Chinese New Year Kindergarten Crafts

The Chinese New Year craft projects make the holiday exciting for kindergarteners.

The Chinese New Year is a holiday appealing to adults and children alike. Ancient Chinese folklore surrounds the holiday and make it an especially mystical time for children. The most popular story associated with the Chinese New Year is the story of Nian, a monster who was said to snack on people and be frightened of the color red and loud noises. The story of Nian bred several traditions, including flying homemade red kites and noisy fireworks during Chinese New Year celebrations. The holiday presents exciting, colorful craft opportunities for kindergartners.

Wax Paper Lantern

Lanterns are seen hanging throughout neighborhoods and inside homes and businesses during the Chinese new year. Lanterns played a significant role in ancient Chinese New Year festivals. Wax paper lanterns are a fun and simple way for kindergartners to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Start off with a large piece of wax paper 2 feet in length. Lay the paper on a large, flat surface and glue four craft sticks in the shape of a box on one end. Repeat this process until you have four sets of boxes. Once the glue has dried, cut off the excess paper, leaving 1 inch around the edges. The paper will easily fold into a box shape when picked up. Glue the edges and your lantern is complete. Give the lantern to your favorite kindergartner and let him decorate the lantern with crayons.

Red Envelopes

Giving children red envelopes filled with "lucky money" is a Chinese New Year tradition. Decorating red envelopes is a fun kindergarten craft. The only supplies needed are red envelopes and a gold glitter glue pen. Traditionally, golden Chinese signs are painted on to the envelopes. Find a list of Chinese signs and their meanings online and print it off. The child can copy the signs with her glue pen to make the envelope as simple or elaborate as she wants.

Bowl of Fruit Collage

During the Chinese New Year tangerines and oranges are frequently seen in homes, being a symbol of good luck and wealth. Kindergartners can make a colorful collage of fruits that will brighten a classroom or refrigerator. Have your child cut out tangerine and orange shapes from different shades of orange and red construction paper. Help him draw a bowl shape on construction paper and cut it out. He can now glue the bowl and pieces of fruit on a large white piece of paper to create a festive masterpiece.

Spring Couplet

Spring couplets are a Chinese New Year tradition. Cut a red poster board in half, longways. Give your child a non-toxic black marker and let her write words on the boards. Couplets are short poems, so help your kindergartner choose words that describe how she is feeling. This fun activity also develops fundamental writing skills.

References

• "Emergent Writing"; Heather Benson; July 2004
• Mrdonn.org: Ancient Story: Nian, the Horrible Monster
• PreschoolRock.com: Wax Paper Lantern Preschool Craft
• Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco: Celebration of the Chinese New Year
• Activityvillage.co.uk: Bowl of Oranges Collage
• Activityvillage.co.uk: Make a Red Envelope for China