Dragon Boat Festival is just around the corner but what’s the story behind this festival and how can you celebrate it with your kids? How do you even go about explaining a holiday that’s based on a guy’s suicide to children? Here are some great YouTube videos to help!
At first I did not want to celebrate this holiday with my daughter due to the origin of the holiday and not knowing how to talk about it with her. But after talking to other parents and watching the videos introducing the holiday to children, I came around to it.
I have fond memories celebrating 端午節/节 (Duānwǔ jié)with my family back in Taiwan and later on in America as well when we immigrated. My favorite of course was the rice dumplings, the savory type was my go to choice. I can’t turn down salted duck egg yolk or pork wrapped in freshly steamed sticky rice…yum. I’m making myself hungry now haha.
My great grandmother would make sweet rice dumplings we would eat cold with syrup drizzled over it. That was really delicious too.
Below are lots of kid friendly videos on the story behind the festival (shared in an appropriate way), recipes, crafts and other fun activities to help you celebrate and bring some Chinese culture into your home!
The Story Behind Dragon Boat Festival
Below are some great options to teach your child about the history behind the holiday.
Celebrating and learning about Chinese holidays is a wonderful way to expose children to the culture behind the language which gives them a greater understanding of the language itself.
Holiday Origin and Traditions from 小行星
Educational video sharing the origin of the holiday appropriate for toddlers to early grade schoolers. Video includes zhuyin for kids learning.
Festival Traditions and History
This is a great video on the story behind the holiday with pinyin and English subtitles to help everyone watching learn about the holiday.
Story Behind the Holiday & Watch Rice Dumplings Being Made
Story told with simplified Chinese subtitles and introduces Dragon Boat Festival related vocabulary.
Watch A Real Dragon Boat Race
Dragon Boat Race
Watch a real dragon boat race in Taiwan.
Dragon Boat Races in China from National Geographic
Great video displaying the different types of Dragon Boat races in various provinces in China.
Crafts & Activities
Hands on crafts are a great way to introduce the holiday to children in a memorable and fun way. Here are a few to choose from.
Learn How to Draw a Dragon Boat in Mandarin Chinese
Celebrate Dragon boat festival by learning how to draw a dragon boat in Mandarin!
Dragon Boat Craft for Kids with Free Printable
Click through to the video on YouTube for a link to their free printable to make this fun craft for Dragon Boat Festival!
Fun Rice Dumpling Craft for Kids
Learn How to Draw a Rice Dumpling in Mandarin
We love this drawing tutorial series for kids. The instruction is age appropriate and given entirely in Mandarin Chinese. A great way to celebrate the holiday with your aspiring artist!
Cantonese YouTube Videos for Kids on the Holiday
Story Behind the Holiday
Cantonese Song for the Holiday
Recipes
Food is so central to Chinese culture. Here are some recipes to try out!
Jello Zong Zi Dumpling 水果果凍粽子
Rice Dumpling Recipe from Grandma 阿嬤的粽子
For the adventurous ones out there, try your hand at this traditional zongzi/rice dumpling recipe.
What About You?
How did your family celebrate Dragon Boat Festival growing up? Please share below. I would LOVE to hear from you!
More Fun Dragon Boat Festival Activities for Kids
- Dragon Boat Festival Activities for Kids from Globe Trottin’ Kids
- 10 Best Ways to Celebrate Dragon Boat Festival with Your Kids from Fortune Cookie Mom
- Celebrating the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival with Kids from Little Passports
- Chinese Dragon Boat Festival from Miss Panda Chinese
Ideas to Make Chinese Learning Fun at Home!
Tired of trying to teach your kids Mandarin Chinese on your own?
Imagine your child becoming self-motivated, happy Mandarin Chinese learners.
Imagine feeling confident, knowing what you are doing truly works!
Imagine having a community of like-minded parents, an experienced and supportive coach to help you and your kids thrive in learning Chinese.
Learn more about Sunshine Bilingual Village, my membership to help parents in monolingual contexts raise happy, self-motivated Chinese learners!