Lunar New Year: Lesson Plan

Suitable for Prep, Grade 1, 2 & 3

Year of the Dragon

Show students these images and ask them if they can guess which topic you might be exploring today. When they've ​guessed (or been told) it's Lunar New Year/Chinese New Year, elicit what they know about this holiday already.

Lunar New Year celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunar Chinese calendar. It takes place around January and February every year. Explain to your students that it's almost Lunar New Year (or in China, Chinese New Year) and that you're going to find out more about this exciting festival.

Watch the 'two videos below and ask students to identify all the different ways that Lunar New Year is celebrated. This can include activities such as cleaning, parades, dragon and lion dances, spending time with family, giving and getting ‘red packets’, and traditional foods: fish, noodles, dumplings, and oranges.

See if your students can sing along to the songs!

2024 is The Year of the Dragon. The dragon is one of 12 ​animals from the Chinese Zodiac. The story of the Chinese ​Zodiac is based on an ancient legend called The Great Race.

Watch the video and ask students to show their understanding ​of the story in their own words e.g. retell, act, create cartoons, ​posters.

Can students show the order of the 12 animals correctly.

Which placement was the dragon?

There are many legends associated with Lunar New Year, the most famous one is the origin of how Lunar New Year is celebrated in China. It believes a monster named ‘Nian’ visited villages, attacking them. To learn more, watch the video below with your students.

There are lots of different, special ways this festival is celebrated. There are special foods, activities to do, and lucky ​colours to wear and decorate your home with.

Ask students to think back to the first two videos you watched in ​Ignite Curiosity. Which ways do they remember the festival being ​celebrated? Re-watch the videos as necessary.

Watch 'Lunar New Year for Kids - How is it celebrated?' From 1:05-3:12.

Ask students to identify as many different ways the festival is celebrated. You may prompt them to assist them, e.g. foods, clothing, lucky colours, and activities.

Watch How Asians Celebrate Lunar New Year Worldwide with your class and ​ask students to identify the different countries and different activities that ​appeared in the video.

Many Asian countries celebrate Lunar New Year. Each does so in their own ​unique and special way. Many Asian people who move to different countries ​also celebrate it.

Ask students if anyone in the class celebrates it? Anyone they know in their ​community?

Look together to find China, Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Singapore, Cambodia and the Philippines on Google Maps. While ​looking at the countries, discuss:

• What is similar about these countries geographically?
• Can you find some other countries in Asia?
  
• Is there anyone in your class with ties to Asia?
  

Note: Many Asian people who have moved to other countries still celebrate this festival. You may have members of your class, school, community, city, etc. that celebrate this.

Dumplings are a traditional food made together as a family, then eaten and enjoyed together during the ​holiday.

• Try making dumplings yourself using Meg’s Global Learning Recipe Cards.
  

Red lanterns are hung around the streets, in public places and in people’s courtyards or gardens for ​decoration at Lunar New Year.

• Try making your own red lanterns using Meg’s Global Learning Arts and Crafts cards, with both simple ​and complicated versions:

Decorating homes is one part of the Lunar New Year celebrations. Homes often get decorated with the ​character ‘Fu’ which means lucky.

• Print out this colouring in page for students to decorate however they wish, or for ambitious students, ​to practice writing the character. When completed, display on your classroom door for good luck!

Dragons are one of the 12 Zodiac animals and are an important figure in Chinese culture.

• Draw a Chinese dragon using guidelines for different body parts in our Global Learning activity card ​here.
  

• Share your students’ fantastic work with your school community to show them the great intercultural learning taking place in your classroom!

• Learn one of the songs from the first two videos and perform it at an assembly.

• Create a Learning Wall for all the learning your class makes about Lunar New Year.

• Students display their drawings or posters about The Great Race in a public place in the school with some information about the story for others to enjoy.
  

• Tag @MegGlobalEd on school posts so we can celebrate your students’ wonderful work. ​Find Meg on Facebook, LinkedIn, X/Twitter, and Instagram.