisolar calendar, make paper lanterns and learn about the twelve zodiac animals. These activities support learning in literacy, art, history and geography.
Your students will find out how families prepare for Chinese New Year and why certain colours and symbols are lucky. They’ll hear the fascinating stories behind this 15-day celebration.
Resources range from activities and games to PowerPoints and crafts. You can use them for whole-class teaching, small group work or as homework.
Key Takeaways
Chinese New Year follows the lunar calendar and marks the start of spring in Chinese culture. The festival uses special symbols like red decorations, dragons and zodiac animals, each with its own meaning.
Chinese New Year doesn’t fall on the same date every year since it goes by the lunar calendar, not the standard one used in school. The festival happens between 21st January and 20th February, depending on the new moon.
The Spring Festival has a history of about 3,500 years in Chinese culture. In 2026, Chinese New Year will start on 17th February and that’s when the Year of the Horse begins.
The celebrations last 15 days and wrap up with the Lantern Festival. Many countries treat Chinese New Year as a public holiday. In places like Malaysia, people even get time off work to celebrate with family.
Families clean their homes before Chinese New Year to sweep away bad luck from the old year. They decorate with paper scrolls and red lanterns that show words like ‘happiness’ and ‘wealth’.
The festival brings families together for special meals and celebrations. Children often get red envelopes filled with money as gifts, which are meant to bring good fortune for the coming year.
People light firecrackers and watch dragon dances during the celebrations. The tradition of using red decorations and firecrackers comes from the myth of Nian, a monster that was scared off by loud noises and the colour red.
The Chinese zodiac has 12 animals that take turns each year: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. Each one stands for different personality traits.
Red is the luckiest colour during Chinese New Year. It stands for good luck, happiness and prosperity. You’ll spot red lanterns, red envelopes and red decorations everywhere during the festival.
Dragons show power, strength and good fortune in Chinese culture. People perform dragon dances to bring luck and chase away evil spirits.
Oranges and tangerines are common gifts because their golden colour means wealth. Their Chinese names sound like words for ‘luck’ and ‘gold’ too.
KS2 children pick up the most when they get hands-on and bring cultural traditions to life. Games, storytelling and creative projects help students see the meaning behind Chinese New Year while building curriculum skills.
Dragon dance performances make a great group activity. Children work together to create a moving dragon using fabric and poles.
You can show them the basic steps and movements and explain how the dragon stands for good luck and strength in Chinese culture.
A favourite classroom game is retelling the story of the Great Race. Children act out the zodiac animals racing to cross the finish line.
This fun approach to Chinese New Year KS2 teaching helps students remember the order of the zodiac animals and practise teamwork.
Lucky red envelope activities let children make their own decorative envelopes and learn about the tradition of giving money to bring prosperity. You could ask students to write good wishes or draw lucky symbols to put inside.
Code-breaking games with Chinese characters are excellent KS2 activities. They mix literacy skills with cultural learning.
The myth of Nian works well for role-play. Children act out how villagers found out the monster feared the colour red and loud noises.
This story explains why firecrackers and red decorations are part of the celebrations.
You can set up a classroom Chinese New Year market. Students take turns as shopkeepers and customers, buying traditional foods and decorations.
This gives them new vocabulary and helps them understand how families prepare.
Puppet shows are brilliant for retelling zodiac animal legends. Students can make simple stick puppets and perform short scenes about each animal’s story.
Reading comprehension activities using traditional tales build literacy skills and cultural knowledge. Children can write their own versions of zodiac stories or invent new adventures for the animals.
Paper lantern making teaches children about this symbol of hope and good fortune. You can use coloured paper, tissue and string to make hanging decorations for your classroom.
Chinese fan crafts give students a chance to fold, cut and decorate their own fans with traditional patterns or their own designs. These activities for KS2 students link art skills with cultural understanding.
Recycled dragon crafts using plastic bottles let children make colourful sculptures and talk about sustainability. Students can paint scales, add googly eyes and tie on ribbons to finish their dragons.
LearningMole has free videos showing how to create Chinese New Year crafts with clear steps and material lists. Calligraphy practice sheets let students try writing Chinese characters for words like happiness, wealth and good luck.
Old stories explain why families hang red decorations, set off fireworks and celebrate with special foods at Chinese New Year. Tales about brave animals and scary monsters help KS2 students see the meaning behind today’s traditions.
