Chinese New Year Themed Preschool Activity: Coloring Chinese a Chinese Gift Envelope and Money

For Chinese New Year (known here as Spring Festival), it is customary for kids and young people to be given money in special red envelopes (hóng bāo, 红包) at family gatherings during this time. As my English tutoring student told me again last week, "Chinese children are very happy at Spring Festival."

You can have kids make their own pretend hóng bāo and Chinese money to keep, exchange, or give away. Decorate envelopes red and yellow and they money brown, green, blue, or red. Or you could have them write notes to put inside the envelopes instead.

For older children, you could even have them practice drawing a Chinese character on the front of the envelope in yellow or gold.