Little hands need big boxes. This preschool and kindergarten sheet uses extra-large tracing cells for eight festival characters, 年 (nián, year), 春 (chūn, spring), 福 (fú, good luck), 红 (hóng, red), 羊 (yáng, goat, the animal of 2027), 门 (mén, door), 灯 (dēng, lantern) and 鱼 (yú, fish), plus ten first characters that look like what they mean: 人 (rén), 大 (dà), 小 (xiǎo), 口 (kǒu), 日 (rì), 月 (yuè), 山 (shān), 水 (shuǐ), 火 (huǒ) and 木 (mù). Start with the easy ones: 人 has just two strokes, while 福 has thirteen, so save it for last or trace it together. Say each character aloud while your child traces it, then point to something red, find a fish or draw a lantern. The pinyin above each box helps grown-ups who are still learning, too. Print it free for a classroom party or save the PDF, and hang the finished page on the door for the New Year.
The 18 characters on this sheet
Festival characters first, then simple pictographs. Stroke counts help you pick the easy ones for the youngest children.
Chinese New Year characters for kindergarten| Chinese | Traditional | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes |
|---|
| 年 | 年 | nián | year | 6 |
| 春 | 春 | chūn | spring | 9 |
| 福 | 福 | fú | good luck | 13 |
| 红 | 紅 | hóng | red | 6 |
| 羊 | 羊 | yáng | goat; sheep | 6 |
| 门 | 門 | mén | door | 3 |
| 灯 | 燈 | dēng | lamp; lantern | 6 |
| 鱼 | 魚 | yú | fish | 8 |
| 人 | 人 | rén | person | 2 |
| 大 | 大 | dà | big | 3 |
| 小 | 小 | xiǎo | small | 3 |
| 口 | 口 | kǒu | mouth | 3 |
| 日 | 日 | rì | sun; day | 4 |
| 月 | 月 | yuè | moon; month | 4 |
| 山 | 山 | shān | mountain | 3 |
| 水 | 水 | shuǐ | water | 4 |
| 火 | 火 | huǒ | fire | 4 |
| 木 | 木 | mù | tree; wood | 4 |
More Chinese New Year worksheets
- Chinese New Year worksheets: Lunar New Year 2027 is on Saturday, February 6, and opens the Year of the Goat, 羊年 (yáng nián), also called the Year of the Sheep or Ram. Free printable sheets for every age, with pinyin and English.
- New Year Greetings: The spoken New Year wishes, from 新年快乐 (xīn nián kuài lè) and 恭喜发财 (gōng xǐ fā cái) to 身体健康 (shēn tǐ jiàn kāng) for grandparents. 新年快乐 春节快乐 过年好 恭喜发财
- Year of the Goat: 2027 is the Year of the Goat, 羊年 (yáng nián), starting on Saturday, February 6; 羊 (yáng) also covers sheep and rams. 羊 羊年 山羊 绵羊
- Zodiac Animals: Write 生肖 (shēng xiào) and all twelve zodiac animals in order, from the Rat, 鼠 (shǔ), to the Pig, 猪 (zhū). 生肖 鼠 牛 虎
- Fu Character & Spring Couplets: Write 福 (fú) and the parts of a spring couplet, then copy a traditional door couplet line by line. 福 春联 对联 上联
- Chinese New Year Words: Twenty Spring Festival words: the reunion dinner, red envelopes, lanterns, firecrackers and New Year food. 春节 新年 除夕 年夜饭
- Lantern Festival: Words for 元宵节 (yuán xiāo jié), the night of lanterns: 汤圆 (tāng yuán), 花灯 (huā dēng), 灯谜 (dēng mí) riddles and the first full moon of the year. 元宵节 元宵 汤圆 正月十五
- Yuan Ri (元日): Copy Wang Anshi's 元日 (yuán rì), the classic Chinese New Year poem, line by line with pinyin. 爆竹声中一岁除 春风送暖入屠苏 千门万户曈曈日 总把新桃换旧符
Frequently asked questions
What Chinese New Year characters can preschoolers write?
Start with big, simple characters: 人 (rén, person) has two strokes, 大 (dà) and 小 (xiǎo) have three, and 年 (nián, year) has six. This sheet adds festival characters such as 春 (chūn, spring), 红 (hóng, red) and 羊 (yáng, goat), and leaves 福 (fú, 13 strokes) for last.
How big are the tracing boxes on this sheet?
Extra large: about 25 mm across, so small hands have room to follow each stroke with a crayon or a thick pencil. You can change the cell size, the number of boxes or the pinyin row in the settings before you print.
Do kids need to know pinyin to use this sheet?
No. The pinyin above each box is there for the grown-ups helping. Children can trace the gray strokes and say each character after you, then point to the real thing: something red for 红 (hóng) or a picture of a fish for 鱼 (yú).
What Chinese New Year activities go with the worksheet?
Hang the finished page on the door, find something red for 红 (hóng), draw a lantern next to 灯 (dēng) and a fish next to 鱼 (yú), the symbol of plenty. When the sheet is done, say 新年快乐 (xīn nián kuài lè) to each other.
Is this worksheet free to print?
Yes. The Chinese New Year kindergarten worksheet is free to print or save as a PDF, with no account or email needed, and you can print as many copies as you like for a class. Choose A4 or US Letter before you press Print or Save PDF.