The Chinese zodiac began with a legendary race set up by the Jade Emperor. He invited all the animals to cross a fast river and promised the first twelve would each represent a year in the calendar.
The clever rat rode on the ox’s back and jumped ahead at the last second to win. The ox came second. The tiger fought the current for third place.
The rabbit hopped across stepping stones to finish fourth. The dragon stopped to help villagers with rain before coming fifth.
The snake hid in the horse’s hoof and surprised everyone by claiming sixth place. The horse finished just after.
The zodiac animals in order:
Each animal gives different personality traits to people born in their year. Children born in the year of the ox, for example, are thought to be hardworking and reliable.
This twelve-year cycle is still used today. In 2026, it will be the Year of the Horse.
The legend of the monster Nian explains why Chinese New Year celebrations use red decorations and loud noises. Nian was a fierce beast with sharp teeth. It lived in the mountains and attacked villages every winter, eating crops and scaring people.
One year, villagers found out Nian’s three weaknesses: the colour red, bright lights and loud sounds. An old beggar showed them how to hang red paper on doors, light lanterns and bang drums.
When Nian arrived, the villagers wore red, set off firecrackers and made a huge noise. The monster ran off and never came back.
Modern traditions from the myth:
This story helps Year 3 and Year 4 pupils see why red is such a lucky colour during the festival.
The Kitchen God story teaches children about honesty and good behaviour all year. Families believe the Kitchen God watches over their home and reports to heaven about their actions before Chinese New Year.
Parents often offer sweet foods to the god, hoping he’ll say kind things about the family.
Another favourite tale explains why oranges and tangerines are everywhere during celebrations. Their round shape and golden colour look like coins and mean wealth. The Chinese word for tangerine sounds like “luck”, making these fruits extra special.
The story of the money tree links to children’s activities during the festival. According to legend, shaking a tree on New Year’s Day makes coins fall down. Families today give children red envelopes and share this cheerful story.
Story themes for classroom activities:
These stories work well for comprehension activities and creative writing tasks in KS2 classrooms.
Families clean their homes thoroughly and hang bright decorations to sweep away bad luck and welcome prosperity. Red paper scrolls with special phrases appear on doorways. Glowing lanterns light up streets and homes.
The house cleaning tradition kicks off before Chinese New Year, usually starting around the 24th day of the 12th lunar month. Families sweep dust and dirt from every corner because the Chinese word for dust sounds like the word for old.
This cleaning symbolises clearing away bad luck from the previous year. People focus on sweeping floors, washing windows, and getting rid of old items.
After cleaning, families decorate their homes with red items. Red brings good luck and is supposed to keep evil spirits away.
You’ll spot red lanterns, spring couplets, paper cuttings and New Year paintings on Chinese New Year’s Eve. In 2026, the Year of the Horse, horse images will likely appear on decorations.
Chinese people greet each other with good luck phrases called “gongxi” during New Year celebrations. These sayings share hopes for health, wealth, and happiness in the coming year.
Some of the most popular greetings are:
Children visit elders, offer these greetings, and receive red envelopes filled with lucky money. The younger generation shows respect by visiting relatives and sharing kind wishes for a long, lucky life.
Your Year 4 or Year 5 pupils can practise these phrases as part of their cultural celebrations learning about traditions from around the world.
Red paper scrolls, known as spring couplets, hang on both sides of doorways during Chinese New Year. Families write black or gold Chinese characters in beautiful calligraphy on them.
The words on these scrolls wish for good fortune, happiness, and success. Lanterns also create a magical atmosphere during the 15-day celebration.
You’ll see lanterns hanging outside homes, along streets, and in public spaces. Red and gold lanterns remain the most popular, but you might spot pink, yellow, or multicoloured designs too.
The Lantern Festival marks the final day of Chinese New Year on the 15th day. Families release glowing lanterns into the sky or float them on water.
Children love carrying small lanterns during evening walks. Your pupils can make their own paper lanterns as a hands-on art project that links to their Key Stage 2 design and technology curriculum.
Hands-on craft activities help KS2 pupils connect with Chinese New Year traditions through creativity. Making fans, dragons, and red envelopes introduces children to cultural symbols of luck, prosperity, and celebration.
A Chinese fan craft activity lets pupils make decorative fans using card, lolly sticks, or paper plates. Children fold paper into an accordion pattern and decorate with traditional Chinese symbols like flowers, characters, or zodiac animals.
