Excitement abounds in our family this week as we prepare for Chinese New Year. It’s such a rich celebration, filled with opportunities for creativity, discussion and exploration. Here are just a few ideas.
? Phonics: Little ones early on in their literacy journey can sound out some of the animals of the zodiac and use magnetic letters or movable alphabet to build them (the easiest ones to start with are ox, cat, rat, dog).
? Dance/Drama: Create a dragon puppet. Draw a dragon with a long body and cut it out, then attach two lolly sticks at the head and tail to help make it move. Alternatively, you can make a puppet using paper chains made with brightly coloured paper or card. Use your puppet to create a dragon dance (there are some great videos on You Tube for inspiration), or as a storytelling prop.
? Alliteration and Adjectives: Come up with alliterative adjectives to describe each of the twelve animals, e.g. ‘daring dragon’, and create a poster about the animal.
? Following Instructions: Research Chinese New Year recipes and have a go at making some of your own celebratory food. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/rec…/collection/chinese-new-year.
?Building a Narrative: Make an animal puppet and retell (orally or written) the story of Chinese New Year from the animal’s perspective.
?Art and Craft You could also make a lantern from coloured paper, or even a whole host of lanterns, to decorate your house. We poured thick finger paints on a huge piece of paper and used mini paint rollers to experiment with mixing colours to create a firework effects. Loads of discussion about shapes, colour mixing and how to create effects like sparks, as well as lots of motor skills. We used these lovely child-friendly, natural paints from Okinorm which have lasted forever (not an affiliate link, just a link to a website I love!). https://www.babipur.co.uk/okonorm-finger-paints-primary-colours.html
?Reading for Information: Find out about the zodiac animal in the year you were born – how accurate is it?
? Speaking and Listening/Writing to Inform: Create a news report about the history of Chinese New Year, or create an informative leaflet.
Do tag us on social media if you have fun with any of these activities. We would love to see some pictures of everyone’s creativity!
Gung Hay Fat Choi, everyone.