Our Lunar New Year celebrations

Celebrating Lunar New Year at a prep school is always special—but Lunar New Year 2026, the Year of the Horse, brought an extra burst of energy, colour, and creativity to The Mall’s classrooms.
Instead of just talking about traditions, our school decided to experience them hands-on. In the week before half term, junior classrooms transformed into mini art studios, with all sorts of beautiful artwork being created.

Kicking off the celebrations

Lunar New Year—often called Chinese New Year—is celebrated across many Asian countries, including China, South Korea, and Vietnam. In the Art room, we learnt about the zodiac cycle and discovered that 2026 is the Year of the Horse, a symbol of energy, determination, and freedom.

That theme carried through everything we created!

Year 3 used red paper and gold pen (colours symbolising luck and prosperity) to draw their own fire horses, whilst learning more about symbolism. Class teachers explained how zodiac animals represent personality traits, and students eagerly debated whether they matched their own birth-year animal.
Year 2 also drew vibrant fire horses in gold on red paper in their Art class.

Pupils in Year 1 coloured in their own Chinese dragons, sticking shining symbols on to the paper for extra effect. And our youngest pupils in Reception refined their fine motor skills using chop sticks to pick up noodles in one of their play-based learning activities.

Enjoying a delicious lunch

At lunch in the dining hall, children were treated to sweet and sour chicken or quorn, sticky Chinese chicken, steamed rice and five spice noodles with stir-fried vegetables. Everything went down very well!

A celebration of culture and diversity

What made Lunar New Year 2026 memorable wasn’t just the glue sticks and paint splatters. It was the way art became a bridge—connecting our pupils to traditions from around the world and encouraging curiosity about cultures beyond their own, as well as highlighting the importance of celebrating diversity.