Red and gold are the top colour choices because they symbolise luck and wealth in Chinese culture. Teachers often add patterns like dragons or phoenixes so pupils learn about symbolism while practising fine motor skills.
You might use templates for younger Year 3 students or challenge Year 5 and 6 pupils to design their own motifs. LearningMole has free art videos showing paper folding techniques that work well for this activity.
Glue the folded paper to lolly sticks to make a handle. Some classes display finished fans on classroom walls or use them for Chinese New Year performances.
Making a recycled water bottle dragon combines art with environmental awareness. Pupils cut plastic bottles and connect them to form a dragon’s body, then decorate with tissue paper, paint, or fabric scraps.
Start by painting bottles red, gold, or green. Pupils can add googly eyes, paper scales, and a fierce mouth to the head section.
Create legs from pipe cleaners and attach a flowing tail from ribbon or streamers to bring the dragon to life. This craft links to the UK National Curriculum’s art and design objectives for working with different materials.
Dragons represent power, strength, and good fortune in Chinese culture. You’ll see them in New Year parades, where people hold long dragon puppets on poles.
Your class might create one large dragon together or make individual smaller versions to take home.
Red envelopes or hongbao are traditional gifts given during Chinese New Year. They contain money for good luck.
Children can make their own decorated envelopes using red card, gold markers, and stickers. Fold rectangular card into an envelope and secure the edges with glue or tape.
Pupils enjoy adding the Chinese character for luck (福) or drawing zodiac animals on the front. Some teachers give out gold coin chocolates for children to tuck inside their envelopes.
This activity teaches about gift-giving traditions while letting children practise measuring and folding. An art lesson pack for Chinese New Year often includes hongbao templates with different difficulty levels.
The Chinese zodiac features 12 animals, each representing different years and character traits. This topic sparks engaging discussions in KS2 classrooms.
Students can find out which animal matches their birth year and compare personality descriptions with their own qualities. It’s a fun way to get them thinking about identity and tradition.
The Chinese zodiac follows a 12-year cycle, with each year linked to a different animal. According to legend, the Jade Emperor held a race to decide which animals would feature in the zodiac calendar.
The order the animals finished in the race set their place in the cycle. The 12 zodiac animals are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.
Each animal comes round once every 12 years. For example, a child born in 2014 shares the Year of the Horse with someone born in 2026.
Students can use a zodiac wheel to quickly find their animal. This helps them connect to Chinese culture and see how the lunar calendar differs from the Western calendar they’re used to.
The Year of the Horse covers 2014, 2026, and 2038. People born in these years are said to be energetic, warm, and independent.
The Year of the Ox includes 2021, 2009, and 1997. Those born under this sign are described as patient, loyal, and natural leaders.
Children born in 2024 belong to the Year of the Dragon, and 2023 was the Year of the Rabbit. Your Year 5 and Year 6 pupils can work out their birth year animal by counting backwards or forwards from a known year.
This activity ties in with KS2 maths skills and keeps the cultural learning relevant. Students often enjoy realising that siblings or parents might share the same zodiac animal even if they’re different ages.
Each zodiac animal has specific personality traits and characteristics you can explore in class. Rats are ambitious, clever, and hard-working. Tigers are warm, generous, and confident.
Students can research their zodiac animal’s traits and think about whether these fit their own personalities. This creates space for character analysis and self-reflection, which fits nicely with PSHE objectives.
Lots of teachers find this activity sparks thoughtful conversations about differences and beliefs. You can make comparison charts where pupils list their zodiac traits next to qualities they see in themselves.
LearningMole offers free resources on character traits and cultural celebrations to support these activities. Displaying colourful posters of all 12 animals with their traits keeps learning visible during your Chinese New Year topic.
The Lantern Festival marks the final day of Chinese New Year celebrations. In 2026, it falls on 3 March.
Students can make their own lanterns and explore traditional stories that bring this colourful festival to life in your classroom.
Making paper lanterns is a hands-on way for KS2 students to connect with this ancient tradition. Use red and gold tissue paper, card, and glue to make simple cylindrical lanterns that glow just like the real thing.
Year 3 and 4 pupils might enjoy adding tassels and Chinese characters for good luck. LearningMole has free craft videos guiding children through lantern making step by step.
Riddle writing activities work well alongside crafts. Traditional lanterns often displayed puzzles for festival-goers to solve.
Students can write their own riddles on cards to hang from their lanterns. Set up a lantern display in your classroom or school hall to recreate the festival atmosphere.
