20 Chinese New Year Activities Kids Will Love

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Chinese New Year is a great chance to explore new traditions with kids through hands-on activities. These Chinese New Year activities are designed for preschool and early elementary children and work well at home, in the classroom, or during a themed lesson or activity day.

You’ll find a mix of printables, sensory play, dragons, lanterns, and simple printables that fit into a short activity block and feel manageable on a busy day. At Simple Everyday Mom, we focus on ideas that are practical, kid-friendly, and easy to fit into real routines.

Scroll through and choose the activities that help make Lunar New Year feel fun and educational without adding extra stress.

Collage of Lunar New Year kids’ activities, including paper dragon crafts, red and gold decorations, gold coins, paper lanterns, and coloring pages.

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Chinese New Year Activities

Chinese new year color by number worksheets collage

Chinese New Year Color By Numbers

These printables are a fun color by number activity that combines art and learning with a festive Lunar New Year theme. Kids follow simple number codes to fill in sections with bright crayons or markers, revealing a playful holiday picture (such as a dragon or zodiac animal) as they progress.

It's a relaxing, self-guided activity that sneaks in number practice and fine motor skills, making it an educational yet creative way to celebrate.

littlebinsforlittlehands.com

Chinese New Year Slime Recipe and Activity

Kids can mix up a batch of bright red and sparkly gold slime to celebrate the Lunar New Year. The gooey mixture uses basic slime ingredients (such as clear glue, water, baking soda, and contact solution) tinted in lucky festival colors, providing a hands-on way to explore the holiday.

The result is a playful sensory experiment that incorporates a bit of simple science and cultural learning as you discuss traditions while they play.

Related: New Years Dot To Dots

laughingkidslearn.com

Playdough Inspired by the Chinese New Year

Whip up a batch of playdough with a Lunar New Year twist, using vibrant colors (and maybe a dash of kid-safe glitter or spice) to engage the senses. Kids can squish and shape the dough into lucky symbols or just enjoy the texture while you share a bit about the holiday's traditions.

The entire activity is a low-key sensory experience that makes learning about the culture hands-on and enjoyable for even the youngest participants.

www.redtedart.com

Chinese New Year Dragon Puppet

A free printable dragon puppet art lets kids color and cut their own dragon, then turn it into a wiggly toy. After decorating the dragon's head, tail, and scales, children attach the pieces to a folded paper body (with strips or sticks) to bring it to life.

The result is a vibrant puppet they can swoop and dance around, putting on their own mini dragon parade to celebrate the New Year.

Also try: 2025 New Year's Eve Worksheets

www.giftofcuriosity.com

Chinese New Year Drum

Kids can make their own Chinese pellet drum (bolang gu) noisemaker to ring in the New Year. Using simple supplies like paper plates or thick cardboard circles, string, beads, and a stick, they assemble a mini hand drum that actually produces sound when twisted back and forth.

Little ones will love painting and decorating their drums in red and gold, then joyfully shaking them to add some festive noise to the celebration.

Paper Chinese Dragon

Kids can create a bright paper dragon for the Lunar New Year using a handy printable template for the dragon's head and tail. They get to color and cut out the pieces, then connect them with a folded paper strip to create a wriggling dragon body.

The result is a lively little puppet that comes together easily, allowing kids to put on their own mini dragon dance during the celebration.

nontoygifts.com

Chinese New Year Snake Agamograph

An agamograph uses folded paper to display two different images, shifting depending on the angle from which you view it. In this project, kids color a special Year of the Snake template that cleverly alternates between a snake illustration and the words “Chinese New Year,” then accordion-fold the paper to create a cool changing picture.

Children will get a kick out of seeing their artwork flip from one image to another as they tilt it, making this a really engaging way to celebrate the Year of the Snake.

alittlepinchofperfect.com

Dragon Handprint Chinese New Year

Turn your child's handprint into a festive dragon keepsake for the New Year. Little artists paint their hand (using washable paint in lucky red or gold), stamp it on paper, and then add details like glittery scales, sequins, and drawn-on features to transform the handprint into a dragon.

The finished piece is a cute keepsake that preserves your child's hand shape as a memento of the holiday while also making a fun decoration.

littlebinsforlittlehands.com

Chinese New Year Activities

Discover a collection of easy Chinese New Year–themed activities and printables that are perfect for home or classroom fun. From a zodiac animal color-by-number page to a festive picture bingo and other simple games, these ideas are low-prep yet engaging for kids.

A handy resource for parents and teachers, it makes adding a bit of cultural celebration into playtime enjoyable and straightforward.

Also try: Dragon Coloring Pages

laughingkidslearn.com

Decorating Fans for Chinese New Year

Kids can design their own Chinese New Year fan using just paper and paint. Start with a plain folding paper fan (or have the kids fold a paper accordion-style themselves), then let them brush on bold red and gold patterns or any festive designs they like.

The result is a simple art that doubles as a functional prop – once the paint dries, children will love waving their personalized fan around during the festivities.

www.craftsonsea.co.uk

Mosaic Chinese Lantern

Kids can create a colorful Chinese lantern collage using a free printable lantern outline and a variety of small paper pieces. They fill in the lantern shape by gluing on scraps of paper or tissue (like making a mosaic), using the bright reds and yellows often seen in New Year decorations.

