Top 15 Chinese New Year Coloring Pages For Toddlers

Of all the Chinese holidays, Chinese New Year is the most loved and anticipated festival. This important event heralds the start of the new lunar year, not a calendar year. The festivities begin with the new moon on the first day and end 15 days later on the next full moon. Chinese New Year is a lot more than just firecrackers, dancing dragons, and lucky money. It honors heaven, earth, and the ancestors, making it an auspicious occasion.

Coloring pages are a great way to introduce kids to celebrations and festivals from around the world. So, if you are thinking of doing the same, then you have landed at the right place. Here is a collection of 15 Chinese New Year coloring pages featuring lanterns, masks, dragons, and of course, zodiac signs and much more.

Popular Chinese New Year Coloring Pages

If you want your child’s leisure time to be productive and enriching, these coloring sheets can help you. Your child can learn new facts while improving their coloring skills. So, check out the following Chinese New Year coloring pages.

1. Happy Chinese New Year

Celebrate Chinese New Year with your children with this coloring page featuring an ancient Chinese lantern. This coloring sheet is a great way to introduce your kid to the Chinese New Year. A traditional Chinese lunar year falls on the first day of the first lunar month, following the winter solstice. Each year on the Chinese calendar symbolizes a particular animal. The Chinese New Year celebration continues until the Chinese Lantern Festival held 15 days after the New Year.

2. Lantern

Here’s a Chinese New Year coloring page of an old-fashioned Chinese lantern for you to print out and color. Lanterns of all shapes and sizes are hung to commence the new year. A Chinese New Year celebration ends with the Lantern Festival, a stunning spectacle of lanterns. The Lantern Festival began during the Han dynasty. In the early days, the lanterns were lit in honor of Lord Buddha. Even kids carry small lanterns during the Lantern Festival.

3. Kids celebrating Chinese New Year

Here’s a lovely image capturing the excitement of a Chinese New Year party. It features two young children in traditional clothes dancing under the Chinese lanterns. The Chinese people celebrate the new year in a grand way, especially the little ones. They stay up all night just to witness this joyful moment. Some even assist their parents in cleaning the house. After cleaning, the house is decorated to welcome the new year. On New Year’s morning, the kids dress up in new clothes and say ‘Gongxi,” which means ‘greeting’. It is also customary for children to visit elders and wish them longevity and health.

4. Chinese zodiac

As per Chinese astrology, each Chinese New Year is associated with an animal sign that occurs in a 12-year cycle. The twelve animals are Rabbit, Tiger, Ox, Rat, Pig, Dog, Rooster, Monkey, Goat, Horse, Snake, and Dragon. All the 12 animals represent 12 different personalities. Wondering why this particular order of animals? A wonderful story about a race between different animals determined this particular order. The story tells how a rat won the race and the role of being the first animal to start the calendar. The Chinese New Year coloring sheets will make the perfect cover image for your kid’s Chinese Zodiac Book of Animals.

5. Dragon dance

Teach your kid about dragon dance with this playful coloring page. The dragon dance is an integral part of the Chinese New Year tradition. A group of dancers makes a long, flexible dragon using poles placed under the dragon cutout. Every New Year parade in China ends with a dragon dance. Do you know why dragons are so important in Chinese culture? That’s because the dragon is a significant symbol of the New Year. It represents power, wisdom, and wealth. According to Chinese belief, the dragon dance scares away bad and evil spirits and brings good luck for the upcoming year. How many dancers can your kid spot in this picture?

6. Kids wishing ‘Happy New Year’

Here’s a magnificent Chinese New Year coloring picture depicting the tradition of celebrating Chinese New Year. The kids here are waiting patiently for the New Year bell to ring. A bell is also a symbol of the Chinese New Year. Every year, Chinese families visit squares or temples on New Year’s Eve to hear the bell ring. Some even go atop the mountain temples to wait for the bell to ring. People believe that the ringing of the bells drives away bad luck and brings good fortune.

