Chinese New Year Printables 2027: Red Envelopes, Greeting Cards and Couplets to Write

By the end you can

• Say and write twelve New Year wishes, and know who each one suits. From 新年快乐 for anyone to 身体健康 for grandparents and 学习进步 for children, with a note on when each fits.
  恭喜发财！ · Gōngxǐ fācái! · May you prosper!
• Write 福 and explain why it hangs upside down. Write it big and small, find its three parts, and see why: 倒 (upside down) sounds just like 到 (to arrive).
  福到了！ · Fú dào le! · Good luck has arrived!
• Make two red envelopes, each with a wish on the front. Cut, fold and glue a goat template, draw your own on a plain one, and choose the right wish for Grandma, a child or an aunt with a new job.
  新年快乐，这是给你的！ · Xīnnián kuàilè, zhè shì gěi nǐ de! · Happy New Year, this is for you!
• Colour and write a Year of the Goat card. Read colour words to colour the card, then write it in three lines: 亲爱的 and a name, 祝您 + a wish, your own name.
  祝您羊年大吉！ · Zhù nín yáng nián dàjí! · Wishing you great luck in the Year of the Goat!
• Write cards for grandparents, a teacher and a friend. Choose 您 for grandparents and teachers and 你 for friends, then finish each card with a wish that fits.
  爷爷奶奶，祝你们身体健康！ · Yéye nǎinai, zhù nǐmen shēntǐ jiànkāng! · Grandpa and Grandma, wishing you good health!
• Read, trace and hang a spring couplet pair. The first line goes on the right, the second on the left and the short scroll across the top. The last tone of each line tells you which is which.
  一年好运到 · Yì nián hǎo yùn dào · A whole year of good luck arrives
• Read six lantern riddles aloud and guess the answers. Cut out the strips and guess the moon, a red envelope, 福, a lantern, the goat and tangyuan.
  猜一猜，这是什么？ · Cāi yi cāi, zhè shì shénme? · Have a guess: what is it?
• Act out a New Year visit with a red envelope. Greet at the door, wish Grandma good health and hand a child a red envelope, then remind them to take it with both hands.
  新年好！这是给你的红包。 · Xīnnián hǎo! Zhè shì gěi nǐ de hóngbāo. · Happy New Year! This red envelope is for you.

What’s inside

• Wishes: Twelve Wishes to Write and Say
• 福: Write 福 and Hang It Upside Down
• Red Envelopes: Template: Red Envelope 1: The Goat · Template: Red Envelope 2: Draw Your Own
• Cards: A Year of the Goat Card · Cards for Family and Friends
• Couplets: How Spring Couplets Work · Trace a Couplet Pair
• Lantern Riddles: Six Lantern Riddles
• Review: At the Door with a Red Envelope
• Checklist: Checklist and 2027 Dates

How to use this book

The kit's own routine takes ten minutes: listen to two or three wishes (2 minutes), make one piece (5 minutes), then your child says its wish to someone at home (3 minutes). Print only the pages you need.

1. Mid-January: Wishes and 福. Pages 3 and 4. Play the twelve wishes, pick three your family will use, and write 福 big and small.
2. Late January: Red envelopes. Pages 5 and 6, on red card if you have it. You handle the scissors with young children; they fold, draw and write the wish.
3. Early February: Cards. Pages 7 and 8. Write a card for each grandparent and read it aloud on a video call.
4. Fri 5 Feb 2027: New Year's Eve: couplets and 福. Trace the couplets on page 10 and put them up with your 福. Say 福到了！ as you hang it.
5. Sat 6 Feb 2027: New Year's Day: red envelopes. Act out the door visit on page 12 with the audio, then give your red envelopes with 新年好！
6. Sat 20 Feb 2027: Lantern Festival riddles. Cut out the riddles on page 11, hang them up and guess them after dinner.

Who it’s for

Parents, grandparents and carers who want to make Spring Festival 2027 crafts with their children at home: red envelopes, cards, 福 and couplets, each with a wish you say together in Mandarin.

Before you start: Nothing, and you don't need to speak Chinese. Pinyin with tone marks is printed under every line, and the free audio reads each one with a pause to say it back. Answers are in the key at the back.

Frequently asked questions

What's in the kit?

Twelve wishes to write and say, 福 to write, two red envelope templates, a Year of the Goat card, cards for family and friends, a spring couplet pair to trace and six lantern riddles. Page 12 acts out a New Year visit at the door, and page 13 has a checklist and the 2027 dates.

When is Chinese New Year 2027, and when do couplets go up?

New Year's Day is Saturday 6 February 2027, the start of the Year of the Goat. Many families put up new couplets and 福 on the last day or two of the old year, so New Year's Eve, Friday 5 February, works well. The Lantern Festival, for the riddles, is Saturday 20 February.

What should we write on a red envelope?

A short wish that suits the person. 恭喜发财 suits almost anyone, 身体健康 is for grandparents and older relatives, 学习进步 for children and students, and 工作顺利 for someone with a job. Page 3 lists all twelve wishes, and page 5 has your child match a wish to each person.

Why do people hang 福 upside down?

倒 (dào, upside down) sounds just like 到 (dào, to arrive), so an upside-down 福 says good luck has arrived. Many families do it, and some keep the 福 on the front door upright and turn the ones inside. Page 4 has your child write 福 and say 福到了！ while hanging it.

How long does each piece take?

The kit's routine is ten minutes: listen to two or three wishes, make one piece, then your child says its wish to someone at home. Print only the pages you need. The red envelopes look best on red card, and a grown-up handles the scissors with young children.

Do I need to speak Chinese?

No. Pinyin with tone marks is printed under every line, and the free audio reads each one with a pause to say it back. Answers to the exercises are in the key at the back.

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.

Keep going

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