Celebrating the Chinese New Year #fiveforfriday

Crafts and books for the Chinese New Year – five ways to celebrate with children.

I plan to talk a little about the festival to ToddlerGirl this year, although in a very small way as I think she is still a little young to really understand that there are many countries around the world. But it is a great way to introduce the idea of different cultures and, as she gets older, a fun and colourful way to explore this properly.

My #fiveforfriday focus on some interesting and imaginative ways to join in with the Chinese New Year with these toddler crafts and books.

A good place to start is by reading about China and the Chinese New Year together. This is a brilliant book list from No Time For Flashcards that covers traditions for celebrating the new year as well as information about the country.
Once you’ve read up on the celebrations, this is a fab dragon puppet craft to make from Red Ted Art. There’s a free printable so you don’t need to worry about your drawing skills! ToddlerGirl and I will definitely be giving this one a go.
These Chinese drums from Artsy Momma are easy to make using paper plates, craft sticks, ribbons and beads – and kids will love getting them to make a sound!
The celebrations for the Chinese New Year finish with a lantern festival. This lantern craft from Activity Village is easy to do and they would look great strung up as a decoration.
To help the new year start with a bang, try making some fireworks paintings. We had a lot of fun creating these fireworks paper plates for Bonfire Night. They look very effective pinned against black card or on a large window!

Find out more about Chinese New Year with this great little guide on Netmums, including background information on the festival, more craft ideas and food suggestions.