Here are some Chinese New Year ideas just for Bright Idea Subscribers. Dragon dancing, shows, and firecrackers are part of the festivities. Building upon the ideas of a dragon dance and the song “Slow Boat to China”, I developed “Of Boats and Dragons”.
Chinese dragon in a dragon-dance (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Chinese New Year is January 31, 2014. Traditionally, it is celebrated for a week with social events and entertainment. If you are still looking for some resources for celebrating, maybe a few of these ideas will assist you.
This post provides even more details for sharing the Chinese New Year, China, or a dragon theme with music, discussion and movie resources. Suggested population indicated with “I/A” for intergenerational groups or any age group; “P” for preschoolers; and “S” for senior living settings.
Music
Dragon Dance I/A
Make a dragon (here’s just one idea) and do your own dragon dance.
Drumming I/A
Drum to “Yangtze Boatmen’s Chantey”.
Songs to sing
- Puff the Magic Dragon I/A
- Slow Boat to China – S
- Gung Hay Fat Choy – (Found a great resource for all ages of an original Chinese New Year song) I/A
- Row, Row, Row your boat – P
Movies
(There are no age group recommendations for movies. Use your judgement as to what is and isn’t appropriate for your group.)
Here are a few movies about China:
- The Road Home (2001) – G
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) – PG13
- The Joy Luck Club (1993) – R
- Mulan (1998) – G
- Sagwa (any in this collection by PBS) for kids
- The Amazing Panda Adventure (1995)- PG
Dragon Movies:
- Peteʼs Dragon (Disney) – G
- The Reluctant Dragon (Disney) – G
- Dragon Slayer (1981) – PG
- How to Train Your Dragon (2010) – PG13
- Reign of Fire (2002) – PG