Lunar New Year Games for Kids: 11 Easy Classroom and Family Games

November 2026  ·  16 questions

The easiest Lunar New Year games for kids are ones you can run in a classroom or living room with almost no supplies: a Lunar New Year would you rather deck (“dumplings or noodles?”), a zodiac animal line-up, a lantern relay, catch the dragon’s tail and a red-envelope kindness swap with notes instead of money. Below are 11 of them, with a quick how-to for each. Lunar New Year 2027 is Saturday, February 6, and it starts the Year of the Goat.

Game #1 is ready right here. Tap a choice, hit next and pass the phone or put it up on the class screen.

When is Lunar New Year 2027?

Lunar New Year falls on Saturday, February 6, 2027. It follows the lunar calendar, so the date moves each year, usually landing between late January and mid-February. 2027 is the Year of the Goat (some families say Sheep or Ram), following 2026’s Year of the Horse. Since the big day is a Saturday, many classrooms celebrate on Friday, February 5, and many families celebrate over the weekend and the days after.

Lunar New Year is celebrated by many families with roots in China, Vietnam, Korea and other parts of Asia, and each has its own customs. The games below are inspired by things many families do, like hanging red decorations, sharing dumplings and watching lion and dragon dances.

Game 1: The Lunar New Year would you rather deck

Read a question, everyone picks, and anyone who wants to says why. It’s a great way to open a class party or start a family dinner. Play it from the card above, or read these out loud.

• Would you rather eat dumplings or long noodles?
• Would you rather hang red lanterns or make paper dragons?
• Would you rather lead the lion dance or play the big drum?
• Would you rather be born in the Year of the Dragon or the Year of the Tiger?
• Would you rather win the zodiac race like the Rat or carry a friend across the river like the Ox?
• Would you rather clean your whole room before the new year or decorate the whole front door?
• Would you rather watch fireworks or watch a dragon dance parade?
• Would you rather make spring rolls or fold dumplings?
• Would you rather eat a sweet tangerine or a sweet sesame ball?
• Would you rather carry a lantern in a parade or make a lantern for your window?
• Would you rather have a pet goat or a pet rabbit?
• Would you rather write a kind note in a red envelope or receive one?
• Would you rather learn to say Happy New Year in a new language or learn to write it?
• Would you rather wear something red for luck or something gold?
• Would you rather make a paper fan or a paper lantern?
• Would you rather have a big family dinner or a class party with all your friends?

10 more Lunar New Year games for kids

These work for classrooms, scout groups and family gatherings. Most need nothing, and a few need paper, a spoon or a pair of chopsticks.

Game 2: The zodiac animal line-up

Give each child a card with one of the 12 zodiac animals (draw it or write it). Without talking, they line up in the right order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig. For a big class, make two teams and race. For little ones, put the order on the board and let them find their spot.

Game 3: The great race retold

A popular legend says the order of the zodiac came from a great race across a river. In many tellings, the clever Rat rode on the Ox’s back and jumped ahead at the finish. Read or tell the story, then act it out: kids are the animals, and the classroom rug is the river. Ask afterward, “Was the Rat clever or sneaky?” It makes a great talking point.

Game 4: Catch the dragon’s tail

Kids line up holding the shoulders of the person in front to make a long “dragon.” The first child is the head, and the last child tucks a red scarf or paper strip into a waistband as the tail. The head tries to catch the tail while the body stays connected. Once the tail is caught, the head goes to the back and becomes the new tail. Play it outside or in the gym, and walk instead of run indoors.

Game 5: The lantern relay

Make small paper lanterns (or use red paper cups). Teams pass the lantern down the line using only a spoon or a ruler, no hands. If it falls, it goes back to the start. The first team to get their lantern to the end “lights up the festival.”

Game 6: The chopsticks challenge

Set a one-minute timer. Using chopsticks, kids move cotton balls or pom-poms from one bowl to another. Most pom-poms wins. Kids who are new to chopsticks can use a rubber band at the top to make tongs, so everyone gets a fair try.

Game 7: Zodiac charades

One child acts out a zodiac animal with no sound: the hopping Rabbit, the slithering Snake, the proud Rooster. Whoever guesses goes next. Add a twist for older kids: they also say which year that animal is next.

Game 8: The red-envelope kindness swap

In many families, elders give children red envelopes as a wish for good luck in the new year. In class, make it about kindness instead: every child writes a kind note to a classmate, tucks it in a red envelope and the teacher hands them out. No money, no candy, just kind words. Draw names first so everyone gets one.

Game 9: Lunar New Year this or that

Point to one side of the room for each answer: “Dumplings or noodles? Lanterns or fireworks? Lion dance or dragon dance?” Everyone walks to their pick. It’s the would you rather deck, but with moving, which is perfect for indoor recess on a February day.

Game 10: The lucky orange pass

Many families share oranges and tangerines at Lunar New Year as a wish for luck and sweetness. Sit in a circle and pass an orange while music plays. When it stops, whoever holds the orange shares one wish for the new year. (Use a paper orange if anyone has a citrus allergy.)

Game 11: The paper dragon parade

Each child decorates one paper plate or sheet as a section of the dragon. Tape them together with the head at the front. Then parade around the classroom or the yard to a drumbeat (a hand on a desk works). Little kids love being part of one long dragon.

Lunar New Year trivia: true or false

Read these out and let the class vote true or false. They’re two-choice, just like the deck.

• There are 12 animals in the zodiac. True.
• 2027 is the Year of the Goat. True. Some families say Sheep or Ram.
• Lunar New Year is on the same date every year. False. It follows the moon, so it moves.
• Red is a popular color for Lunar New Year. True. Many families decorate with red for good luck.
• The Dragon comes before the Snake in the zodiac. True.
• The Cat is one of the 12 zodiac animals. False in most traditions. A popular legend says the Cat missed the race. (Vietnam’s zodiac has a Cat in place of the Rabbit.)
• Lunar New Year is only celebrated in one country. False. It’s celebrated by many families in and from many countries.

Which Lunar New Year game fits your group?

Tips for a respectful Lunar New Year class party

• Invite families to share. If a student celebrates, ask (privately) whether their family would like to share a custom. Never put a child on the spot.
• Say “many families.” Customs differ from family to family and country to country, so avoid “everyone does this.”
• Keep food optional. If you serve dumplings, noodles or oranges, check your school’s food and allergy rules first.
• Keep red envelopes kind. Notes and drawings only. No money at school.

What most people get wrong about Lunar New Year games

Calling it only “Chinese New Year.” It’s a big celebration in China, and many families from Vietnam, Korea and other places celebrate too, often with their own names and traditions. “Lunar New Year” includes everyone. The other mistake is planning too much. One deck, one movement game and one craft fill a 30-minute party nicely. For more February fun on a snowy day, try our indoor recess games the January would you rather questions and the winter would you rather questions for kids. When you’re ready for more questions, play the full Would You Rather game.

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