10 Fun Korean Lunar New Year Crafts and Activities for Kids
I’m excited to share the best Korean Lunar New Year crafts and activities with your children and students! I have had a lot of fun learning and celebrating Korean culture with my kids. Although we live far from their Korean grandparents, Korean New Year is a special time to connect with their heritage.
Finding Korean activities has been challenging for our family. Most people seem to know about Chinese Lunar New Year crafts, but the internet has far fewer resources about Korean New Year.
After studying and reading great books on Korean culture, we put together this list of fun activities you can try with your children or students. I hope this post can encourage more families and schools to celebrate Korean culture!
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What is the Korean Lunar New Year?
Most people have heard of the Chinese Lunar New Year but don’t realize the Korean Lunar New Year has very different traditions.
In traditional Korean culture, the Lunar New Year is known as Seollal 설날, celebrated at the start of the lunar calendar. It’s different than the new year that we celebrate on January 1st, which follows the solar calendar. But it’s celebrated at the same time as the Lunar New Year celebrated in Chinese culture.
In Korean culture, this 3-day celebration is dedicated to gathering with family, honoring ancestors, eating traditional foods, and playing special games.
To learn more about Korean New Year 설날 Seollal and the differences between Lunar New Year and other cultures, check out our Lunar New Year Ebook and Activity Kit!
Learn Korean Lunar New Year words
I’ve translated a few important terms related to the Lunar New Year activities for parents learning Korean with their children.
- 새해 복 많이 받으세요 (Saehae bok mani badeuseyo / Happy New Year)
- 새해 = New year
- 복 = Luck
- 많이 = Many
- 받으세요 = Received (honorific way of saying 받다)
- 태극 (Taegeuk)
- 부채 (Buchae / Fan)
- 흔들북 (Heundeulbug / Drum) or 소고 (Sogo / Small Drum)
- 윳놀이 (Yut Nori)
- 공기 (Gonggi / Korean Jacks)
- 제기차기 (Jegi Chagi)
- 나랑 놀자! (Nalang nolja / Play with me!) or 같이 놀자! (Gat-i nolja / Let’s play together!)
Read this: Best Korean Picture Dictionaries for Kids and Parents!
What is the Korean taegeuk 태극 / 太極 symbol?
South Korea’s national flag features a red and blue Taegeuk symbol, representing balance in the universe. Making a complete circle, it divides into two parts, each creating a comma. The upper red part depicts the forces of yang, while the lower blue part depicts the forces of um.
You’ll see that some of our Korean Lunar New Year crafts have a tri-colored variation of the Korean Taegeuk symbol. Red, blue, and yellow represent Earth, heaven, and humanity.
Related: Korean Gift Guide for Kids: Cultural, Educational, and Fun Toys!
The best Korean Lunar New Year crafts and activities for kids
Let’s dive into these cultural activities. Not only will your child have fun, but they will be learning as they create and play. Pick and choose which ideas work best for your family or school!
DIY Korean paper plate drum craft
Pellet drums come in all shapes and sizes in Korea, Japan, and China.
Most were primarily designed for religious purposes.
However, smaller versions are sold by street vendors as toys or noisemakers, especially for the holidays.
Our drum resembles the Korean Do drum, consisting of a single barrel on a pole.
Another Korean drum, Nodo, is two small drums fixed on a pole often used in ritual music. Like the Do, you twist them to play.
What you need to make this drum craft
- Printable taegeuk template
- Two biodegradable paper plates
- Pencil
- Acrylic paint (buy from Amazon)
- Paintbrush
- String (eg, cotton twine)
- Scissors
- Tacky or wood glue
- Wood beads or jingle bells
- Wood chopstick or tree branch stick
How to make the drum
- Draw the taegeuk outline on the back of a paper plate or use our template.
- Paint red, blue, and yellow.
- On the side without the taegeuk, glue the chopstick or tree branch stick vertically in the center.
- Glue a piece of string on each side of the paper plate.
- Glue another paper plate over the top.
- Thread beads or jingle bells at the end of each string. Tie a knot to secure them.
- Roll stick to rotate drum back and forth for pellets to hit drum (plate).
Listen to this: 100+ Popular Korean Children’s Songs and Nursery Rhymes
DIY 복주머니 Korean lucky pouch craft
복주머니 bokjumeoni lucky drawstring pouches are normally made of silk or cotton. These pretty pouches are used to carry small things like coins. Your child or student can make their own in just a few steps!
What you need to make the lucky pouch
- Template from our Lunar New Year Activity Kit
- Cardstock paper
- Colored pencils
- Yarn or string
- 1/8″ hole punch
How to make the lucky pouch
- Color the pouch template.
- Cut out each pouch and punch holes with a 1/8″ hole punch.
