Chinese New Year Unit Study Activities {2021}

The Chinese New Year is the celebration of the new year based on the traditional Chinese calendar. The date moves each year. In 2021, it is on February 12 and is called The Year of the Ox. I thought it would be fun to put together a collection of Chinese New Year activities you can use for a fun little mini study.

Don’t be intimidated by the term “unit study” and think it has to be long and complicated. It doesn’t! It is a great fit with relaxed homeschooling and delight directed homeschooling. The important thing is simply doing some learning activities around a theme and having fun in a way that helps your children.

Create a Chinese New Year Themed Unit Study

If this is new to you, I have a post called How to Create a Unit Study that gives all kinds of ideas and ways you can easily put together a themed unit for your family.

I also have a Learning with Themes Activity Pack – 41 Print and Go Pages in my shop that can be used with many different themes.

If you read that post and look at the activities below, you will see how easy it is to put together an interesting, fun, and informative Chinese New Year unit study.

As always, please preview all of the resources to make sure they align with your family’s values.

Chinese New Year Videos for Kids

For the visual learners in your home (and just for fun!)

Chinese New Year Writing Pages

Don’t miss these fun Chinese New Year Writing Pages. They are a great resource for all kinds of themed projects!

Explanation of Chinese Zodiac

You can see a detailed explanation of the 12 zodiac animals in this article, including the dates when each one will cycle through.

The Chinese Zodiac

From the linked article, the animals are in order:

• rat (鼠—shǔ)
• ox (牛—niú)
• tiger (虎—hǔ)
• rabbit (兔—tù)
• dragon (龙—lóng)
• snake (蛇—shé)
• horse (马—mǎ)
• goat (羊—yang)
• monkey (猴—hóu)
• rooster (鸡—jī)
• dog (狗—gǒu)
• pig (猪—zhū)

Chinese New Year Learning Printables

Here are some fun learning activities your family will enjoy! These are downloads in my shop. Click on any cover to see the details.

Books

Here are some picture books to add to your family library or read aloud time.

• Holidays Around the World: Celebrate Chinese New Year: With Fireworks, Dragons, and Lanterns
• Chinese New Year Wishes: Chinese Spring and Lantern Festival Celebration
• Dragon Dance: A Chinese New Year Lift-the-Flap Book
• My First Chinese New Year
• Bringing In the New Year
• Chelsea’s Chinese New Year
• A New Year’s Reunion: A Chinese Story

Spelling and Vocabulary Words

If you use the unit study pack, here is a list of Chinese New Year words you can use for many purposes (spelling, vocabulary, word search, etc.).

• Chinese New Year
• zodiac
• Lunar New Year
• myth
• red envelopes
• lucky coins
• celebration
• traditions
• family
• ancestors
• happiness
• good luck
• dumplings
• festivals
• lion dance
• reunion
• spring rolls
• red packets
• fireworks

Foods

Two articles with recipes for learning about the foods associated with the celebrations.

• Chinese New Year Recipes – Understanding the Symbolic Meanings of Food Special to this Holiday
• 10 Of The Best Chinese New Year Dessert Recipes

Decorations

If your family really wants to celebrate, here are some inexpensive decoration packs from Amazon.

• Chinese New Year Decorations
• Chinese New Year Decoration and Party Decor

I hope your study is fun!