7. Year of Goat

The year of goat or sheep has close links with the 8th Earthly Branch symbol. The Chinese people regard goats as an auspicious animal and the year of goat heralds a year of peace and prosperity. The goat people are gentle and elegant but sometimes shy. They tend to get along well with pig, horse, and rabbit people. Your kid is sure to get quality time with this coloring page.

8. Red envelope

Chinese red envelopes or hongbao are monetary gifts presented at a family gathering during the Chinese New Year. The significance of the envelope is the color, not the money inside. Chinese people love the color red and consider it a symbol of good luck, happiness, and energy. It is also supposed to ward off evil spirits. Wrapping money in a red envelope symbolizes the giver’s wishes for the receiver. The Chinese people also consider it impolite to open the red envelope in front of the giver. Those who intend to give the red envelopes prepare them in advance because kids start paying visits to elders as soon as the New Year bell rings.

9. Dumplings

Here’s a free printable Chinese New Year coloring page of dumplings, one of the primary foods in a Chinese New Year feast. Dumplings consist of finely chopped vegetables and meat wrapped in a thin dough skin. But Chinese people eat rice dumplings on the first day of the new year. Dumplings are also considered lucky in Chinese culture because they come in antique gold and silver ingot shapes.

10. Year of Monkey

The monkey is the ninth animal in the Chinese zodiac. People born in the Year of Monkey are said to be decisive, skillful, and intelligent. They also have excellent memory and can solve even the most difficult problems with ease. The Monkey people get along well with dragons and rats. The broad outlines of the printable Chinese New Year coloring page will ensure that toddlers do not face difficulties while coloring it. Does your kid know anyone who belongs to the Year of the Monkey?

11. Kite flying

Help your kid explore the Chinese custom of kite flying with this lovely coloring page. Kite flying is very popular in China and originated around 2000 years ago. Legends say that during spring and autumn, Lu Ban, the building master, made a bird-shaped wooden kite for the new year. Soon after, the paper began to be used for making kites. The kite-flying competition starts with the Chinese New Year when the south wind begins to drive away the cold air.

12. Oranges

Here’s a Chinese New Year printable coloring page of a bowl of oranges. This is a great picture for younger kids to color. Oranges and tangerines are considered lucky in China. You will also see them on display in houses, offices, and shops during the Chinese New Year. The bright orange color of the fruit symbolizes gold. The Chinese also believe that feasting on tangerines and oranges brings happiness and prosperity.

13. Fish

This adorable free Chinese New Year coloring page shows a little Chinese boy hugging a goldfish. Fish is considered a lucky Chinese New Year symbol. A whole fish is an important part of a Chinese New Year reunion dinner. It is also a good omen to leave the head, bone, and tail intact after eating the fish. It symbolizes abundance and a good beginning. Children can color the fish in traditional orange colors or can give the fish a multi-color look.

14. Firework

These fireworks are trying hard to make your kid’s Chinese New Year a special one. The moment New Year arrives, a crescendo of fireworks is launched to mark the occasion. The fireworks sound like explosives and cannons. The Chinese people believe that noisy fireworks scare away bad luck. Firecrackers with red paper are the most popular.

15. Tray of togetherness

Introduce your kid to the ‘Tray of Togetherness’ with this coloring page. The ‘Tray of Togetherness’ or ‘chuen-hop’ is a tray full of candies, sweets, and dried fruits. Each of the food items in the tray carries a special significance. According to an old Chinese belief, the tray was kept in the bygone era to offer to the guests and well-wishers who passed by. The tradition is still alive in many Chinese homes. It symbolizes harmony and unity among the members of the family. Ensure that your kid uses bright colors like gold, red, yellow, and green for this coloring page.

So, why wait? Ask your kid to take out their crayons or colored pencils and start working on these coloring pages at once. The images are sure to give your kid’s young mind a much-needed creative outlet. With clear outlines, these pages are easy to color and understand, encouraging educational conversations and skill development. Hope you and your child enjoy working on these sheets!