- Use yarn to sew and connect each side of the pouch through the holes.
- Tie a bow with yarn or ribbon around the top of the pouch.
- Put something inside your lucky Korean pouch!
DIY Korean taegeuk fan craft
The fan has long been an important part of Korean culture. Traditionally used to cool oneself on hot days, fans have become a fashion accessory and decorative piece.
You can see these fans in dance and art, notably the Buchaechum Fan Dance.
A popular Korean tradition involving fans happens during the Dano Festival on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month. Korean people gift fans as an act of love to combat the summer heat.
Originally made of mulberry hanji paper and bamboo, our Korean Lunar New Year fan is a much more simplified version you can make with supplies at home or school. This fan also has the Korean taegeuk symbol.
What you need to make the fan
- Korean taegeuk fan template from our Lunar New Year Activity Kit
- Cardstock paper
- Cardboard (tip: cereal boxes are easier to cut than delivery packages)
- Scissors
- Glue
- Markers or paint
- Large craft stick (popsicle stick)
How to make it
- Print and cut the Korean taegeuk fan template.
- Trace fan shape on cardboard.
- Glue fan template on cardboard.
- Color red, yellow, and blue.
- Enjoy fanning and keeping cool! 🙂
Alternative option: If you don’t have a craft stick, consider using a piece of stiff cardboard instead.
Related: Easy DIY Chinese Hand Fan Craft for Kids
Korean Lunar New Year books for kids
Reading is one of the best family activities! Books about the Korean Lunar New Year can help your children connect to special parts of the holiday.
If you’re looking for Lunar New Year celebration ideas, Seollal stories are great to read to the class. You can also enjoy these books as a relaxing bedtime story after a busy day of Korean Lunar New Year crafts.
Korean Lunar New Year games
Here are fun traditional games that our Korean relatives and friends recommend.
윳놀이 Yut Nori Board Game
Yut Nori, known as 윷놀이 in Korean, is an ancient board game that mixes strategy with a bit of luck. Kids can get their energy out by tossing the wooden sticks onto the game board. Not only is it engaging and interactive, but it also introduces children to the rich history and culture of Korea.
공기 Korean Jacks Game
Years ago, my children’s Korean grandparents gave us this popular children’s game as a holiday gift. Korean Jacks, a fun Lunar New Year activity, can be played anytime. Watch this video to learn how to play Korean Jacks.
제기차기 Jegi chagi game
A 제기 jegi looks similar to a badminton shuttlecock. Also known as “Korean hackysack,” this timeless children’s game involves kicking a 제기 jegi toy and keeping it in the air.
You can order the game on Amazon or DIY the 제기차기 jegi chagi game in five steps.
What you need to make 제기차기 jegi chagi:
- Two 10in (25cm) square sheets of an upcycled plastic bag
- Three coins
- String
- Tape
- Scissors
How to DIY 제기차기 jegi chagi:
- Tape the coins together.
- Stack the plastic sheets.
- Place the coins in the middle of the plastic sheets.
- Wrap the plastic sheets around the coins. Secure with string.
- Cut the top part of the plastic into strips to make a fringe.
Related: Korean Chuseok Activities and Crafts for Kids
Korean Lunar New Year coloring pages
If you don’t have much time, it doesn’t get easier than coloring pages!
Design a Korean hanbok coloring page
If you’re busy cooking and preparing for Seollal, kids can keep busy with printable activities from Aerilyn Books. My kids had fun coloring the Korean Hanbok coloring pages!
Printable Korean Seollal mini-book
Author and illustrator Aram Kim has a free printable mini-book that perfectly pairs her picture book Tomorrow Is New Year’s Day: Seollal, a Korean Celebration of the Lunar New Year.
Download the free printable here, and watch the video for book-making instructions. This Korean Seollal activity would be fun to share with students in a classroom.
Recommended: Best Children’s Books About Korean Culture and People
Korean Lunar New Year Traditions coloring page
We downloaded these cute coloring pages from Tigerboom Creative for easy Korean New Year fun. The bubble Hangul letters are great for kids to interact with the Korean language.
As your child colors, they can practice Hangul and learn about how Koreans celebrate the Lunar New Year.
Try this: Fun Ways to Teach Kids Korean with Hangul Letter Toys
Have you tried these Korean Lunar New Year crafts and activities?
If you try these Korean Seollal activities, please let us know in the comments. What is your child’s age, and which activity was the best? We’d love to hear about your learning experience!
This is seriously an astonishing posting with lots of info and resources! Thank you so much!
I’m so happy to hear the post is helpful! Happy New Year!
Love this!!!
Appreciate this list so much! Thank you!
You’re welcome! Happy New Year!