You might organise a lantern parade where children carry their creations and learn about how communities gather to watch the full moon during this Spring Festival finale.
The legend of Yuan Xiao is a great starting point for creative writing and discussion activities. The story tells how a clever servant girl saved her village by tricking the Jade Emperor with glowing lanterns.
Your students can retell the tale through drama, comic strips, or their own writing. Reading comprehension exercises help Year 5 and 6 pupils explore the deeper meanings behind Lantern Festival traditions.
You can ask them to compare how different families celebrate or investigate why foods like tangyuan (sweet rice balls) symbolise togetherness. Story prompts could include imagining a child’s first Lantern Festival or describing a magical lantern that grants wishes.
Music and movement bring Chinese New Year celebrations to life in KS2 classrooms. Children get involved through drumming, dancing, and making festive sounds.
These activities show how traditional Chinese music and performances mark this important festival. Traditional Chinese music uses instruments that sound quite different from Western ones.
The most common instruments you’ll hear during Chinese New Year are drums, gongs, and cymbals. These instruments create loud, exciting sounds meant to scare away bad luck and welcome good fortune.
Teachers often notice that children love the repetitive beats and clashing sounds. You can introduce your class to these sounds with online videos and recordings.
LearningMole has free curriculum-aligned videos exploring music from different cultures. These are perfect for comparing Chinese instruments with those studied in your music lessons.
Let children create their own simple rhythms using classroom percussion instruments. Encourage them to experiment with loud and soft sounds, fast and slow beats.
This activity connects to the KS2 music curriculum and celebrates the festival’s musical traditions.
Dragon and lion dances burst with colour and movement as dancers work together under a huge costume. The dragon stands for power and good luck, while the lion brings prosperity.
KS2 classes can try simpler versions. Children break into groups of four to six, holding fabric or paper decorations on sticks. They practise moving together, dipping and rising to copy the creature’s swaying motions.
The dance encourages teamwork and timing. One child leads at the front, and the others follow, matching their steps as a group.
Add drum beats or music to help guide the rhythm. This makes the dance feel more authentic and helps everyone stay in sync.
You can use this in PE lessons alongside other dance activities. Children improve coordination while discovering Chinese cultural traditions.
People often use firecrackers and loud noises to celebrate Chinese New Year and scare away evil spirits. Since real firecrackers aren’t safe for schools, children can make their own noisemakers.
Simple shakers are a fun option. Fill small containers with rice, dried beans or beads, then seal and decorate them using red and gold paper. These colours mean luck and wealth in Chinese culture.
Easy noisemaker ideas:
Let children use their noisemakers during performances or parades around school. They can create rhythms or just shake them to celebrate. This hands-on activity helps Year 3 and Year 4 pupils see how sound and rhythm matter in festivals everywhere.
Teachers can find a range of downloadable worksheets, visual aids and lesson materials made for Chinese New Year topics. These support both independent learning and whole-class work across KS2.
Chinese New Year printables offer ready-to-use resources that you can hand out to pupils right away. You’ll find colouring sheets, fact cards and activity pages that introduce festival traditions.
Printable zodiac animal posters make bright classroom displays. These posters introduce the 12 animals of the Chinese calendar and their traits. Laminate them if you want to reuse them each year.
Many printables work well as homework or morning starters. They give pupils tasks that reinforce learning about lunar celebrations and build literacy and creative skills.
Topic word cards help with vocabulary for writing and speaking. These cards show key words for Chinese New Year, helping pupils spell and include the right details in their work.
Use these cards as prompts for creative writing. Pupils pick a few cards and weave the vocabulary into stories about the Great Race or the legend of Nian.
The cards also help with speaking and listening skills from the National Curriculum. Display them during class discussions or use them for partner activities where pupils explain festival customs to each other.
Complete Chinese New Year KS2 resources include lesson plans, presentations and worksheets at different levels. These materials cover art, literacy, maths and more.
LearningMole has free videos about Chinese New Year traditions and curriculum-linked resources for primary pupils. The platform offers materials for Years 3 to 6, supporting cultural understanding and cross-curricular learning.
Reading comprehension packs combine short texts with questions to check understanding. These suit independent reading or group work and come with options for different abilities.
Capsule projects let KS2 classes really focus on one part of Chinese New Year. Students can explore traditions, food, zodiac animals or family celebrations using different skills.
You can plan a capsule project by picking one aspect or tradition to explore in detail. This works well for Years 3 to 6, giving children time to dig into one topic and build skills.
