Year of the Rat Crafts: Chinese New Year

The Year of the Rat is beginning soon! Celebrate Chinese New Year with these fun mouse crafts, plus don’t miss a gorgeous new picture book about special days and celebrations around the world.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of the book below for review purposes; however, all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

15+ Year of the Rat Crafts: Chinese New Year

Celebrate the Year of the Rat with these fun rat and mouse crafts!

Year of the Rat Rounded Chinese Lanterns: Fortune Cookie Mom

Year of the Rat Paper Headband: Artsy Craftsy Mom

Easy Year of the Rat Paper Cutting Craft: Pink Stripey Socks

Year of the Rat Coloring Page and Pop Up Card: Red Ted Art

DIY Felt Mouse Headband: The Educators’ Spin On It

Mouse Paper Plate Mask: JDaniel4’s Mom

Felted Mice: Crafty Moms Share

Paper Mouse Craft: The Educators’ Spin On It

3D Paper Mouse Craft: The Craft Train

Paper Heart Mice Craft: Our Kid Things

Paper Mouse Finger Puppet: Red Ted Art

Easy Paper Mouse Hand Puppet: Red Ted Art

Easy Rat Corner Bookmark: Red Ted Art

Origami Mice: Red Ted Art

Pebble Mice Craft: Danya Banya

Walnut Mouse Racing: Red Ted Art

Special Days Around the World

Books are a great way to teach children about important holidays like Chinese New Year. And now there’s a gorgeous picture book that showcases 13 celebrations from around the globe! I was sent Let’s Celebrate!: Special Days Around the World from Barefoot Books as part of Multicultural Children’s Book Day (see below). It is such a beautiful way to teach young readers about celebrations from other countries and cultures. I love that the text is very simple, with a focus on the joy of each special day. There is more information at the back for older children, which is great because several of the celebrations you probably have never heard of before, like Matariki in New Zealand and Inti Raymi in Peru. There is even a timeline so you can see at a glance when the holidays are celebrated in relation to each other.

The book demonstrates in simple yet powerful images that although we may have differences, we all value community and family, and enjoy celebrating with those we love.

Chinese New Year Books

Chinese New Year Zodiac Game

Chinese New Year Learning Activities

Terracotta Army: Learning About Ancient China

Multicultural Children’s Book Day

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2020 (1/31/20) is in its 7th year! This non-profit children’s literacy initiative was founded by Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen; two diverse book-loving moms who saw a need to shine the spotlight on all of the multicultural books and authors on the market while also working to get those book into the hands of young readers and educators.

Seven years in, MCBD’s mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in homes and school bookshelves continues.

MCBD 2020 is honored to have the following Medallion Sponsors on board:

Super Platinum

Make A Way Media/ Deirdre “DeeDee” Cummings,

Platinum

Language Lizard, Pack-N-Go Girls,

Gold

Audrey Press, Lerner Publishing Group, KidLit TV, ABDO BOOKS : A Family of Educational Publishers, PragmaticMom & Sumo Jo, Candlewick Press,

Silver

Author Charlotte Riggle, Capstone Publishing, Guba Publishing, Melissa Munro Boyd & B is for Breathe,

Bronze

Author Carole P. Roman, Snowflake Stories/Jill Barletti, Vivian Kirkfield & Making Their Voices Heard. Barnes Brothers Books, TimTimTom, Wisdom Tales Press, Lee & Low Books, Charlesbridge Publishing, Barefoot Books Talegari Tales

Author Sponsor Link Cloud

Jerry Craft, A.R. Bey and Adventures in Boogieland, Eugina Chu & Brandon goes to Beijing, Kenneth Braswell & Fathers Incorporated, Maritza M. Mejia & Luz del mes_Mejia, Kathleen Burkinshaw & The Last Cherry Blossom, SISSY GOES TINY by Rebecca Flansburg and B.A. Norrgard, Josh Funk and HOW TO CODE A ROLLERCOASTER, Maya/Neel Adventures with Culture Groove, Lauren Ranalli, The Little Green Monster: Cancer Magic! By Dr. Sharon Chappell, Phe Lang and Me On The Page, Afsaneh Moradian and Jamie is Jamie, Valerie Williams-Sanchez and Valorena Publishing, TUMBLE CREEK PRESS, Nancy Tupper Ling, Author Gwen Jackson, Angeliki Pedersen & The Secrets Hidden Beneath the Palm Tree, Author Kimberly Gordon Biddle, BEST #OWNVOICES CHILDREN’S BOOKS: My Favorite Diversity Books for Kids Ages 1-12 by Mia Wenjen, Susan Schaefer Bernardo & Illustrator Courtenay Fletcher (Founders of Inner Flower Child Books), Ann Morris & Do It Again!/¡Otra Vez!, Janet Balletta and Mermaids on a Mission to Save the Ocean, Evelyn Sanchez-Toledo & Bruna Bailando por el Mundo\ Dancing Around the World, Shoumi Sen & From The Toddler Diaries, Sarah Jamila Stevenson, Tonya Duncan and the Sophie Washington Book Series, Teresa Robeson & The Queen of Physics , Nadishka Aloysius and Roo The Little Red TukTuk, Girlfriends Book Club Baltimore & Stories by the Girlfriends Book Club, Finding My Way Books , Diana Huang & Intrepids, Five Enchanted Mermaids, Elizabeth Godley and Ribbon’s Traveling Castle, Anna Olswanger and Greenhorn, Danielle Wallace & My Big Brother Troy , Jocelyn Francisco and Little Yellow Jeepney, Mariana Llanos & Kutu, the Tiny Inca Princess/La Ñusta Diminuta, Sara Arnold & The Big Buna Bash, Roddie Simmons & Race 2 Rio, DuEwa Frazier & Alice’s Musical Debut, Veronica Appleton & the Journey to Appleville book series Green Kids Club, Inc.

We’d like to also give a shout-out to MCBD’s impressive CoHost Team who not only hosts the book review link-up on celebration day, but who also works tirelessly to spread the word of this event. View our CoHosts HERE.

Co-Hosts and Global Co-Hosts