Gung Hei Fat Choy!
Celebrate Lunar New Year with the BBC Learning Hub’s curated resources for students ages 4-14. Through videos, articles, and printables, students can explore the traditions, symbols, and stories that mark this important holiday. From family gatherings and festive foods to lanterns, lion dances, and the Chinese Zodiac, these resources help students understand how Lunar New Year is celebrated across cultures and communities around the world.
In JoJo and Gran Gran Celebrate Lunar New Year, JoJo and her grandmother learn about the Lunar New Year from their friends. A real-life family shares how they make their own lion dance. This video is excerpted from BBC’s JoJo & Gran Gran, a children's animated television series following JoJo, an inquisitive and cheerful 4-and-a-half-year-old girl and her loving Gran Gran, who always has something new to teach her.
In Signs of the Chinese Zodiac, it is 2016 and the start of the Year of the Monkey. That means that markets are filled with red lanterns and monkey decorations. What does the Year of the Monkey mean for people who were born in that year? This video is excerpted from BBC’s Chinese New Year: The Biggest Celebration on Earth, a documentary series detailing the world's largest annual human migration (Chunyun), where over 1.5 billion people celebrate the Lunar New Year.
In Throwing Fire for Lunar New Year, iron metal workers in Nanquan, China, create amazing, glowing art with molten metal. Today, they perform nightly, but the tradition goes back hundreds of years. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Chinese New Year: The Biggest Celebration on Earth, a documentary series detailing the world's largest annual human migration (Chunyun), where over 1.5 billion people celebrate the Lunar New Year.
In Preparing for the Lunar New Year, a family in Beijing prepares for Chinese New Year in 2016 by cleaning the house, getting haircuts, and preparing scrolls that they will hang outside their house. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Chinese New Year: The Biggest Celebration on Earth, a documentary series detailing the world's largest annual human migration (Chunyun), where over 1.5 billion people celebrate the Lunar New Year.
In Preparing Flowers for Lunar New Year, a farm in Kunming, China’s Spring City, prepares flowers for the busy Chinese New Year season. Flowers travel from farm to auction, where buyers purchase them for shops. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Chinese New Year: The Biggest Celebration on Earth, a documentary series detailing the world's largest annual human migration (Chunyun), where over 1.5 billion people celebrate the Lunar New Year.
In Inside the Harbin Ice Festival, the Harbin Ice Festival lights up the night sky in Harbin, China for a few weeks each winter. Huge ice buildings are created and lit for tourists to visit before they melt in the spring. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Chinese New Year: The Biggest Celebration on Earth, a documentary series detailing the world's largest annual human migration (Chunyun), where over 1.5 billion people celebrate the Lunar New Year.
In Chunwan: The World’s Biggest Stage, performers have prepared for a year to participate in the largest televised event in China. The Chunwan, or Chinese Spring Festival Gala, is a collection of amazing acts. It is televised to the entire country and is watched by billions of people. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Chinese New Year: The Biggest Celebration on Earth, a documentary series detailing the world's largest annual human migration (Chunyun), where over 1.5 billion people celebrate the Lunar New Year.
On February 17, 2026, the Lunar New Year begins and the Year of the Horse gallops in! Introduce this holiday — celebrated in East and Southeast Asia and in Asian communities all around the wo — to your primary students with a reading passage that explains Lunar New Year and fun Chinese Zodiac activities.
- Lunar New Year and the Chinese Zodiac (reading passage) invites students to explore the origins of the Chinese Zodiac, learn how the lunar calendar works, and discover the legendary animal race that gave each year its zodiac sign. Along the way, students explore how zodiac animals are believed to connect to personality traits and Lunar New Year traditions.
- Meet Your Chinese Zodiac Animal (student activity) has students to put their learning into action by finding their own zodiac sign, reflecting on its characteristics, drawing their animal, and comparing traits with a classmate. Together, these activities encourage students to read, think, and celebrate the Lunar New Year in a fun and meaningful way.
In The Go Jetters Visit Glow Worms in New Zealand, the Go Jetters crew explores the magical Waitomo Caves in New Zealand! These ancient caves are millions of years old and filled with glow worms that light up the darkness like tiny stars. Tourists can take special boat rides to see the glowing caves up close. Learn why these little glow worms need the cool, damp caves to survive and shine! This video is excerpted from BBC’s Go Jetters, a series that follows the adventures of four plucky international heroes as they travel the globe visiting the world’s most famous landmarks with their friend and mentor, Ubercorn, a disco-dancing unicorn.
Think You’re a Winter Holidays Expert? Let’s Find Out!
Winter is a magical time of year, filled with lights, music, and celebrations around the world. There's so much to discover: Diwali’s glowing lamps, St. Lucia Day’s candlelit processions, the posadas of Mexico, Hanukkah’s spinning dreidels, Christmas trees, Kwanzaa candles, Lunar New Year’s red envelopes, and the winter solstice’s longest night.
But how much do you really know about these special winter holidays? This quiz is packed with fun facts, traditions, and a few surprises that only the most festive holiday experts will ace. Get ready to test your knowledge and see if you can shine bright like the season itself!
