One thing I love to do in my classroom is celebrate holidays from all around the world. At the end of January or early February we always celebrate the Lunar New Year.
This holiday is the largest celebration of the year in China, so it is often referred to as the “Chinese New Year,” but many other Asian countries (including South Korea, Vietnam, and Taiwan) celebrate the Lunar New Year. Honestly, I use the terms “Lunar New Year” and “Chinese New Year” interchangeably. But I try to use “Lunar New Year” more to be respectful to everyone who celebrates.
My students love to learn about the Chinese Zodiac Signs along with the Chinese New Year and figure out which animal represents the year they were born in. I created this Google Slide resource to use in my classroom that has an accompanying graphic organizer!
Last year I had a student from China who was extremely excited about the Chinese New Year, so I did a bit extra than normal. I bought these cute red “money envelopes” from amazon and a lucky coin for each of my students. I also created these free bookmarks that students could color.
I ended up looping with my students from second to third grade and a lot of my students still have their envelope and lucky coin! It was such a memorable day that they kept it!
As a teacher, one of my goals is to provide my students windows into other cultures as often as possible. Celebrating the Lunar New Year is a fun, educational way to do just that!
