Celebrating Lunar New Year at iKids Montessori Academy

This year from Sunday January 22nd, 2023 to Monday, February 20, 2023 marks an annual new year and the beginning of a lunar calendar celebrated by Asian cultures everywhere. This year on Friday January 20th, we celebrated the upcoming Year of the Rabbit. Duration and determination of the Lunar New Year varies and changes each year from culture to culture. At iKids we encouraged parents and children to participate in celebrating the Lunar New Year by sending their child dressed in traditional clothing or wearing the colour red. Parents were also encouraged to take pictures with their children in front of our Lunar New Year display. Decorations are a big part of celebrating Lunar New Year, at iKids we created and incorporated many different and colourful decorations around our centres that were inviting and ultimately blessed everyone with peace, strength, wealth, and luck!

At iKids Montessori Academy, our educators created, provided and implemented different materials and activities to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Activities such as creating collages, exploring sensory bins, making themed art and having discussions about Lunar New Year. We talked about celebrating with our families where all of our students at iKids learned culturally new things in our diverse environments all while increasing skill development and having fun!

INFANTS

In our infant classroom (at our Richmond Hill location ONLY) our students created Lunar New Year collages by exploring red and gold colours, gluing pieces of tissue paper onto a sheet which increased their colour recognition and fine motor skills; focusing on hand and wrist muscles. Our educators work alongside their students discussing each colour and texture while our students strengthen their language and social skills.

TODDLERS

In our Toddler classrooms, our students explored Lunar New Year inspired sensory bins filled with coloured rice, pom-pom rabbits, foam shapes, magnetic numbers (2-0-2-3) cups and spoons. With our educator’s support, our students increased social, cognitive, and physical skills as students explored different coloured materials in the sensory bin where they increased colour recognition skills. Using the cups and spoons our students practiced fine-motor skills as they scooped, dumped, and poured all while increasing eye-hand coordination. Our students also worked on their social skills as they explored alongside their peers as they learn to share, take turns and interact positively with others.

CASA

In our Casa classrooms the students created bright red rabbits, had group discussions about Lunar New Year and created their own cc dragons. Our students used glue, red paint, red tissue paper and their hand-eye coordination to trace over a rabbit face with their paintbrush which develops skills to be used when writing. Our students also increased their social skills by sharing ideas with peers and their teachers. Our educators held a group time where students learned about Lunar New Year and students shared how they would be celebrating with their families. Our older students in our Casa classroom created dragon masks by cutting, painting, and gluing on different materials. They then danced around in their dragon masks as they participated in a festival-inspired celebration believed to bring good luck and blessings.

For a special afternoon treat with our regular menu snacks we incorporated mandarin oranges and rice crackers for children to try, explore new foods and expand our Lunar New Year celebrations. Food restrictions pertaining to our regular food menu are ALWAYS well planned and followed accordingly to each child’s nutritional needs, health and well-being AND maintained when serving other items off our menus for special occasions.

Our students had an educational and fun-filled day as they celebrated The Lunar New Year. On behalf of everyone at iKids Montessori Academy to our team of educators we want to thank you all for taking substantial time and effort in providing a diverse, engaging, educational, loving and a fun environment for all our students and their families.

From our iKids family to yours we want to wish all who are celebrating a HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR!

If you have any questions regarding iKids Montessori Academy at our Richmond Hill, ON or Markham, ON locations or would like further information, please feel free to contact us, we would love to chat more with you about our curriculums and different programs!