Chinese New Year is a colourful and culturally rich festival that provides an excellent opportunity for EYFS practitioners to introduce children to new customs and traditions.
Incorporating Chinese New Year activities for EYFS can promote creativity, language development, and understanding of different cultures while aligning with EYFS learning goals.
Below is a comprehensive and engaging list of activities that are perfect for early years settings, designed to enhance learning and celebrate the festive season.
Chinese New Year Activities for Early Years:
1. Dragon Dance Role Play
The dragon dance is a traditional part of Chinese New Year celebrations. You can create a simple dragon costume using materials like fabric, cardboard, and paint, and let the children participate in their own dragon dance.
Playing music in the background that matches the rhythm of the dragon dance can enhance this activity, encouraging gross motor skills, teamwork, and cultural awareness.
Using their imagination and responding emotionally to music is also a part of expressive arts and design – so many learning goals!
EYFS Areas of Learning and Development:
- Physical Development (Gross Motor Skills)
- Personal, Social, and Emotional Development (Building Relationships, Managing Self)
- Expressive Arts and Design (Being Imaginative and Expressive)
2. Chinese New Year Lantern Crafts
Creating colourful Chinese lanterns is a fun craft activity that introduces children to one of the most iconic symbols of Chinese New Year. Provide red paper, glue, confetti, and other materials for the children to design their own lanterns, which they can decorate with traditional symbols or patterns.
This activity enhances creativity, fine motor skills, and introduces children to cultural traditions they might not already be familiar with.
EYFS Areas of Learning and Development:
- Expressive Arts and Design (Building with Materials)
- Physical Development (Fine Motor Skills)
- Understanding the World (People, Culture and Communities)
3. Chinese New Year Story Time
Share the story of the Chinese Zodiac and how each year is represented by a different animal. Simplify the story for young children, using visual aids or animal puppets to make the story more engaging.
Afterward, you can ask the children questions about their favourite animals and encourage them to participate in animal-themed activities. This helps with language development, listening skills, and cultural awareness.
EYFS Areas of Learning and Development:
- Literacy (Comprehension, Word Reading)
- Communication and Language (Speaking)
- Understanding the World (People, Culture and Communities)
4. Red Envelope (Hongbao) Role Play
Red envelopes, or “hongbao,” are traditionally given during Chinese New Year as a symbol of good luck and prosperity. Set up a role-play area where children can exchange red envelopes filled with pretend coins or paper money.
This simple activity introduces children to different cultural practices while promoting social interaction, turn-taking, and counting skills.
EYFS Areas of Learning and Development:
- Mathematics (counting, number recognition)
- Personal, Social, and Emotional Development (social interaction)
- Understanding the World (People, Culture and Communities)
5. Sensory Play with Noodles and Rice
Create a sensory bin filled with cooked noodles and dry rice, allowing children to explore different textures. You can add chopsticks, tweezers or scoops for the children to practice their fine motor skills. While playing, you can discuss traditional Chinese foods (see activity 9) and the importance of food in Chinese New Year celebrations.
Dye the noodles different colours for extra fun (and challenge!), with matching coloured bowls to place the noodles into. This activity supports sensory development and introduces cultural diversity through food exploration.
EYFS Areas of Learning and Development:
- Physical Development (Fine Motor Skills)
- Understanding the World (People, Culture and Communities)
- Communication and Language (descriptive vocabulary)
6. Chinese Zodiac Animal Crafts
Help children make animal masks or puppets based on the animals from the Chinese Zodiac (the 12 animals seen above). This craft can be linked to story time or role play, where children act out the characteristics of each animal. Will they be a roaring tiger or a sniffing rabbit maybe?
Encourage them to choose an animal and decorate their mask using materials like paint, glitter, and fabric. This activity enhances creativity and fine motor skills while also helping children understand the importance of animals in Chinese culture.
EYFS Areas of Learning and Development:
- Expressive Arts and Design (Creating with Materials)
- Physical Development (Fine Motor Skills)
- Understanding the World (People, Culture and Communities)
7. Chinese New Year Music and Dance
Introduce children to traditional Chinese music by playing instruments such as drums or cymbals. You can create a simple band using classroom instruments and encourage children to play along to traditional Chinese tunes.
Teaching them a simple Chinese dance routine, like a lion or dragon dance, will help with coordination and rhythm, while also introducing them to cultural traditions.
EYFS Areas of Learning and Development:
- Physical Development (Gross Motor Skills)
- Communication and Language (Listening)
- Expressive Arts and Design (Being Imaginative and Expressive)
8. Making Dumplings (Pretend Play or Real)
Dumplings are a popular food during Chinese New Year. Set up a pretend play kitchen where children can make their own “dumplings” out of playdough, or get involved in a supervised cooking activity where they create real dumplings.
If you make real dumplings, they’re a perfect addition to tea time to enjoy eating together. This hands-on activity enhances fine motor skills, introduces basic cooking processes, and can be linked to discussions about food and cultural celebrations.
EYFS Areas of Learning and Development:
- Physical Development (Fine Motor Skills)
- Understanding the World (People, Culture and Communities)
- Personal, Social, and Emotional Development (Building Relationships)
9. Eating Chinese food
Deeply linked to the activity above, eating Chinese food at lunch or tea time is a great way to get everyone young and old involved in Chinese New Year. They can also decorate the tables and/or wear dragon headbands to get into the spirit, before getting into spring rolls, prawn crackers, noodles and low-salt hoisin sauce.
It’s probably best to use child-friendly chopsticks (attached together and springy) for eating unless the kids have really advanced fine motor skills. This activity promotes cultural understanding, fine motor skills and self-regulation to not eat all the food!
EYFS Areas of Learning and Development:
- Personal, Social, and Emotional Development (Self Regulation)
- Physical Development (Fine Motor Skills)
- Understanding the World (People, Culture and Communities)
10. Chinese New Year Parade
Host a mini Chinese New Year parade within your classroom or outdoor space. Children can dress up in traditional costumes, carry the lanterns they’ve crafted, and perform the dragon dance.
This interactive celebration fosters a sense of community, confidence, and cultural awareness while encouraging physical activity and creativity.
EYFS Areas of Learning and Development:
- Personal, Social, and Emotional Development (Managing Self, Building Relationships)
- Physical Development (Gross Motor Skills)
- Understanding the World (People, Culture and Communities)
Incorporating Chinese New Year activities for EYFS is an excellent way to introduce children to diverse cultures while supporting their development across multiple areas.
These activities offer a rich, hands-on learning experience that combines creativity, sensory exploration, language development, and cultural understanding.
By celebrating the festival in an interactive way, children can gain a greater appreciation for different customs and traditions, while also developing their cognitive and physical skills.
For more brilliant EYFS activities, check out our Ultimate guide to EYFS activities blog post and easily cover the seven areas of learning and development!
