Chinese New Year Party for Kids Invitations

Create unique, bright, colorful invitations by importing Chinese New Year's clip art images from HP Creative Studio.  Or write your invitations on home-made red paper lanterns or on the shape of a Chinese dragon and write "Kung Hei Fat Choi!"  (Happy New Year).

Chinese New Year Party for Kids Decorations

For your New Years party decorate your home in red, the Chinese color for good luck.  The bright color of red is believed to scare off bad fortune, so make sure you put up a lot or red decorations when you celebrate Chinese New Years to ward off the bad, and add some gold to bring good fortune.

And since 2012 is the Year of the Dragon, include Dragon decorations and use them to start off the New Year right.  In China the Dragon is a symbol of power.

For added flare incorporate some of these suggestions. Dust gold confetti over a black or red table cloth.  Burn some red and gold candles.  Peonies symbolize love, affections and beauty and are known in China as "Flowers of Riches and Honor."  Float them in glass bowls or sprinkle them across the table.  String flower garlands to ornament your mantels or doorways.  Adorn your ceiling with red and black balloons tied with long gold ribbons.  Line your walkway with traditional Chinese lanterns to draw light and luck - along with your guests - straight into your home.

There are several on-line vendors for your Chinese New Year needs.  You can enjoy one-stop shopping at Oriental Trading for a wide selection of themed products like chopsticks, plates, cups, table cloths, dragon decorations, noise makers, lanterns, folding fans - even fortune cookies - 137 products in all.

Chinese New Year Party for Kids Games

The Chopstick Game

The Chopstick Game is played as a team.  Each team will need a pair of chopsticks, two bowls and enough small objects so each team member will have one item to carry.  Consider items like large marshmallows, marbles, malted milk balls and/or peanuts in the shell.  There should be the same items in the bowls for each team.  To make the game more interesting, vary the objects - marbles are the hardest to carry, marshmallows are the easiest.

Place the bowls containing the objects on tables or chairs and put the second empty bowls right along side the one containing all the objects.  Mark a line with masking tape about 10 feet from each bowl.  When you call "start" one child from each team will pick up one of the team's objects, using only the chopsticks, and carry it to the line and back to the second empty bowl.  The first team to transfer all of its objects from one bowl the other wins.

Remember, hands must not be used at any time.  If an object is dropped, it must be picked up and put back in the first bowl.  An individual contestant is allowed to move only one object at a time.

New Years Flashlight Limbo

In this lights-out version of a classic party game, the object is to avoid the beam of the flashlight.  To play this game you will need two flashlights.

Clean a floor space and turn off the lights .  Two kids, each holding a flashlight, will stand a few feet apart, turn on the flashlights, and point them at each other to create a level beam of light for the others to limbo under.

Bubble Wrap Stomp

Celebrate the Chinese New Year on your feet!  Traditionally noise scares away evil spirits.  For a few dollars you can pick up several yards of large bubble wrap or you can recycle bubble wrap that comes with your holiday gifts.

Just before serving your food, unroll the bubble wrap on a hard surface, such as a wooden floor, concrete basement floor or driveway.  Then count down from ten.  When the count concludes have everyone join in the Bubble Wrap Stomp.

Chinese New Year Party for Kids Craft

2012 is the Year of the Dragon.  Your guests will love to decorate a dragon mask of their own.  Family Fun Magazine has the perfect printable for this party.  Click here to download the mask.

Before the party print the mask on card stock.  Have each guest color in the mask - make sure to have plenty of crayons and markers on hand.  Cut out the eye holes.  Using a hole punch, punch holes where indented on each side of the mask.  To secure the mask to each child's head, cut a piece of elastic string or elastic cord to the size of the child's head and tie it to the holes that your punched out.  Adjust the length of the string so that the mask stays securely on your child's head.

Chinese New Year Party for Kids Foods

To bring good fortune and happiness to your home in the new year, serve and eat as many of the traditional Chinese lucky foods as you can.  Consider adding noodles, dumplings and mandarin oranges to your New Years party.

Noodles are a traditional food for the Chinese New Year as their length symbolize longevity.  That's longevity for the people at the party, not for the sweet, salty dish, which definitely won't last around pasta-loving kids.


Recipe for Sesame-Soy Noodles

8 ounces of Chinese egg noodles or pasta noodles, such as linguine
3 T dark sesame oil
3 T low-sodium soy sauce
2 T rice vinegar
2 T honey
1/8 t ground ginger
Dash of salt and pepper
1 medium red bell pepper, very thinly sliced
1/2 cup coarsely shredded carrots
2 medium scallions, very thinly sliced

Sesame-Soy Noodles Cooking Instructions

Bring a medium pot of water to boil over high heat.  Add the noodles whole and cook through until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally to separate.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, ginger, salt and pepper.  When the noodles are done, drain and transfer them to a serving bowl.  Add the sliced bell pepper, shredded carrots, scallions, then pour in the sauce and toss everything to coat.  Serve noodle mixture warm or chilled.  Serves 6.

Dumplings

In China families also will feast on meat-filled dumplings.  You can prepare a batch at home or order some from your favorite China restaurant.  In some locales dumplings will also be found in the frozen food case of your neighborhood grocery.

Beverages

A traditional choice for a beverage would be to serve tea - hot or iced.  If your guests might not enjoy Chinese tea, substitute orange juice (oranges represent good luck and abundant happiness) or red cream soda (red is the color of happiness).  Or consider punch - a refreshing red punch would be perfect for the occasion.

Chinese New Year Party for Kids Treats

2012 is the Year of the Dragon and what better treat to serve at your Chinese New Years Party but Dragon Cookie Pops.  Use a heart cookie cutter to create cookie dragon heads.  Add dragon details with icing.  To coordinate with the traditional Chinese colors of good fortune and happiness, you may want to utilize red, black and gold to decorate your Dragon Cookie Pops.  For more instructions click here.

Or if you prefer a cake, use the patterns from Wilton to cut cookie appendages that will transform a football pan cake into a dimensional dragon.  Detailed instructions can be found here.

Chinese New Year Party for Kids Favors

Give a red or red and gold gift bag filled with chocolate coins covered in gold foil and tied with a red ribbon.  Or fill the gift bags with fortune cookies.  You could also give each guest a small stuffed dragon or dragon key chain to commemorate 2012 - the Year of the Dragon.