To throw your own Chinese New Year party, you don’t need much! Keep it simple and make the party about being with your family! Here are five ways to celebrate with kids!
Decorate with Red
Do Themed Crafts
2) Do a simple craft with your kids that will get them excited for the party, Here is a simple DIY Paper Lantern you can make. DIY Chinese New Year Lantern for Kids. And this page has 10 different crafts that kids would love, including a beautiful Cherry Blossom craft! This year is the year of the Sheep, so Sheep decorations would be fun to make and include as well! Here is a coloring page you could print out that you could do with all ages of children.
Give Out Red Envelopes
3) One of the coolest New Year traditions is to give gifts of money in red envelopes. It would be fun to put small monetary amounts in the envelopes and give to kids, or you could fill them with “coupons” for things like go to bed late, get out of a chore, movie night, etc! My daughter is young so I am thinking of filling hers with play money and small candies. You can purchase the envelopes on Amazon!
Eat!
4) Make an authentic Chinese Dinner. Lo mein and Cauliflower Stir Fry are always favorites in our house as well as Spring Rolls and Eggrolls. To keep the party simple, Tai Pei ® Spring Rolls and Eggrolls from Walmart are absolutely delicious and are authentic. They are so loaded with meat and veggies that they can be a meal all by themselves!
By making some of the food and purchasing the rest, it makes your party prep much less stressful and you can make it more about the cultural experience! We love these egg and spring rolls by Tai Pei ®. They taste exactly like the ones from our favorite local Chinese food restaurant and they are ready in minutes! I baked up the chicken and vegetable rolls for our party, but you can also purchase pork and shrimp varieties too! And I can’t forget to mention that all the spring rolls and egg rolls boxes come with dipping sauce!
Dessert!
Fun and Meaningful Ways to Celebrate Chinese New Year with Kids
Celebrating Chinese New Year with kids is a wonderful opportunity to explore cultural traditions, enjoy hands-on activities, and create lasting family memories. Whether you’re looking for educational crafts or festive food ideas, there are plenty of engaging ways to make the Lunar New Year both meaningful and fun for children of all ages.
Creative Activities to Teach Tradition
- Make Paper Lanterns: Red lanterns symbolize good luck and can be crafted easily with colored paper, scissors, and glue. Hang them around the house or in windows to decorate your space.
- Create a Chinese Zodiac Animal Mask: Kids can learn about the 12 zodiac animals by making a mask that represents their birth year.
- Lucky Red Envelopes (Hongbao): Let kids decorate red envelopes and fill them with chocolate coins or small bills. Explain the tradition of giving hongbao as a symbol of good fortune.
- Chinese Calligraphy Practice: Introduce simple Chinese characters like “Fu” (福, meaning fortune) using black ink or markers on red paper for a cultural art project.
Festive Foods to Cook Together
- Dumpling Making: Making dumplings from scratch is a fun and interactive way to involve kids in Chinese New Year traditions. Let them help fill and fold each dumpling.
- Longevity Noodles: Teach kids the meaning behind long noodles representing a long life. Simple stir-fry recipes make it easy to cook together.
- Sweet Rice Balls (Tangyuan): These colorful, chewy treats can be made with glutinous rice flour and are a popular dessert during Lunar New Year celebrations.
Simple Decorations Kids Can Help With
- DIY Door Couplets: Use red construction paper to create poetic banners expressing good wishes and hang them on doors.
- Gold Coin Garlands: Use gold cardstock or foil-wrapped chocolate coins to make a festive garland symbolizing wealth and prosperity.
- Paper Firecrackers: Roll red paper into tubes, tie with gold ribbon, and string together to mimic firecrackers—perfect for indoor, kid-safe décor.
Cultural Lessons Through Storytime and Games
- Read Chinese New Year Books: Add children’s books like Bringing In the New Year by Grace Lin to your reading list to help explain traditions and meanings.
- Watch a Lion Dance Video: Share short videos of traditional lion dances and explain their role in driving away evil spirits and welcoming luck.
- Play Zodiac Matching Games: Print and cut out the animals of the Chinese zodiac and let children match them with personality traits or birth years.
Family Traditions to Start
- Annual Cleaning Day: Teach the tradition of cleaning the home before the new year to sweep away bad luck and make room for good fortune.
- Wish Tree Activity: Write down wishes for the coming year on red paper and hang them on a small tree or plant.
- Family Talent Show or Story Sharing: Invite family members to sing songs, share stories, or perform skits that reflect New Year customs.
By incorporating these activities into your Chinese New Year celebration, you can help your kids develop a greater appreciation for culture, tradition, and family togetherness. Whether you celebrate every year or are introducing your family to the holiday for the first time, these kid-friendly ideas make Lunar New Year educational, festive, and unforgettable.
There are so many fun traditions with Chinese New Year. I love all the options out there – and especially the fun of celebrating with my family. #client
Cute!!!!
Great ideas! Love the red plates! Two of my kids were born in Asia, so we like to celebrate and remember!
Loved this post for Chinese New Year and have mentioned in on my blog this week. Hope you don’t mind. I linked back to you. Have a lovely weekend.
Julie