Happy Year of the Dragon, educators and parents! Now that festivities have begun, this is a wonderful opportunity to introduce young children to the rich traditions and customs associated with the Chinese New Year. Explore age-appropriate books, activities, recipes, and more to acknowledge and celebrate this over 4,000-year-old cultural holiday.
The Lunar New Year celebration is rich with tradition, cultural beliefs, and symbolic food. Learn more about each phase of the Lunar New Year on http://www.chinesenewyear.net/.
Asian American children’s books author Helen H. Wu also highlights 15 Children’s Books about the Lunar New Year that can help educators and parents introduce the Lunar New Year to young children. Pick one to read during your upcoming story time!
Prior to highlighting the dragon, introduce the Chinese zodiac to young children by discussing the Great Race origin story. Twinkl Educational Publishing’s age-appropriate, illustrated version is a wonderful place to start.
Now let’s dive into the 2024 zodiac animal, the Dragon! Dragons are seen as very lucky and powerful in the Chinese zodiac. They are ambitious dreamers and pursue adventure throughout their entire lives, making them a wonderful animal to explore with your little ones. Ready to celebrate the dragon?
The Lunar New Year features many symbolic food items throughout the weeks-long celebrations. Introduce some of them to your little ones by trying recipes or pre-made versions of the foods below:
There are many ways for young children to make lanterns, depending on their age and capabilities. Happy Toddler Playtime offers 10 Chinese Lantern Crafts to celebrate the New Year, including templates and how-to instructions to make these activities easy in the classroom and at home. Make them with your little ones and have them showcase their creations in a parade!
Giving and receiving red envelopes (hóngbāo) for family and friends represents good wishes and luck for the year ahead. They are typically filled with money and given to family and friends during the new year celebrations. Some fun facts about hóngbāo:
You can learn more about red envelopes and how the Lunar New Year is celebrated in various parts of Asia at Google’s Arts of the New Moon Project.
Celebrate the generosity and spirit of giving behind this tradition by having young children decorate red envelopes with gold paint and glitter, filling it with chocolate gold coins, and encouraging them to share their creations with friends or loved ones.
Teaching young children about different celebrations and traditions encourages the appreciation, acceptance, and inclusion of others. Through fun activities, education, and conversation, your little ones can discover the significance of the Lunar New Year in Chinese culture. To those who do recognize and celebrate, Happy Chinese New Year! 心想事成, 万事如意 – “May all your wishes come true and go well with you.”
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Before joining Equal Justice Works, Janie was the Vice President of Human Resources and Chief Diversity Officer for Global Communities, where she was responsible for the design, implementation, and management of integrated HR and diversity strategies. Her work impacted employees in over twenty-two countries. She was responsible for the effective management of different cultural, legal, regulatory, and economic systems for both domestic and international employees. Prior to Global Communities, Janie enjoyed a ten-year career with the federal government. As a member of the Senior Executive Service, she held key strategic human resources positions with multiple cabinet-level agencies and served as an advisor and senior coach to leaders across the federal sector. In these roles, she received recognition from management, industry publications, peers, and staff for driving the creation and execution of programs that created an engaged and productive workforce.
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Janie received her M.A. in Organization Development from American University. She holds numerous professional development certificates in Human Capital Management and Change Management, including a Diversity and Inclusion in Human Resources certificate from Cornell University. She completed the year-long Maryland Equity and Inclusion Leadership Program sponsored by The Schaefer Center for Public Policy and The Maryland Commission on Civil Rights. She is a trained mediator and Certified Professional Coach. She is a graduate of Leadership America, former board chair of the NTL Institute and currently co-steward of the organization’s social justice community of practice, and a member of The Society for Human Resource Management. Additionally, Janie is the Board Chairperson for the Special Education Citizens Advisory Council for Prince Georges County where she is active in developing partnerships that facilitate discussion between parents, families, educators, community leaders, and the PG County school administration to enhance services for students with disabilities which is her passion. She and her husband Randolph reside in Fort Washington Maryland.
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