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Chinese New Year 2026 is right around the corner. Here’s how to make it meaningful for the whole family, including the little ones.
What do kids nowadays really know about Chinese New Year (CNY)? To many of them, the festival often flies by in a flurry of house visits, more food than they can eat and an overwhelming amount of the colour red everywhere they look. This year, why not attach more meaning by getting them deeply involved? Here’s how to teach your kids to embrace CNY and its customs in a fun and engaging way.
Read More: Chinese New Year: Dates & CNY Events For Families In Hong Kong
First up, explain what CNY is all about
To properly enjoy the festivities, kids should first learn what CNY even means. Start by familiarising them with the zodiac animals. If you have animal figurines at home, you can even re-enact the story of the zodiac animal race. You can also tell them the story of the ‘Legend of the Nian’, which can segue into why red is so prominent during the festival. A great way to do so is by borrowing related books from your nearest library or bookstore.
Sassy Tip: It might be nice to create a visual representation of your family tree, and use it to introduce the concept of ancestors — giving you a way to explain why people honour their ancestors during CNY.
Read More: Public Library Services In Hong Kong: Taking Your Kids To The Library
Make cleaning the house into a game
This CNY, get them to help out with the cleaning of the house in exchange for stickers. These stickers can then be accumulated for a bigger reward. You can also make the whole process into a game, and turn it into a competition of sorts.
Read More: Home Hacks: Six Ways to Make Cleaning Fun For Your Kids
Have fun decorating the house
Arts and crafts are such a fun bonding activity, and this extends to CNY! Get creative, and make your own paper fans, red lanterns and couplets. For an extra touch, you can even let the kids dabble in calligraphy to write auspicious sayings on the couplets. If they’re in their animal era, you can also have the best time making all sorts of animal crafts. After all, there’s nothing like seeing (and showing off) their own creation hanging proudly on the front door or walls of the house.
Read More: Chinese New Year Crafts to Try With the Kids
Get hands-on with the food
If you’re hosting this year’s reunion dinner for the family, bring the little ones to the wet market or supermarket to shop for groceries together. The kids can also have fun laying out the ladles for the hotpot, or making dipping sauces for relatives. One of our favourite parts of CNY is sampling all the different snacks — get your kids involved by making some of them as a team. Cornflake crispies are a hot favourite; and, if you have the time, noodles and dumplings are great to make as a group too.
Read More: How to Introduce Kids To Cookery And New Foods
Make dressing up a family affair
We say go for matching family outfits! This can come in the form of similar prints or colours; there are also curated family sets available.
Sassy Tip: Bring your kids shopping, and let them have a say in what clothes they’d like to wear. It’d be a super-fun experience, plus it’s a great way to get them excited for the festival too.
Read more: Where to Shop Cheongsam and Qipao for Mums and Kids in Hong Kong
Teach them how to exchange greetings
We don’t know about you, but our kids have such a precious relationship with their stuffed toys. Start by practising CNY greetings with their plushies; this will also make them less nervous when they have to say them in reality.
Sassy Tip: Many children might freeze up when meeting new relatives for the first time. It’s completely normal! Before leaving the house, ask them to bring one of their favourite toys or books to show your relatives. These can serve as great talking points, and give your kids something to focus on.
Read More: The Etiquette of Giving Lai See and Red Packets in Hong Kong
Get them used to lion and dragon dances
Lion and dragon dances are loud. This can naturally frighten some kids! Introduce them to the concept by letting them watch short videos and, when you’re watching an actual lion or dragon dance for the first time, perhaps it might be better to watch from afar. Once your child gets used to them, then you can shift front and centre to enjoy all the action!
