Tie a length of string between them and tie short lengths of coloured ribbon along the string.
Add a face to one end and you have a super dancing dragon.
Cook some noodles and try eating them using chopsticks!
Make lucky money envelopes from red paper and decorate them.
Make a simple lantern from construction paper:
Fold the paper in half, then from the fold line to the other side, without cutting all the way to the edge of the paper.
Unfold the paper and staple the short ends of the paper together.
Cut a strip of paper and staple it on to make a handle.
Art
Design a greeting card to send to someone celebrating Chinese New Year.
Chinese calligraphy is beautiful. Find some examples for the children to look at, then let them try doing their own with fine brushes and black paint.
Tell the children the story of the willow pattern plate and have a go at painting your own on paper plates with blue watercolour paint. Look at our related ideas and this wonderful classroom display.
Paper cutting is a traditional art in China. Show the children some examples and provide red paper and scissors for them to produce their own.
Could you try some Chinese paper folding (zhezhi), making hats or boats?
Chinese music often uses the pentatonic scale C D E G A. Listen to some examples of traditional Chinese music. Give the children tuned percussion to explore, for example, xylophones or glockenspiels with the other keys removed. Can they compose a tune for a dragon dance? Add in drums and gongs to give a steady rhythm.
Geography
Using Google Maps and Google Earth, show the children where China is in relation to where they live. Compare the size of China to their own country.
Find out a few facts about China (area, population etc.) and create a table, comparing it to the country they live in.
Physical education
Show the children a video of a New Year Dragon dance. Can they make up their own dragon dance?
Religious education
Explain that Chinese New Year is also known as Spring Festival and is celebrated by millions of people living in China and across the world. It is a festival to celebrate the end of winter and the coming of Spring. Ask children to research the traditions of Spring Festival and produce a presentation about it.
PSHE
Read the story of the Chinese Zodiac. Ask the children to reflect on the personal qualities of the different animals. Talk about how the rooster, goat and monkey worked together to achieve their goal. When have you worked with others to achieve something you couldn’t have done on your own?
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