8 Cracking Chinese New Year Resources for 2023

It will soon be time to wave goodbye to the Year of the Tiger and welcome in the Year of the Rabbit. 🐯🐇

So, we’ve put together a shortlist of eight* of our favourite Chinese New Year resources that are perfect for celebrating this vibrant festival with your class.

(*it’s no coincidence — eight is the luckiest number in Chinese culture)

1.  Nian the Monster Comprehension Resources (Years 2-6)

Have you heard of Nian — the monster who used to attack villages around the time of Chinese New Year?

You and your class can learn more about this beast and the Chinese New Year traditions that keep it at bay with these comprehension resources for Year 2, Years 3-4 and Years 5-6.

2.  Zodiac Animal Race Newspaper Report (Year 6)

Who came fourth in the race? What did they use to cross the river? Why did the dragon help them?

Before writing their newspaper report on the Zodiac Animal Race, children must ask themselves the five ‘W’s to help them to plan it. The writing frame is laid out like a newspaper page so their report will look like the real deal.

(Pssst — you can recap the story of the race with this handy PowerPoint.)

3.  Keep Cat Dry (Years 1-2)

Cat can swim and would love to win a place in the Chinese Zodiac, but she absolutely hates getting wet. In this science activity, children need to investigate the best material for keeping Cat dry during her river race attempt.

4. Animal Riddles (Year 2)

I have four legs. I have long ears. I like carrots. What am I?

Test your class with these Chinese Zodiac animal riddles, then challenge them to make up a riddle of their own to pass to a friend.

5.  Crack the Code (Year 6)

This worksheet has a range of challenging calculations for children to complete in order to crack the code and find the answers to some questions about Chinese New Year traditions.

6. Chinese Dragon Art (Years 3-6)

Feeling arty? Get creative with these instructions on how to make some dragon-inspired art with a fancy firework border. Things are about to get messy.

7. Colour by Phoneme (Reception)

This twist on a classic gets children in Reception to practise recognising the phonemes d, o, i, p and g. No prizes for guessing what animal will be revealed when the grid is complete…

8. Let’s Talk About Chinese New Year (Reception)

This collection of questions and images is great for sparking interesting class discussions about Chinese New Year. You might like to show some interesting objects too, such as Chinese lanterns or lucky red envelopes.

Still wanting more?

We don’t blame you. You can find even more Chinese New Year fun here — including, but not limited to, Chinese New Year crafts, classroom decorations and crosswords.

Wishing you a hoppy and prosperous Year of the Rabbit from CGP+. 🥕