Choose a focus like zodiac animals, traditional foods or family customs. Students research through reading, watching videos and looking at real-life sources. They might interview family members who celebrate or compare how different countries mark Lunar New Year.
Give your class two or three weeks for their capsule project. They can prepare presentations, make booklets or design museum-style displays. Set clear goals that match curriculum targets for research, writing and presenting.
Some project ideas:
Chinese New Year fits easily into many subjects. In maths, look at number patterns in the lunar calendar or work out future festival dates. Students might use the zodiac to calculate ages or solve money problems about festival spending.
Geography lessons can explore where people celebrate Chinese New Year. Pupils can find countries on maps, compare time zones and see how climate shapes traditions. Art activities link well with history lessons about the festival’s origins.
LearningMole has free videos about Chinese culture and festivals for cross-curricular learning. You’ll also find practical resources for Chinese New Year that support curriculum aims.
Design and technology projects might include lantern-making, dragon puppets or designing red envelopes. In computing, students could research online, make digital presentations or code simple zodiac animations. Music lessons might explore Chinese instruments and festival songs.
Teachers often wonder about crafts, zodiac storytelling, traditional games, art projects, interactive stories and safe cooking activities for Chinese New Year in KS2.
Paper lanterns are always a hit and help children understand traditional decorations. Use red construction paper, scissors and glue to make simple lanterns for your classroom. Pupils fold the paper in half, cut slits along the fold, then roll it into a cylinder.
Dragon puppets are great for Year 3 and 4. Children decorate paper plates with bright colours, add streamers for the dragon’s body and stick on googly eyes.
Making red envelopes (hongbao) introduces the idea of giving money for good luck. You’ll find KS2 downloads and activities with templates for these. Pupils can decorate envelopes with gold symbols and Chinese characters.
The Great Race story explains how the twelve zodiac animals got their place in the calendar. Read the legend aloud, then ask pupils to create a comic strip showing the main events.
Comprehension worksheets for Years 3 and 4 retell The Great Race with questions for retrieval and inference. Pupils answer why the rat finished first and how the cat missed out.
Drama brings the story to life. Assign each child a zodiac animal and act out the race together. Pupils can talk about the animals’ traits and compare them to their own.
Chopstick challenges are fun and build fine motor skills. Pupils use chopsticks to move small items like cotton balls or beans from one bowl to another. You can time it and see who moves the most in a minute.
The dragon tail game is perfect for the school hall or playground. Children line up, holding the shoulders of the person in front to make a dragon. The head tries to catch the tail while everyone stays connected.
Lucky coin toss is a simple game where pupils toss coins or counters into bowls from a distance. In Chinese culture, this brings good fortune. You can give different bowls different point values for a maths twist.
Red and gold paintings help pupils see what these colours mean. Red stands for happiness and luck, gold for wealth. Children can paint traditional objects or create abstract art using just these two colours.
Chinese character art mixes writing and design. Pupils learn to write characters for words like ‘spring’, ‘luck’ or ‘happiness’, then turn them into decorative art. Display these on classroom doors or windows.
Blossom tree paintings teach about new beginnings. Children use fingerprints to make pink blossoms on painted branches. This links to science topics about seasons and plant cycles.
Story maps help pupils organise and retell Chinese New Year tales. After reading stories like The Great Race or Nian the Monster, children draw the key scenes in order.
Hot seating lets pupils become characters from the stories. One child sits in the ‘hot seat’ as a character while classmates ask questions about their feelings and actions.
LearningMole has video resources that explain Chinese New Year traditions through animation. You can use these to start discussions, then let pupils create their own festival stories. Add sound effects and music to make the storytelling even better.
Kids can make no-cook spring rolls and practise measuring out ingredients. They use rice paper wraps, pre-cut vegetables like carrots or cucumber, and cooked noodles.
Teachers can show them the rolling technique from traditional cooking. No heat involved, so it feels pretty safe.
Fortune cookie decorating is another easy one. Just buy plain cookies and let children add their own messages.
They write positive predictions or kind words on small paper strips, then tuck them inside the cookies. It’s a nice mix of writing and learning about another culture.
You could also use fruit tangerines and arrange them on decorative plates. Tangerines and oranges symbolise good luck as their Chinese names sound similar to words for wealth.
Pupils can organise fruit displays and make little labels explaining what the fruits mean. It’s simple, colourful and ties in with the festival’s traditions.
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