The project is easy to set up and allows kids to practice fine motor skills while creating a festive paper lantern artwork to display during the holiday.

Related: Torn Paper Dragon Craft

iheartcraftythings.com

Egg Carton Dragon

Who knew an old egg carton could turn into a mighty dragon? In this recycling project, kids paint and assemble cut-up egg carton sections to form the dragon's body, adding fun details like a fearsome head, googly eyes, and maybe some tissue paper flames.

The segments can even be attached with string or brads, allowing the dragon to bend and “dance,” making it a fantastic homemade toy for imaginative play after the art is complete.

www.preschoolplayandlearn.com

Chinese New Year Worksheets

Grab a big pack of free Chinese New Year–themed worksheets designed especially for preschool and kindergarten learners. The set features a variety of activities – from tracing zodiac animal names and counting lucky objects to word puzzles, mazes, and dot-marker art – all decorated with cute holiday imagery to keep kids interested.

All in all, this pack is a great way to blend cultural learning with practicing letters, numbers, and more, making skill-building feel like part of the celebration.

Also try: Dragon Paper Cup Craft

www.giftofcuriosity.com

Chinese New Year Sensory Bin

Create a Chinese New Year sensory bin filled with colorful rice and festive trinkets for kids to explore and enjoy. Dye the rice a vibrant hue (like lucky red) and toss in fun items like play coins, mini lanterns, little dragon figures, and red envelope pieces for children to scoop and discover.

Little ones will adore running their hands through the rice to uncover these “treasures,” making it a super engaging, hands-on way to explore the holiday's sights and symbols.

www.pinkstripeysocks.com

Two Chinese New Year Dragons

Two awesome dragon activities are featured here, giving you double the fun in one go. In one project, kids use painted cut-out handprints to form a dragon's body (creating a colorful, personalized dragon that makes a great keepsake).

The other project turns a paper bag into a cute dragon puppet – with the help of a printable template for the parts – so that once it's assembled and colored, kids can put on their own roaring dragon dance show.

Related: Dragon Worksheets

ourwabisabilife.com

Chinese New Year Activity Book

Instead of a single activity, this resource is packed with family-friendly ideas to celebrate Chinese New Year, plus a bonus printable activity pack. It suggests fun ways to get kids involved in the holiday, such as watching a Lunar New Year–themed movie together, trying traditional foods, and even hosting a mini New Year's party with red and gold decorations.

There's also a free set of Chinese New Year printables (coloring pages, word games, mazes, etc.) that can keep kids entertained and learning about the holiday in a hands-on way.

Also try: Dragon Handprint Craft

www.pinkstripeysocks.com

Chinese New Year Folded Paper Lantern

Here's a modern twist on the classic paper lantern art that kids will find super easy and fun. Using bright paper and a simple accordion-fold technique, children make flat paper lantern cutouts “pop” into 3D, then decorate them with drawn designs, stickers, or even Chinese characters.

The result is a colorful, folded lantern artwork that looks festive on display and allows kids to practice folding and creativity in the process.

Related: Dragon Puppet Craft

www.hellowonderful.co

Recycled Dancing Dragon Puppet

Turn your recycling bin treasures into an impressive dancing dragon puppet for the New Year. This project utilizes items such as empty cardboard tubes (for the dragon's long body), a plastic fruit carton, and egg carton pieces (to form the dragon's head and eyes), along with some yarn and wooden dowels to bring it all together.

Once everything is painted in lucky colors and assembled, the dragon becomes a puppet on sticks that kids can parade around – wiggling and dancing just like the big dragon puppets in traditional New Year celebrations.

Also try: Dragon Headband Craft

theeducatorsspinonit.com

Chinese New Year Sensory Bin Ideas

Three creative sensory bin ideas are featured here, each inspired by a different holiday tradition. One idea encourages kids to practice using chopsticks by picking up red and gold pom-poms; another features a bin filled with lucky red-and-gold trinkets with black beans as the base; and the last turns cleaning into a game with a mini broom for “sweeping out the old year.”

These hands-on setups let children explore Chinese New Year symbols and customs through fun sensory play.

www.craftsbyria.com

Handprint Dragon Puppet

Here's another handprint dragon art, but this one moves like a puppet! Kids trace and cut out four or five of their handprints on colored cardstock to create the dragon's body segments. Then, they use paper fasteners to connect them, allowing the body to bend and sway.

With a free printable dragon head and tail to attach, it turns into an adorable dancing dragon made from the kids' own handprints – perfect for little parades around the living room.

More Fun Kid’s Ideas

10 Easy Dragon Crafts for Chinese New Year
10+ Horse Chinese New Year Crafts for Kids
61 Awesome Headband Crafts For Kids

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photograph of found of Simple Everyday Mom, Sam

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Sam is the crafter and founder of Simple Everyday Mom. She has been featured in Oprah Mag, Good Housekeeping, The Spruce Crafts, Country Living, The Bump, and more.

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