Last-Minute Chinese New Year Activities

Chinese New Year is here in less than a week, on February 8th. With my little girl starting elementary school and my little guy being under the weather, I have not yet prepared anything for the new year. So here are what I am doing this week to get into the new year spirit before the arrival of the year of monkey.

Talk about Chinese New Year. I should have started this earlier, I know. But better late than never, right? This week, all our activities will be about Chinese New Year. I have dug out and hung up the laminated Chinese New Year vocabulary poster and flashcards I made last year. And I have prepared a new A3 poster here too. After you have gone through the vocabulary, you can give your little one a shopping list of things from the posters and go shopping at a Chinese shop. You can get your new year decorations and practice the vocabulary with your kid - kill two birds with one stone! You can also take advantage of TV time and look for cartoons with a Chinese New Year theme. My little girl loves this one, this one, and this one.

Buy flowers. Flowers are essential for Chinese New Year. As the saying goes, 花開富貴 (Jyutping: faa1 hoi1 fu3 gwai3) - the literal meaning is: when flowers bloom, there's prosperity. I am going flower shopping with my little ones later this week to decorate our house with beautiful flowers. Here are a few popular choices you may consider:

Chrysanthemum 菊花 (Jyutping: guk1 faa1)

Daffodils 水仙 (Jyutping: seoi2 sin1)

Gladioli 劍蘭 (Jyutping: gim3 laan4)

Orchids 蘭花 (Jyutping: laan4 faa1)

Peach blossoms 桃花 (Jyutping: tou4 faa1)

Peonies 牡丹花 (Jyutping: maau5 daan1)

Plum blossoms 梅花 (Jyutping: mui4 faa1)

Remember, don't buy any white flowers as white is considered a color of bad luck and death - a no-no for Chinese New Year.

Make something. As I said, our activities will be about Chinese New Year this week. So my plan is to make lanterns, monkey crafts, and Chinese dragon during our crafty time. And we are going to have more Chinese food this week, including a hot pot meal on 年三十晚 (new year's eve; Jyutping: nin4 saam1 sap6 maan5). If you are looking for inspiration on Chinese New Year craft or foods, you can check out my "Event: Chinese New Year 新年" Pinterest board.