Lunar New Year Activities For Preschoolers
If you're looking for great ideas to use when creating Lunar New Year activities for preschoolers, you're in the right place! Here are some invitations to play that will keep your preschoolers engaged in festive hands-on learning all month long!
Fireworks are a big part of the Lunar New Year, and using pipe cleaners and pompom balls to create a nighttime fireworks display in our sensory bin was a great invitation to play! I also included blank red cards and envelopes for festive-themed writing practice, and one of our favorite nonfiction books about Lunar New Year for extra literacy integration. You can also pair drums, small noisemakers, or party poppers to reinforce the traditions discussed in the book!
It’s always important for us to find books about Lunar New Year that reflect traditions and families from a diverse range of Asian countries and ancestries. Chloe's Lunar New Year, written by Lily LaMott, is a sweet story highlighting the traditions of Chloe’s Taiwanese American family. I paired this book with sensory play (red rice and red and yellow pompom balls), as well as a paper lantern craft, but the possibilities for pairings based on the story are many!
I love to create DIY letter matching activities that invite early learners to ask, "What does this spell?" It presents a natural opportunity to introduce new concepts to young children, and intentionally creates a space for them to seek out their own learning. Any set of letters will work well, and pairing the letter match with some sensory materials and a book is a great way to integrate multiple learning domains into their play!
One of our go-to books for Lunar New Year is The Runaway Wok by Ying Chang Compestine. This simple book-based sensory bin was composed of red yarn and yellow ribbon, a toy wok, some miniature Chinese landmarks, and our letter blocks. This setup offered an invitation to play for preschoolers as young as two years old, since it was free of major choking hazards!
There are so many books and activities to help you teach, learn, and celebrate Lunar New Year with your preschool students. What Lunar New Year activities for preschoolers are you choosing this year? Connect with me and let me know!
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