Happy Chinese New Year! We had an exciting celebration to welcome the Year of the Snake. Teachers and children dressed in red to bring good luck, and we learned all about the special traditions of this important holiday.

Drawing a Dragon
We started our celebrations by drawing a dragon! With the guidance of a teacher, the children created a beautiful dragon, and our little toddlers had so much fun coloring it with red and orange crayons. In traditional Chinese culture, the dragon symbolizes power and was once reserved for the emperor alone!

Story Time: Learning About Lunar New Year
To learn more about this special holiday, we read “Chelsea’s Chinese New Year” during circle time. The book taught us that Lunar New Year is China’s most important holiday. People clean their homes to sweep away bad luck from the past year and wear red because it represents good fortune.

Did you know?: The date for Chinese New Year changes every year! That’s because it follows the lunar calendar and always starts on a new moon, falling in January or February.

Noodle Time!
To make our celebration even more fun, we made some noodles for our afternoon snack. Some of the toddlers tried noodles for the first time! While a few found it tricky to use a spoon, they happily ate with their hands instead. We even heard some adorable reactions like, “They are long!” and “Yum yum!”

Red Envelopes (红包, hóngbāo)
No Lunar New Year celebration is complete without red envelopes! In China, these envelopes, called *hóngbāo* (红包), are a beloved tradition and are given on joyful occasions. Instead of money, we placed chocolate coins inside for our toddlers. The children practiced holding the envelopes with both hands and saying “谢谢” (xièxiè) to express gratitude.

The Year of the Snake Craft
For our special craft, we made spiral-shaped snakes using yellow paper! The toddlers started by drawing circles that got bigger and bigger before carefully cutting along the lines. They added fun patterns, glued on googly eyes, and even attached a red paper tongue. Each child took their snake home to show their families!

The Legend of the 12 Zodiac Animals
We also learned about the 12 zodiac animals and the legend of the Great Race that determined their order. The children practiced saying “新年快乐” (Xīnnián kuàilè)** and “恭喜发财” (Gōngxǐ fācái) to wish each other a Happy New Year!

To end our festivities, we enjoyed some delicious Chinese snacks like rice crackers and Xianbei.

Wishing everyone a joyful, lucky, and prosperous Year of the Snake! 新年快乐!

The holiday season brings so much joy and wonder, and this year, we feel especially lucky to have several Christmas trees in our classroom—including a mini one that the children can decorate all on their own! This little tree has become a centerpiece of creativity and collaboration, and we’re thrilled to share how it has inspired our young learners.

We placed the small tree on a table in the dramatic center, alongside a collection of small ornaments as a provocation. We were curious to see how the children would engage with these materials. Would they incorporate the ornaments into their dramatic play, perhaps imagining them as toys or pieces of play food? Would they explore the ornaments’ textures by rolling them around like balls? With these questions in mind, we took a step back to observe.

Before long, a few children approached the dramatic center and noticed the tree. “Hey, who put this tree here? That’s so silly,” one of them remarked with a smile. Their curiosity grew as they spotted the ornaments. “Look, it’s the same as those ones on the big tree, but these are tiny baby ones!”

One child eagerly picked up an ornament and asked, “Can I decorate it?” We enthusiastically encouraged them to go ahead. The excitement quickly spread, and they invited their friends to join in. “Do you want to help?” one child asked another. Soon, the group was working together to decorate the tree.

Some of the children faced challenges when trying to hang the ornaments, but our classroom is full of kind helpers. With a little teamwork and support, everyone succeeded in adding their ornaments to the tree. Watching the children collaborate was heartwarming. They made independent choices about which ornaments to use and where to place them, all while offering help to their peers and sharing materials. These moments beautifully showcased their growing independence and their ability to practice important social skills.

As educators, we often relish the opportunity to engage directly with the children’s play. But in this instance, stepping back and observing proved equally rewarding. We got to witness their creativity, problem-solving, and cooperative spirit in action—qualities that make this season truly magical.

This simple activity reminded us of the power of open-ended play. By providing the children with a blank canvas—or in this case, a miniature Christmas tree—we gave them the freedom to express themselves and work together. And in doing so, they reminded us of the joy and wonder that comes from creating something beautiful, together.

Merry Christmas from our classroom to yours!