Lunar New Year, sometimes also called Chinese New Year, is a holiday widely celebrated across the world to celebrate the lunisolar calendar, based on cycles of the moon. This holiday features many traditions, including festive food, parades, gifts and clothing. For 2023, Jan. 22 marks the start of Lunar New Year, with many celebrations continuing until Feb. 5. The Chinese New Year also marks the transition of zodiac signs: 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit.
5 Teaching Resources for Your Consideration
Lion Dance Puppet
During the Chinese New Year, lion dancer troupes from martial art schools or Chinese associations visit houses and shops to perform the lion dance. This dance is thought to scare away evil spirits and bring good luck. They are often accompanied by drums, gongs and bells. The most common colors for the lion dance are red to represent bravery, green for friendship, and gold to represent liveliness. Use this resource from the Children’s Museum of Houston to construct a lion puppet to use in a lion dance in celebration of the new year.
Chinese New Year Printable Collection
From ABCMouse, these easy-to-print greeting cards and illustrations feature dragons, lanterns and a dancing lion. It’s a fun way for developing young students’ artistic vision and fine motor skills, and for sharing greetings with friends. For older students, check out this art lesson on sumi-e painting from SML member samwelli.
Lotus & Feather read by Michelle Yeoh
A story of a little girl recovering from a winter illness who cares for an injured crane, this video book reading and teachers guide from Storyline Online features timely social and emotional learning themes that students will relate to, with beautiful watercolor illustrations by Julie Downing—all inspired by the true story of a crane that rescued a Chinese village.
Children’s Books that Celebrate New Year’s Around the World
Helpful for putting new year celebrations in context, check out this expansive booklist from KidLitTV. Beyond the traditional New Year’s on Dec. 31, here is a list of children’s books that look at other celebrations around the world. Learn how people celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year; Seollal, the Korean New Year; Lunar New Year; Diwali, India’s Festival of Lights, and more.
Culturally Responsive Instruction for Holiday and Religious Celebrations Part 2
Not sure where or how to start incorporating inclusive lessons? This blog from Colorin Colorado makes it all very manageable. Get tips for celebrating holidays, learning the history and recognizing diversity within a common group.
Additional Lunar New Year Resources
Find more resources to help you celebrate the Lunar New Year in your classroom with this curated list.
Share My Lesson's Marketing LeadSusan Goldstein Youssofi, a native of the Washington, DC metro area, has been working on the Share My Lesson team since spring of 2013.
