DLTK's Crafts for Kids
Chinese New Year and China Crafts and Children's Activities

The Chinese calendar follows the moon and divides the years into groups of twelve.  Each year is named for an animal.  People born in that year are believed to share different traits.

The first of the twelve years is the Year of the Rat.  This is followed by the Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.

Because the Chinese calendar is based on the lunar year, the date of Chinese New Year changes each year.

	Chinese New Year Coloring Pages and Posters
	Chinese New Year Tracer Pages
	Chinese New Year - Year of the Monkey
	Chinese New Year Zodiac Animals which are you and what does it mean!
	Chinese New Year Printable Games:     -  Dominos     -  Memory Cards
	Chinese New Year Printable Worksheets     -  All About China Word Search
	Chinese New Year Moon Cakes Easy Recipe (great recipe for the kids to help with, though not quite as fancy as the real moon cakes look)
Chinese New Year Crafts:
	Chinese New Year Crafts 3D China Doll Paper Model Age 10+
	Chinese New Year Crafts Calendar (Zodiac) Wreath Use a paper plate as the base for this cute 12 character zodiac calendar Age 2+
	Chinese New Year Crafts Crown or Hat (all the zodiac characters are available) Age 4+
	Chinese New Year Crafts Dragon or Lion Dance Puppet Age 5+
	Chinese New Year Crafts Paper Lantern (all the zodiac characters are available) Age 5+
	Chinese New Year Crafts Quilt (all the zodiac characters are available) Age 3+
	Chinese New Year Crafts Wreath (all the zodiac characters are available) Age 3+
Chinese Animals Crafts:
	Chinese Animal Crafts Alligator Coloring Pages Alligator Paper Craft  Alligator Paper Mache Craft The Chinese Alligator is one of only two living species of alligator in the world.
	Chinese Animal Crafts Panda Activities for Kids Pandas are native to China's rainforests
General China Crafts:
	General China Crafts Chinese Pottery Age 5+
	General China Crafts Chinese Outfits for your Favorite Friends/Animals Age 3+
	General China Crafts Flag medallions Age 2+ (Alternative ideas for making coasters or a mobile available on the page)
	General China Crafts Kung Fu Toilet Paper Roll Craft Age 3+
	General China Crafts Red and Gold Bracelets Age 2+
	On-Line China Jigsaw Puzzles

Click here for chinese language directions for a few of our crafts.

Ideas from Viewers:

Here is an idea for Chinese New Year from Jo.  Take a brown paper bag(large).   Cut holes for eyes then decorate it with either markers, crayons or construction paper.   Add streamers to the bottom and have a parade with your Chinese dragon.

Game:  Catch the Dragon's Tail

Catch the Dragon's Tail is sort of like a team based form of tag..

The children split into two groups.  Each group forms a line with their hands on the shoulders of the child in front of them.

The child at the front of each line is the dragon's head and the very last child is the dragon's tail.  The goal is for the dragon's head (the child in front) to tag the dragon's tail (the child in back).

Whichever team catches the dragon's tail first, wins!