Fun and easy Chinese New Year crafts and activities for kids to celebrate the Lunar New Year and the year of the Horse 2026.
What is Chinese New Year?
Chinese New Year is the Chinese festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese calendar. The festival is commonly referred to as the Spring Festival marking the end of winter and the beginning of the spring season.
Where is Chinese New Year Celebrated
Chinese New Year is one of the most important holidays in China. It is also celebrated worldwide in regions and countries, including Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines, as well as many in North America and Europe.
Lunar New Year Traditions
Chinese New Year is associated with several myths and customs. The festival was traditionally a time to honour ancestors. It is also traditional for every family to thoroughly clean their house, in order to sweep away any ill-fortune and to make way for incoming good luck. Another custom is the decoration of windows and doors with red paper-cuts, light firecrackers and giving money in red paper envelopes and eat dumplings.
When is the Lunar New Year in 2026?
In 2026, the first day of the Chinese New Year will be on Tuesday, 17 February, which is the Year of the Horse.
Looking for more Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year crafts and activities? Check out these fun posts:
- 15+ Chinese Dragon Crafts for Kids
- 10+ Chinese Lantern Crafts for Kids
- Free Chinese New Year Coloring Pages
Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year Crafts
- Lunar New Year Sensory Bin – Happy Toddler Playtime
- Cheese Chinese Lanterns – Danya Banya
- Simple Chinese New Year crafts: Paper plate dragon – Kiddy Charts
- Lucky Chinese Red Envelopes 红包 – Free Printable in Simplified and Traditional Chinese! – Chalk Academy
- Simple Jar Chinese Paper Lantern Craft – Blissful Domestication
- Hong Bao (Red Envelopes) for Chinese New Year – Danya Banya
- Moveable Chinese Dragon Paper Plate Craft – Crafts on the Sea
- Chinese Lantern Sun Catchers – The Gingerbread House
- Egg Carton Dragon Puppet – Messy Little Monsters
- Waving Chinese Lucky Cate Craft – Kids Craft Room
- New Year’s Eve Traditions – Red Envelopes (China) – Red Ted Art
- Chinese New Year Sensory Bin – Gift of Curiosity
- How to make Chinese lanterns – Nuture Store
- Easy Paper Dragon puppet craft for Chinese New Year – Crafts by Ria
- Chinese New Year Craft: Dragon Puppet & Free Printable – Red Ted Art
- How to Make a Chinese Rattle Drum – Blissful Domestication
- Chinese New Year Banners – Simplified and Traditional Chinese – Chalk Academy
- Chinese New Year Drum – Gift of Curiosity
- Cupcake Liner Dragon Craft – I Heart Crafty Things
- How to Make an Egg Carton Dragon Craft – I Heart Crafty Things
- Plate Dragon Twirler (Free Printable) – Red Ted Art
- Double Fish Chinese New Year Decoration – Mama Baby Mandarin
- Red Envelope Dragon Craft – Mama Baby Mandarin
- Dragon Puppet Craft – Happy Toddler Playtime
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
