A Multimedia Resource List for Kids to Celebrate Chinese New Year
My sons are 2 and 4. We currently live in the United States, but we are Singaporean-Chinese. For them to better understand their culture, I make it a point to celebrate all the Chinese festivals here. Hence, before each festival, I will do some research to gather lesson plans and activities I can do with the kids to let them have fun while learning more about traditions, legends and culture.
I usually start off by getting the kids to make cards for relatives and friends back home. Then we would do craft related to Chinese New Year. We would also bake and make Chinese New Year goodies. Some popular Chinese New Year snacks and treats include pineapple tarts, almond cookies, “love letters” (rolled-up wafers) and preserved fruits. Mandarin oranges are aplenty too, for giving to elders when we visit them and to enjoy in abundance ourselves.
I also read them books and show them video clips that will make them more interested and aware of everything to do with Chinese New Year.
Here is a list of resources of books, video clips and websites that I have found extremely useful. I had gone through an extensive number before selecting these which I personally prefer.
Web sites with CNY facts, crafts and other activities
http://crafts.kaboose.com/holidays/chinese_new_year.html Chinese New Year crafts, books and recipes.
http://www.childbook.com/Chinese-Children-Projects-s/99.htm Crafts like paper cut-outs to make Chinese symbols, lion masks and so on.
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/chinese-new-year/index.html Besides the facts and history, crafts and activities, there are also tangrams and games on this site.
http://www.123chinesenewyear.com/chinesenewyear/2008.html What zodiac sign is the current new year, and why. Links to everything else about Chinese New Year as well, including songs, craft, dishes and parades.
http://www.theteacherscorner.net/seasonal/chinese-new-year/index.htm A whole list of links for lesson plans and activities for CNY.
http://www.familyculture.com/holidays/chinese_new_year.htm Background and preparations for CNY.
http://www.kiddyhouse.com/CNY/ Good list of resources and facts for kids, all about CNY.
Chinese New Year songs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLaox4OqIf0&feature;=relatedBoys and girls singing and dancing, with lion dance and performances too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owTQJqkzI78&NR;=1 Little girls in traditional costumes, dancing and singing. Background with pagodas and other Chinese scenery.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCm6oIz8R90&feature;=related Little girls in costumes, singing and dancing with drum sticks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDxVfOID51U Start from 3:00 if you want to hear the popular Chinese New Year tune. Shows many adorable rats, mice and rodents too, for Year of the Rat.
Video clips of CNY legends, decorations and celebrations
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kEQx4WKE84&feature;=related The story of how the 12 animal zodiac signs arose. It is really funny!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WUnWPpRslM&feature;=related Dragon Dance during CNY (I did not include all those troupes in competition. There are many clips on competing troupes).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AWyEfN1gdM&feature;=related Lion dance in Xi’an China. 4 lions dancing together.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGKOBmoqLDY&feature;=related CNY celebrations in Hong Kong with fireworks, shopping and so on, but in the Year of the Pig.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5Tyq0OhgEc&feature;=related 3 part series on how Taiwan celebrates CNY.
Books (in order of my personal preference and recommendation)
Chinn, Van Wright and Hu (1997). Sam and the lucky money. Age 4-8. This story is special, because it does not just introduce kids to all the traditions and celebrations of CNY. It also tells of how Sam finally decided to give his “lucky money” (ang pow money) to someone in need.
Compestine and Chau (2001). The Runaway Rice Cake. Age 5-10. A fiction tale about a family who only has one nian-gao (rice cake) but it ran away (like in the Gingerbread Man). However, they finally gave it to a hungry old woman, and was in turn blessed such that they had a big feast themselves in the end.
Compestine and Xuan (2006). D is for Dragon Dance. Age 1-7. Younger kids will just love the illustrations and the alphabet. Older ones will appreciate all the things associated with CNY that begins with A right through to Z. Recipes and other fun facts are also included.
Klein and Gallagher-Cole (2007). Max celebrates Chinese New Year. Age 2-6. About Max, an American boy who celebrates Cny for the 1st time, with his good friend Lily, who is Chinese. Talks about simple CNY traditions like dragon parade, candy, new clothes, spring cleaning. Simple words and interesting illustrations.
Demi (1999). Happy New Year!/ Kung-Hsi Fa-Ts’ai! Age 4-8. Includes all the zodiac signs and the lunar cycle. Many traditions discussed in easy to understand manner, for example the symbolism of certain foods and signs. Beautiful traditional illustrations.
Roberts (2002). Chinese New Year for kids. Age 3-12. Activities and ideas are given for parents or teachers to engage kids. They will learn all about CNY in the process of enjoying the music, movement and food.
Vaughan and Wong (1996). The Dancing Dragon. Age 2-6. This story rhymes, and so makes a good read-aloud. It is a brief introduction to how CNY is celebrated.
Chan (2004). Celebrating Chinese New Year: An Activity Book. Age 5-10. Contains some facts and history about CNY, and learn to make dragons, lanterns and red packets.
Bouchard and Huang (1999). The Dragon New Year. Age 5-10. This is about the Chinese legend of why people celebrate the New Year by lighting firecrackers, having dragon and lion dances and making a lot of noise. Illustrations are paintings.
Zucker and Cohen (2003). Lanterns and Firecrackers: A Chinese New Year story. Age 3-7. How family and friends have the reunion dinner together and then go out to celebrate the festival.
Holub and Huang (2003). Dragon Dance: A Chinese New Year lift-the-flap book. Age 4-8. About eating reunion dinner, shopping, receiving red packets and watching the parade.
Lin (2008). Bringing in the New Year. Age 4-8. This author is American Chinese and has written many books about Chinese traditions for the American Chinese families. It is colorful and includes ways to celebrate, like lion dances, firecrackers and dragon parades.
Hughes (2005). My Chinese New Year. Age 4-8. It has photographs of an extended family celebrating Chinese New year together.
Bledsoe (2005). Chinese New Year crafts. Age 5-10. 10 crafts with clear instructions and photo graphs. Includes dragon-streamer puppet, lantern and zodiac sign pictures.
Wong and Choi (2000). This Next New Year. Age 4-8. A Chinese Korean boy tells about how he, and his German French and Hopi Mexican friends celebrate CNY.
Thong and Lin (2001). Red is a dragon. Age 4-8. Teaches about 10 different colors as well as Chinese paintings and textiles. Has some rhyming text. Not specifically about CNY.
Katz (2004). My first Chinese New Year. Age 3-7. Crowded collage illustrations tell how a young girl celebrates CNY with her extended family. She has a haircut, buys new clothes and watches parades.
Waters and Cooper (1991). Lion dancer: Ernie Wan’s Chinese New Year. Age 4-8. Ernie’s father is a kung-fu master and he choreographed the lion dance in which Ernie will perform in. Tells how this Chinese-American family in New York celebrates CNY.
Yip (2004). Chinese Children’s Favorite Stories. Age 6-12. There are 13 stories and legends here. Not specific to CNY, maybe only “The Mouse Bride”. The others, like the Monkey King Sun Wukong, and Chang-E’s stories can acquaint kids with Chinese folklore and meaning behind phrases and proverbs.
MacMillan (1994). Chinese New Year. Age 7-12. This non-fiction book provides a lot of detail and facts about CNY, its customs and history.
