Lunar or Chinese New Year for Kids

When we were living in New York City and feeling very homesick around Chinese New Year, I found myself looking for a funny picture book featuring the activities and traditions of Chinese New Year for kids that I could read to my daughter.

There were several nice books, but I never quite found one that conveyed the often hectic and raucous atmosphere I missed so much.  The Spring Festival (春节), Lunar or Chinese New Year always feels like a time when we start anew, when we pledge to each other that we will make the new year better. And whatever we are experiencing, preparing for a big meal together and then eating together provides the feeling that we are truly not alone in the world and we belong to this tribe of people.  In New York, we learned to say not simply 春节快乐 （chūnjié kuàilè) to our Chinese friends, also 새해 복 많이 받으세요 (saehae bok mani badeusipsio) to our Korean friends, and Chúc Mừng Năm Mới to our Vietnamese friends as the Lunar New Year is celebrated across these different places.

Well, this year, we finally made our own story about Chinese New Year for kids, titled “Celebrating is Hard Work!” 《庆祝好累人！》and you can read it on the Dim Sum Warriors App if you’re a CLUB or PLUS+ subscriber.

For parents and teachers reading our story in the Dim Sum Warriors app ahead of this year’s Lunar New Year celebrations, I have prepared some discussion questions—as well as a list of vocabulary in Mandarin and English covered in the story. These will help to enrich the discussion about Lunar or Chinese New Year for kids.

VOCABULARY

Here’s a selection of words covered in our story, “Celebrating is Hard Work!” 《庆祝好累人！》”, which you can read in the Dim Sum Warriors App. You can also download a pdf with the full list together with the discussion questions.

HSK 1-2 易 Foundational

HSK 3-4 中 Intermediate

HSK5-6 难 Advanced

Lunar Chinese New Year Story for Kids: QUESTIONS FOR CRITICAL THINKING

As Covid has affected travel and celebrations, especially large family gatherings, it’s important at Chinese New Year for kids to know what  traditional Chinese New Year activities are, and also for them to think about and discuss critical questions like:

• What other cultures celebrate the lunar new year?
• Why do people hold elaborate celebrations when they often involve such hard work?
• How have celebrations changed over the years?
• What happens to us when there are no celebrations for festivals?

You can access the full list of questions for pre-reading, during-reading and post-reading by downloading this PDF. Remember to download the story in the Dim Sum Warriors App for story. You can also pre-read this anthropologist’s take on why the rituals of cultural celebrations are important for families and societies.

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