Free Lunar New Year worksheets for children, with seven printable activities that use real Lunar New Year words, from lanterns and dragon dances to dumplings and the zodiac. Print a word search in three levels, bingo cards, a word scramble, a “how many words can you make” page, an acrostic poem, a writing prompt and a fold-up Lunar New Year card, each with an answer key where one is needed.
Lunar New Year worksheets to print (PDF)
These four pages show what the Lunar New Year maker prints: a medium word search with a word list, two bingo cards on a page, an acrostic poem for the letters of LANTERN, and the fold-up card that says “Happy Lunar New Year!” Click a picture for the PDF.
Prefer one download? Grab the ready-made Lunar New Year activity pack (PDF), which has every page in one file.
About Lunar New Year: the holiday at a glance
A little background makes the words on the page mean more. Here are the basic facts that go with these Lunar New Year worksheets:
| When | The second new moon after the winter solstice, between January 21 and February 20 |
|---|---|
| Celebrated in | China, Vietnam, Korea, Singapore and many other places |
| Zodiac | A 12-year cycle of animals, starting with the rat |
| Colors | Red and gold, for luck and wealth |
| Traditions | Cleaning the house, red envelopes, lion dances and fireworks |
| Ends with | The Lantern Festival on the 15th day |
The story of Lunar New Year
Lunar New Year is the biggest holiday in China, where it is also called Spring Festival, and it is celebrated in Vietnam, Korea, Singapore and many other places. It follows the lunar calendar, so the date changes each year, and the celebrations last about fifteen days, ending with the Lantern Festival.
Each year is linked to one of twelve animals in the zodiac: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. Families clean their homes before the new year to sweep away bad luck, decorate with red couplets and lanterns, gather for a reunion dinner, and give children red envelopes with money for good luck.
Wikipedia’s Chinese New Year article describes the festival, the zodiac and customs in different countries.
What is in the Lunar New Year activity pack?
Every activity uses the same list of 24 Lunar New Year words, so children meet each word several times in different ways. The list is the heart of these Lunar New Year worksheets: the word search hides it, the scramble mixes it up, the bingo calls it out and the writing prompt asks children to use it.
Lunar New Year word search: three levels
The word search comes in easy, medium and hard grids, with 10, 14 and 18 words from the list.
The longest Lunar New Year words are dumplings, fireworks and blessings with 9 letters, and the shortest word is red with 3.
Lunar New Year vocabulary: words to talk about
Take a few minutes to talk about the words before children search for them. These eight are a good place to start:
| Word | Letters | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| lantern | 7 | A paper or silk light that hangs in a frame |
| dragon | 6 | A long, mythical creature that brings luck in a Lunar New Year dance |
| zodiac | 6 | A cycle of twelve animals, one for each year |
| reunion | 7 | A meeting of family members who have not seen each other for a while |
| couplets | 8 | Pairs of poetic lines on red paper hung on a door |
| dumplings | 9 | Filled dough, eaten for luck and prosperity in northern China |
| blessings | 9 | Good wishes for health and happiness |
| drums | 5 | Instruments beaten in lion and dragon dances |
The other 16 words in the list are noodles, oranges, lion, dance, parade, fireworks, red, gold, luck, spring, festival, moon, calendar, sweets, cleaning and gifts.
How people celebrate Lunar New Year
- Cleaning the house and decorating with red lanterns
- Sharing a reunion dinner with family
- Giving and receiving red envelopes
- Watching lion and dragon dances and fireworks
- Visiting relatives and ending with the Lantern Festival
Lunar New Year activities for kids to do with the worksheets
Pair the printed pages with a hands-on idea, and the vocabulary sticks:
- Zodiac sort: find out which animal matches your birth year and the years of your family.
- Paper lantern craft: fold red paper, cut slits and make a lantern to hang.
- Dragon parade writing: use the prompt about a dragon dance and describe what you see, hear and smell.
- Red envelope math: count play money into red envelopes for a game.
- Lantern acrostic: write LANTERN down the page and add a word for each letter.
A note for families and teachers
The holiday is celebrated by many cultures, which each have their own names, foods and traditions. “Lunar New Year” is the common name that includes them all, and you can adapt the activities to your own family.
How to use these Lunar New Year worksheets in five minutes
The lunar new year worksheets maker works from the 24-word Lunar New Year list, so every lunar new year worksheets page you print uses the same words. Choose an activity, set the level and press Download PDF or Print, and press New puzzles for a fresh set.
Lunar New Year worksheets: frequently asked questions
When is Lunar New Year?
It falls between January 21 and February 20, on the second new moon after the winter solstice, so the date changes each year.
Is Lunar New Year the same as Chinese New Year?
Chinese New Year is the Lunar New Year celebrated in China. Many other cultures, including Vietnamese and Korean families, celebrate their own versions on the same days.
Why is red used at Lunar New Year?
Red stands for luck, happiness and protection from bad spirits, so lanterns, envelopes and decorations are mostly red.
Lunar New Year printables: find the right page
Chinese new year worksheets
Many families search for Chinese New Year worksheets, and these pages work for that too: the word list, lantern acrostic and card suit any celebration of the lunar new year, whatever the culture or country.
Chinese new year word search
The Chinese New Year word search hides words such as lantern, dragon, dumplings and zodiac, in three levels with an answer key.
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