Teaching about winter and holiday traditions around the world is a wonderful way for our students to learn about different cultures and the unique holiday customs in other countries. The New Year traditions in China are lively and fun to share with your students! In this post, I’ll share Chinese New Year activities for your students to learn about:
- Wearing red clothing on Chinese New Year
- Lucky red envelopes and coins
- The Dragon Parade
- Lion Dances
New Year Traditions in China
Millions of people celebrate Chinese New Year in China and around the world. Chinese New Year is rich with customs and ancient traditions to attract good luck. Enjoy the beautiful ceremonies and celebrations of Chinese New Year!

The Dragon Parade
One of the first events of the 15-day New Year celebration is the Dragon Parade. Families line the streets to watch brightly colored floats, musicians, and dancers parade by. It takes a dozen skilled people to perform the dragon dance!

The Lantern Festival
The Lantern Festival is held on the last day of the New Year’s celebrations. To prepare for the festival lanterns are hung everywhere and people enjoy watching lion dances, eating dumpling soup, and answering lantern riddles.

Chinese New Year Classroom Activities
Chinese New Year PowerPoint
Take your students on a virtual field to learn some of the special events and holiday traditions in China. This ready-to-use Chinese New Year teaching PowerPoint is the one I use to teach about The Lantern Festival, the meaning behind lucky coins and red envelopes, the Dragon Parade, the Legend of the Nian, traditional foods, and many more New Year traditions in China.
Filled with vivid photos from real Chinese New Year celebrations it will captivate your students in high-engagement learning!

PowerPoint source here or on TPT
Lucky Red Envelopes
Many people dress in red for good luck during the Chinese New Year celebrations. Children receive red envelopes stuffed with lucky money from their elders and relatives.

💡Try this classroom idea: Make DIY envelopes with folded red paper. Have students write kind messages to their classmates and deliver them to their desks!
Make A Lantern Craft
If your students are “traveling” around the world, have them write a postcard to their families! This lantern postcard craft is part of the holiday traditions in China lessons we do during our holidays around the world unit.

Our students travel to different classrooms to learn about the unique customs and holiday traditions in countries around the world.

They make postcard crafts for each country before stamping their passport and departing! See more of how we do it in my classroom and all the magical ways to teach holidays around the world.
💡Try this classroom idea: Make a lucky red lantern ornament! Make the craft pictured above and instead of gluing it to the postcard, make an ornament by punching a hole at the top and tying yarn through.
Chinese New Year Lesson Plans
Get an entire week of activities, teaching slides, a fun suitcase folder, and passport with these Chinese New Year lesson plans and take your class on a captivating adventure!

I’ve created a complete unit for teaching winter and Christmas holiday traditions around the world. Each of the 14 countries has detailed, scripted lesson plans with related books and videos, boarding passes, a teaching PowerPoint with actual photos of the countries, and even a short quiz as an exit ticket before students depart! (they make it super easy to take a quick grade!)

This unique holidays around the world unit is available here in the Around The Kampfire Shop and also in my TPT shop.
Chinese New Year Reading Comprehension
Add comprehension practice with leveled passages about holiday traditions in China! These passages also include a digital version that you can project on your whiteboard and use during a lesson or make it a partner activity during your literacy center time.

Chinese New Year Themed Math Game
💡Try this classroom idea: Set up holiday-themed math centers around the room so students can “travel” to different countries and practice math skills!

With these holiday math centers, (available in three grade levels) students carry a “mathport” and stamp it when they finish the game at each country’s table. Pictured is the 2nd grade Germany game to practice subtraction on a number line.

For a fun day with your students, use the games for a math around the world holiday party! This post has some fun holiday math party ideas to do with your students!
Books About Chinese New Year & Lunar New Year
Chinese New Year Video
Holiday Traditions for Your Classroom
Now that you know about holiday traditions in China, let’s talk about holiday traditions for your classroom! Here are 10 holiday classroom traditions to start this year that your students will love! (And I really do mean LOVE!)
10 Holiday Traditions to Start in Your Classroom!

Visit this post to learn all the magical ways you can teach your students about Christmas and winter holidays around the world! Be sure to grab the freebies while you’re there!
10 Magical Ways to Teach Holidays Around the World

Holidays Around the World Classroom Party Ideas

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