Chinese Festivals for Kids: Printable Activities for a Whole Year of Festivals

By the end you can

• Name eight festivals and the season of each. A one-page festival year sets out each festival's season, its 2027 date or usual month, and the lunar day it falls on.
  你最喜欢哪个节日？ · Nǐ zuì xǐhuan nǎge jiérì? · Which festival do you like best?
• Get the home ready for Spring Festival. Say the New Year jobs, from cleaning the home to putting up red couplets and paper-cuts, then colour and match them.
  我们一起打扫吧！ · Wǒmen yìqǐ dǎsǎo ba! · Let's clean up together!
• Make a paper lantern and guess lantern riddles. Fold, cut and roll a red sheet into a lantern, then read easy riddles and circle the answer, the way families guess 灯谜 at the Lantern Festival.
  猜猜看，是什么？ · Cāicai kàn, shì shénme? · Have a guess: what is it?
• Fly kites at Qingming and row at the Dragon Boat Festival. Spring kite words and a gentle note on remembering family, then a rowing game with a drum beat and a five-colour thread to colour.
  我们去放风筝吧！ · Wǒmen qù fàng fēngzheng ba! · Let's go and fly a kite!
• Hear the magpie bridge story of Qixi. The weaver girl and the cowherd meet once a year on a bridge of magpies. Your child colours the bridge and finishes the story words.
  喜鹊飞来了，变成一座桥。 · Xǐquè fēi lái le, biànchéng yí zuò qiáo. · The magpies fly over and become a bridge.
• Share a mooncake under the Mid-Autumn moon. Say moon-watching words, then cut mooncakes fairly so everyone gets a piece and draw your family looking at the moon.
  月亮好圆啊！ · Yuèliang hǎo yuán a! · The moon is so round!
• Climb high at Double Ninth and choose a Winter Solstice food. A hill walk with grandparents and a good-health wish, then dumplings in the north or tangyuan in the south, counted and drawn in a bowl.
  爷爷奶奶，祝你们身体好！ · Yéye nǎinai, zhù nǐmen shēntǐ hǎo! · Grandpa and Grandma, I wish you good health!
• Match festivals to their foods and customs. Cut out eight festival cards, then point, say and draw a line from each festival to its food on the review page.
  今天是什么节？ · Jīntiān shì shénme jié? · What festival is it today?

What’s inside

• Festival Year: A Year of Chinese Festivals
• Spring Festival: Learn: Clean and Decorate the Home · Activity: Get Ready for Spring Festival
• Lantern Festival: Learn: Lanterns and Riddles · Activity: Make a Lantern, Guess a Riddle
• Qingming: Kites and Spring: Learn: Kites in the Spring Air · Activity: Color a Spring Kite
• Dragon Boat Festival: Learn: Row, Row, Cheer! · Activity: Row, Count and Color
• Qixi: The Magpie Bridge: Learn: The Magpie Bridge · Activity: Color the Magpie Bridge
• Mid-Autumn Festival: Learn: Moon Watching with Family · Activity: Share the Mooncake
• Double Ninth: Climb High: Learn: Climb a Hill with Grandma · Activity: Flowers on the Hill
• Winter Solstice: Learn: Dumplings or Tangyuan? · Activity: Count the Solstice Food
• Festival cards: Eight Festival Cards
• Review: Which Festival Is It?

How to use this book

Eight festivals, each a Learn page and an activity page. Do each one a week or two before it comes, then again on the day, in sessions of about 10 minutes.

1. Start: Map the year. Look at the festival year on page 3, look up this year's dates together and mark them on your calendar.
2. A week or two before: Learn page. Play the audio for the Learn page and say each line back together twice.
3. The same session: Activity page. Colour, make, count or match, and finish with the line to say at the bottom. Stop while it is still fun.
4. On the day: Do it again. Say the festival's words again and try the home idea in the tip, such as cleaning together or climbing some stairs with a grandparent.
5. Any time: Cards and review. Cut out the eight festival cards on page 20, then match each festival to its food on page 21.

Who it’s for

Children aged 6 to 10, at home, in an immersion class or in any classroom, with a parent or teacher. It works through the whole year, festival by festival.

Before you start: Nothing. Every line has pinyin and English and is on the free audio, with a pause to say it back. You'll need crayons, scissors, glue and red paper for the lantern.

Frequently asked questions

Which festivals are in the book?

Spring Festival, the Lantern Festival, Qingming, the Dragon Boat Festival, Qixi, the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Double Ninth and the Winter Solstice: eight festivals through one year, each with a Learn page and an activity.

When should we do each festival?

A week or two before it comes, then again on the day. Most of these festivals follow the lunar calendar, so their dates move each year: page 3 gives the 2027 dates or usual months, and suggests marking this year's dates on your calendar.

How does the book handle Qingming?

Gently. It shows families enjoying the green spring and flying kites, and remembering family members from long ago with happy stories. A tip suggests sharing one happy memory if your child asks.

What will we need?

Crayons or pencils for the colouring, scissors for the festival cards, and red paper and glue for the paper lantern. Play dough is handy for pretend tangyuan at the Winter Solstice.

Are there books for single festivals?

Yes. Dragon Boat Festival for Kids and Mid-Autumn Festival for Kids each go deeper into one festival, and Chinese New Year 2027 for Kids has puzzles and activities for Spring Festival.

Is this workbook free?

Yes. The whole 24-page PDF is free, and you can look through its pages here before you download. There's no card and nothing to pay.

Do I need a SayMei account?

Yes, to download the PDF, and the account is free: sign up with Google, Apple or your email address. With it we email you a copy of the workbook, keep every workbook you download on your account on all your devices, save your place in the free online practice, and you can practise speaking with Mei Lin, SayMei's AI tutor.

How do I print it?

The PDF is US Letter size. On A4 paper, choose "Fit to page" (or "Scale to fit") in the print dialog so nothing is cut off. Print the whole workbook or only the pages you need; colour looks best, and black and white works too.

Can I print copies for my class or my children?

Yes. Print as many copies as you like for your own class or family. To share it, send this page: everyone can download their own copy.

Keep going

Mandarin for Kids: Animals & Fruit · Colors and Numbers in Chinese for Kids: Printable Worksheets (Ages 4–6) · Mandarin for Kids: My Family & Me · Mandarin for Kids: Yummy Food & Snacks · Browse all 294 workbooks