Yin-Yang Paper Plate Puzzle – A Fun Chinese Activity for Kids!

Yin-Yang 阴 (yīn / dark) and 阳 (yáng / light, sunny): two opposing yet complementary and interdependent forces of nature!  Last year, we learned these Chinese characters in the context of weather with sun and cloud stickers.  Today, we delved into the symbolism of 阴阳 and how it represents opposites.  We also painted paper plates and used yin-yang to learn color patterns! 

Since my daughter is still young, I kept the lesson fairly simple.  We discussed how opposites depend on each other to make a whole, such as day and night, man and woman, hot and cold.  In the future, we’ll discuss other examples of yin-yang, such as masculine versus feminine, positive versus negative, etc.  This Yin-Yang Paper Plate Puzzle is an easy and fun activity for learning about an important symbol in Chinese culture!

What you need:

Amazon affiliate links provided for convenience.

1. Paint – I used acrylic paint because the color is vibrant, but please note that the smell is a bit strong when the paint is wet.
2. White paper plates – we bought from Amazon, but you can also find these inexpensive ones at the dollar store!
3. Circle template
4. Pencil
5. Scissors

How to make yin-yang puzzles:

1. Draw edge of yin-yang semi-circles on paper plate.  Tip: As shown in the above photo, I used the cut edge of one plate to trace lines on other plates.
2. Use pencil to trace circles on plate
3. Cut plate with scissors
4. Paint each paper plate with 2 colors.  For example: paint one half blue with a red dot; paint the other half red with a blue dot.

In the photos here, I decided to make 3 paper plates with primary colors and 3 paper plates with secondary colors.  Then, I mixed up the pieces and put it a tray.  My daughter was very curious about this new puzzle!  It was so fun to see her figure out the pattern and complete each puzzle!

If your child makes the Yin-Yang Paper Plate Puzzle, please let us know!  Leave a comment and don’t forget to tag @CHALKAcademy on Instagram and Facebook!

Click here to supplement this puzzle with the Yin-Yang Weather Stickers activity!

Click here if you’re looking for more Chinese cultural activities!

Looking for Chinese New Year books and audiobooks?  Click here for our recommendations!

Happy learning, friends!