Gung Hei Fat Choy!
Celebrate Lunar New Year with the BBC Learning Hub’s curated resources for students ages 4-14. Through videos, articles, and printables, students can explore the traditions, symbols, and stories that mark this important holiday. From family gatherings and festive foods to lanterns, lion dances, and the Chinese Zodiac, these resources help students understand how Lunar New Year is celebrated across cultures and communities around the world.
In JoJo and Gran Gran Celebrate Lunar New Year, JoJo and her grandmother learn about the Lunar New Year from their friends. A real-life family shares how they make their own lion dance. This video is excerpted from BBC’s JoJo & Gran Gran, a children's animated television series following JoJo, an inquisitive and cheerful 4-and-a-half-year-old girl and her loving Gran Gran, who always has something new to teach her.
In Signs of the Chinese Zodiac, it is 2016 and the start of the Year of the Monkey. That means that markets are filled with red lanterns and monkey decorations. What does the Year of the Monkey mean for people who were born in that year? This video is excerpted from BBC’s Chinese New Year: The Biggest Celebration on Earth, a documentary series detailing the world's largest annual human migration (Chunyun), where over 1.5 billion people celebrate the Lunar New Year.
In Throwing Fire for Lunar New Year, iron metal workers in Nanquan, China, create amazing, glowing art with molten metal. Today, they perform nightly, but the tradition goes back hundreds of years. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Chinese New Year: The Biggest Celebration on Earth, a documentary series detailing the world's largest annual human migration (Chunyun), where over 1.5 billion people celebrate the Lunar New Year.
In Preparing for the Lunar New Year, a family in Beijing prepares for Chinese New Year in 2016 by cleaning the house, getting haircuts, and preparing scrolls that they will hang outside their house. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Chinese New Year: The Biggest Celebration on Earth, a documentary series detailing the world's largest annual human migration (Chunyun), where over 1.5 billion people celebrate the Lunar New Year.
In Preparing Flowers for Lunar New Year, a farm in Kunming, China’s Spring City, prepares flowers for the busy Chinese New Year season. Flowers travel from farm to auction, where buyers purchase them for shops. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Chinese New Year: The Biggest Celebration on Earth, a documentary series detailing the world's largest annual human migration (Chunyun), where over 1.5 billion people celebrate the Lunar New Year.
In Inside the Harbin Ice Festival, the Harbin Ice Festival lights up the night sky in Harbin, China for a few weeks each winter. Huge ice buildings are created and lit for tourists to visit before they melt in the spring. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Chinese New Year: The Biggest Celebration on Earth, a documentary series detailing the world's largest annual human migration (Chunyun), where over 1.5 billion people celebrate the Lunar New Year.
In Chunwan: The World’s Biggest Stage, performers have prepared for a year to participate in the largest televised event in China. The Chunwan, or Chinese Spring Festival Gala, is a collection of amazing acts. It is televised to the entire country and is watched by billions of people. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Chinese New Year: The Biggest Celebration on Earth, a documentary series detailing the world's largest annual human migration (Chunyun), where over 1.5 billion people celebrate the Lunar New Year.
On February 17, 2026, the Lunar New Year begins and the Year of the Horse gallops in! Introduce this holiday — celebrated in East and Southeast Asia and in Asian communities all around the wo — to your primary students with a reading passage that explains Lunar New Year and fun Chinese Zodiac activities.
- Lunar New Year and the Chinese Zodiac (reading passage) invites students to explore the origins of the Chinese Zodiac, learn how the lunar calendar works, and discover the legendary animal race that gave each year its zodiac sign. Along the way, students explore how zodiac animals are believed to connect to personality traits and Lunar New Year traditions.
- Meet Your Chinese Zodiac Animal (student activity) has students to put their learning into action by finding their own zodiac sign, reflecting on its characteristics, drawing their animal, and comparing traits with a classmate. Together, these activities encourage students to read, think, and celebrate the Lunar New Year in a fun and meaningful way.
In The Go Jetters Visit Glow Worms in New Zealand, the Go Jetters crew explores the magical Waitomo Caves in New Zealand! These ancient caves are millions of years old and filled with glow worms that light up the darkness like tiny stars. Tourists can take special boat rides to see the glowing caves up close. Learn why these little glow worms need the cool, damp caves to survive and shine! This video is excerpted from BBC’s Go Jetters, a series that follows the adventures of four plucky international heroes as they travel the globe visiting the world’s most famous landmarks with their friend and mentor, Ubercorn, a disco-dancing unicorn.
Think You’re a Winter Holidays Expert? Let’s Find Out!
Winter is a magical time of year, filled with lights, music, and celebrations around the world. There's so much to discover: Diwali’s glowing lamps, St. Lucia Day’s candlelit processions, the posadas of Mexico, Hanukkah’s spinning dreidels, Christmas trees, Kwanzaa candles, Lunar New Year’s red envelopes, and the winter solstice’s longest night.
But how much do you really know about these special winter holidays? This quiz is packed with fun facts, traditions, and a few surprises that only the most festive holiday experts will ace. Get ready to test your knowledge and see if you can shine bright like the season itself!