Celebrating the Lunar New Year at Footsteps
The Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival, is one of the most important celebrations in many East Asian cultures. It marks the beginning of the lunar calendar and is filled with traditions symbolising prosperity, health, and happiness. Each year is associated with an animal from the Chinese zodiac, and 2025 is the Year of the Snake. The festival typically lasts for 15 days (this year 29th Jan – 12th Feb), beginning with the first new moon of the lunar calendar and ending with the Lantern Festival.
At Footsteps, we love exploring different cultures and traditions, helping children learn more about the world around them. Celebrating the Lunar New Year is a wonderful opportunity to introduce children to customs, foods, and crafts from East Asian cultures.
Why Celebrate Cultural Festivals?
Understanding and appreciating different traditions fosters respect, curiosity, and a broader worldview. By engaging in celebrations like the Lunar New Year, children can develop an early appreciation for diversity, learning about the similarities and differences between cultures in a fun and hands-on way.
Themed Snacks and Fine Motor Fun
Food is a central part of many celebrations, and Lunar New Year is no exception! We loved incorporating themed snacks such as noodles -symbolising long life – and fortune cookies for a little extra fun. To enhance our fine motor skills, children had the chance to use chopsticks to pick up food and small objects, helping to develop their hand-eye coordination and dexterity.
Role Play and Creative Crafts
To immerse children in the festivities, we set up role play areas inspired by traditional Lunar New Year celebrations, with decorations, costumes, and play food. Craft activities included making paper lanterns to symbolise hope and good fortune, as well as snake-themed crafts to mark the Year of the Snake. Cutting, folding, and gluing these creations helped to support children’s fine motor development while encouraging creativity.
We loved watching the children engage in the fun to build an appreciation for the richness of different cultures, develop essential skills, and spark curiosity about the wider world.
From all the team at Footsteps we wanted to wish those celebrating a Happy Lunar New Year!
