Learning Activities for the Year of the Horse

When Lunar New Year comes around (that’s February 17, 2026), we’ll be ushering in the Year of the Horse, so let’s look at some horse (and lunar new year more generally) activities to try in the classroom or at home.

I have a post on general activities for Lunar New Year including DIY drums and dragons.

Living Life and Learning has some Lunar New Year printables on the Chinese zodiac including an I-spy, crossword and wheel of the zodiac kids can color, cut and glue the animals to. There’s also a little story with comprehension questions and a page for kids to draw their own zodiac sign. They also have another set of worksheets that includes the zodiac years, animals, a different I-spy, writing practice and an activity to find others in the classroom or household with different animal signs.

Hub Pages has printable red envelopes and bookmarks for the year of the horse, as well as printable coloring pages with a horse theme.

Activity Village has year of the horse printables for members that include mazes and a worksheet for coming up with words in the letters of year of the horse.

Teachers Pay Teachers has a lot of good resources for Lunar New Year in general and the year of the horse more specifically. To point out a couple, GATER Educator Kris Prince has a set of activities that includes reading comprehension about Lunar New Year, the year of the horse and the history of paper, and activities including a horse collage and calligraphy.

And Hope Creek Art Studios has a great set for art teachers of all grade levels on how to draw a horse that includes different techniques for different ages and skill levels such as working on symmetry or doing a one-line drawing.

Grab a printable horse crown/headband from Let’s Go to Learn. They also have year of the horse and more general Lunar New Year coloring pages.

Or get a full unit study and activity pack from My Mega Bundles Shop. This one includes information on the Chinese zodiac, practice writing horse in cursive, history and trivia, color b number, puzzles, math games, printable decorations and red envelopes and more. This set is aimed at kids 4-10 and looks like lots of fun.

Remembrance Day (marked as Veterans Day in the United States) is Nov. 11, and it marks the end of hostilities in World War I. Poppies are a traditional symbol of the day because it is said they were the first flower to grow again on the battlefields, which inspired a famous poem. Let’s check out some poppy crafts you can make with your kids as part of a World War I unit or for Remembrance Day.

This pretty poppy craft from Krokotak just requires the printable, some crayons, scissors and glue. The printable includes the center of the flower and kids can draw the outside as well as adding stem.

Glued to My Crafts has a printable for a torn paper poppy, or you could color or paint this one as well.

Use torn or cut pieces of paper to make these poppy suncatchers from Red Ted Art.

Happy Hooligans has a bunch of great poppy crafts but I particularly like the painted rocks and easy paper plate poppy.

Crafty Morning has a cute poppy craft made with fingerprints, which is quick and easy to do with kids of any age.

Older kids and adults can make these folded paper poppies from Chica and Jo, but they do involve hot glue and floral wire, which can be sharp, so it’s not for young kids. An easier paper poppy that only calls for regular craft glue can be found at Sugar Spice and Glitter. This one also has a printable template to make it easier.

These felt poppies from One Little Project also use a glue gun and a sewing needle, but they’re so pretty I couldn’t resist sharing them for older kids. Add a pipe cleaner stem or turn them into pins to wear for remembrance events. Check out their coffee filter poppy craft for a great option for younger kids.

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