Dragon Boat Festival for Kids: Boats, Zongzi and the Story of Qu Yuan

By the end you can

• Wish everyone a happy Dragon Boat Festival. Say the festival's name and its greeting, holding up five fingers: the festival falls on day five of month five, and 午 (wǔ) sounds like 五 (wǔ), five.
  端午节快乐！ · Duānwǔjié kuàilè! · Happy Dragon Boat Festival!
• Name the dragon boat and cheer for a team. Learn 龙 (dragon) and 舟 (boat), play "row the boat" on the floor and shout 加油！ with every drum beat.
  快划！加油！ · Kuài huá! Jiāyóu! · Row fast! Go, go!
• Listen for the winning boat by its colour. Colour a dragon boat, then listen to Lele and circle the red, blue or green boat she says is the fastest.
  蓝色的龙舟最快！ · Lánsè de lóngzhōu zuì kuài! · The blue dragon boat is the fastest!
• Ask for zongzi and choose sweet or salty. Say what zongzi are, count them with 个 and sort them into sweet ones with red beans and salty ones with meat or egg.
  甜的还是咸的？ · Tián de háishi xián de? · Sweet or salty?
• Tell Qu Yuan's story in three short lines. A kind poet, loved by everyone, remembered with boats and zongzi. Children number three pictures and tell the story in Chinese.
  屈原是好人。 · Qū Yuán shì hǎorén. · Qu Yuan was a good man.
• Make a five-colour thread and smell a festival pouch. Say the five colours of the wrist thread, red, yellow, green, white and black, and the word for the little pouch of sweet-smelling herbs.
  五彩绳真好看！ · Wǔcǎishéng zhēn hǎokàn! · The five-colour thread is so pretty!
• Act out a race day with Bao. Use eight picture word cards, then play a short race-day scene together: one of you rows, one cheers, then you share a zongzi.
  我们去看龙舟吧！ · Wǒmen qù kàn lóngzhōu ba! · Let's go and watch the dragon boats!

What’s inside

• Part 1: Learn: The Dragon Boat Festival · Activity: Festival Words to Trace and Find
• Part 2: Learn: Dragon Boats · Activity: Race the Dragon Boats
• Part 3: Learn: Yummy Zongzi · Activity: Count and Taste the Zongzi
• Part 4: Learn: Qu Yuan's Story · Activity: Tell Qu Yuan's Story
• Part 5: Learn: Colourful Threads and Pouches · Activity: Make a Five-Colour Thread
• Word cards: Dragon Boat Word Cards
• Review: Race Day with Bao

How to use this book

Five short parts, each a Learn page and an activity page. About 10 minutes a session suits ages 5 to 8: 3 minutes saying words, 5 minutes on the activity, 2 minutes acting out a line.

1. Session 1: The festival and its greeting. Say 端午节快乐！ with five fingers up, then trace the festival words on page 4 and circle the festival things.
2. Session 2: Dragon boats. Row the boat on the floor while you cheer 加油！, then colour a boat and play Lele's audio to find the winner.
3. Session 3: Zongzi. Count and sort zongzi on page 8. If you have real ones, cut them into small bites and ask 甜的还是咸的？
4. Session 4: Qu Yuan's story. Keep it to three ideas: he was kind, people loved him, and boats and zongzi help us remember him. Then number the pictures together.
5. Session 5: Threads, cards and race day. Twist five pieces of wool into a wrist thread, saying each colour, then play with the word cards and act out Race Day with Bao on page 14.

Who it’s for

Children aged 5 to 8 meeting Chinese for the first time, with a parent at home or a teacher in class, especially in the weeks before the festival (9 June in 2027).

Before you start: Nothing. You read the English and your child says the Chinese. Every word has pinyin, and the free audio speaks each line slowly with a pause to say it back.

Frequently asked questions

How do I tell young children about Qu Yuan?

Gently, with three ideas: Qu Yuan was a kind poet, everyone loved him, and families still race boats and make zongzi to remember him. The book tells it that way, with three pictures to put in order.

When is the Dragon Boat Festival?

On the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar, which is 9 June in 2027. The week before is a good time to start the book.

I don't speak Chinese. Can I still use it?

Yes. Every word has pinyin and English, the Mei Lin says boxes explain things in plain English, and the free audio says every Chinese line slowly with a pause for your child to repeat it. Praise the try more than the tones.

Is this workbook free?

Yes. The whole 16-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.

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