Chinese New Year can provide a wonderful opportunity for children in the Early Years to explore different cultures, traditions and celebrations from around the world. Through meaningful experiences and shared activities, festivals such as this can support children’s curiosity and deepen their understanding of the diverse communities around them.
Within an EYFS setting, children might explore how Chinese New Year is celebrated through stories, music, creative activities and festive decorations. Learning about traditional symbols such as red lanterns, dragons and the colour red—often associated with good luck and happiness—can help bring the celebration to life in an engaging and memorable way.
A Chinese New Year concert or celebration can also be an exciting experience for young children. Performances such as lion dances, traditional music or cultural dance may allow children to experience the rhythm, movement and energy of the festival. Participating in or watching these performances can encourage children to engage with music, movement and group celebration.
These experiences support many areas of learning within the EYFS curriculum. Discussions about festivals and stories help develop communication and language, while creative activities such as lantern making, painting and craft encourage artistic expression. Celebrating traditions from around the world also helps children develop an early understanding of different cultures and communities.
Such celebrations also align with the principles of the Curiosity Approach, encouraging children to explore, investigate and learn through meaningful experiences. By engaging with authentic materials, cultural artefacts and open-ended creative opportunities, children are encouraged to ask questions, observe closely and develop a sense of wonder about the world around them.
In Reception, children enjoyed sharing their holiday stories with one another and listening to their friends’ experiences. They continued learning about Chinese New Year traditions by making tangyuan in their Mandarin lessons to celebrate the Lantern Festival and by listening to the story The Nian Monster. The children also used a drawing app to design their own Nian Monsters, exploring different colours and digital drawing tools. In maths, they explored the numbers 9 and 10, practicing how to find, represent and compare using practical and visual methods. Reception also revisited their critical thinking skills by carefully observing and discussing the traditional Chinese painting “The Nymph of the Luo River.” After sharing their ideas about what they could see in the artwork, the children created their own interpretations of the painting. It was wonderful to see the children dressed in their beautiful outfits today as they celebrated together during the Blossom Festival, sharing in the excitement and joy of the occasion.
In Nursery, the week began with smiles as the children reunited and shared their holiday photos and stories with their friends and teachers. It was lovely to hear the children talking about their adventures. Nursery have also started exploring the story “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.” The children are already joining in with the repeated phrases and actions as they enjoy the rhythm and pattern of the story, and we are excited to see where this learning journey might take us.
In Pre-Nursery, it has also been a fun week welcoming the children back and talking about what they did during the holidays. This month the children are learning about community helpers and vehicles. They began by reading the story “Duck in a Truck,” which led to discussions about helping our friends. The children have also enjoyed learning the community helper song and practicing counting numbers 1 to 5 together.
Exploring cultural celebrations and meaningful stories within EYFS settings provides rich learning opportunities that nurture curiosity, creativity and cultural awareness, helping children develop a broader understanding of the diverse world they are growing up in.
