12 Free Chinese New Year Coloring Pages for Kids (Year of the Goat)

Lunar New Year 2027 falls on Saturday, February 6, and it starts the Year of the Goat (you’ll also see it called the Year of the Sheep). It’s the biggest celebration of the year for millions of families, with red lanterns, family dinners and lion dances in the street. For kids who are learning about it, or kids who’ve celebrated it every year of their lives, coloring is a lovely way to talk about what each tradition means.

So here are 12 free Chinese New Year coloring pages at three levels, all in one PDF with no email form. There’s a Year of the Goat page, lanterns, red envelopes, dumplings, a lion dance, a dragon dance and a zodiac wheel with all 12 animals, so every child can find their own.

What’s in the Pack

What the Pictures Mean

Every page shows something families really do or see at New Year, so here’s a quick guide you can share while kids color. They’ll ask anyway.

• Red: the color of luck and happiness. You’ll see it on lanterns, envelopes, decorations and clothes.
• Red envelopes: small envelopes with money inside, given to children for good luck in the new year. Kids tend to like this one best, for obvious reasons.
• Lanterns: they light up homes and streets, and the celebrations end with the Lantern Festival on the 15th day.
• Dumplings: many families make them together, and their shape is said to look like old silver money, a wish for a good year.
• The lion dance and the dragon dance: dancers move to drums and cymbals to bring good luck and chase bad luck away.
• The character 福 (fu): it means good fortune. People often hang it upside down, because the word for “upside down” sounds like the word for “arrived,” so good fortune has arrived.

Easy Chinese New Year Coloring Pages (Ages 2 to 5)

The easy pages have one big picture each and thick lines that are easy to stay inside, even when someone’s wriggling. There’s a happy goat for the new year, a round red lantern with tassels, a red envelope with a gold circle and a bowl of dumplings with chopsticks. Little ones usually reach straight for the red crayon. That’s exactly right. They’ve already got the main idea.

Medium Pages (Ages 6 to 8)

These pages have more to look at. A lion dance costume leaps with its big eyes and shaggy mane, a long dragon winds across the page on poles, a reunion dinner table is full of dishes and a goat stands under a row of lanterns. The lines are thinner, but there’s still room for colored pencils, so nobody’s squinting. Kids this age love the dragon, though it’ll take a while, because there are a lot of scales. A lot.

Detailed Pages (Ages 9 and Up)

Older kids get a zodiac wheel with all 12 animals, a goat mandala, a window flower in the style of traditional paper-cut art and big outline letters that say “Happy Lunar New Year.” They’re best with fine-tip markers, and they’ll take a while. The paper-cut page looks wonderful colored in red and gold on a window, where the light comes through it.

Find Your Zodiac Animal

The zodiac wheel goes in order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. Each year belongs to one animal, and the cycle starts again every twelve years, so a child who’s twelve has had their animal come around twice. Kids can find their birth year on the wheel and color their own animal first.

Here’s one thing that catches people out: the zodiac year starts at Lunar New Year, not on January 1. So a child who’s born in January, before the new year arrives, belongs to the year before. It’s a fun little puzzle to work out together, and kids usually find it fascinating. Grown-ups too, if they’re honest.

Ideas for Using These Pages

• At home: color the red envelope page, cut it out and fold it into a real envelope for a note or a drawing.

• In class: use the zodiac wheel to make a class chart of everyone’s animal.

• As decorations: hang the colored lantern and paper-cut pages in a window, next to some of our Chinese New Year decorations.
• As a craft: pair the lantern page with the paper lantern from our Chinese New Year crafts for kids.

Download the Free Chinese New Year Coloring Pages

The free PDF has all 12 pages, including the zodiac wheel and the Year of the Goat page. It prints in black and white on US Letter and A4, so you won’t run out of red ink before the coloring even starts.

More Lunar New Year Ideas

• Chinese New Year crafts for kids
• Chinese New Year crafts
• Chinese New Year decorations
• Snowman coloring pages

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these Chinese New Year coloring pages free?

Yes. All 12 pages are in one free PDF with no sign-up and no email form. Print as many copies as you’d like for home or the classroom. Please don’t sell them or upload the PDF to another site.

When is Chinese New Year 2027?

Chinese New Year, also called Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival, falls on Saturday, February 6, 2027. The celebrations traditionally last about two weeks and end with the Lantern Festival on the 15th day. The date changes every year because it follows the lunar calendar, so it’s never quite the same day twice.

What animal is 2027?

2027 is the Year of the Goat, which is also called the Year of the Sheep. The Goat is the eighth animal in the twelve-year zodiac cycle, after the Horse and before the Monkey. Our Year of the Goat page and zodiac wheel are both in the free PDF, and they’re usually where kids start.

What do the colors red and gold mean at Chinese New Year?

Red stands for luck, happiness and celebration, which is why you see it on lanterns, envelopes and decorations. Gold is linked to wealth and good fortune. Together they’re the classic New Year colors, and they’re hard to beat. Kids can use them on every page in this pack.

Is Chinese New Year the same as Lunar New Year?

Chinese New Year is one of several Lunar New Year celebrations. Families in Korea celebrate Seollal and families in Vietnam celebrate Tet around the same time, each with their own traditions. These pages focus on Chinese New Year customs, but they’re a great way to start talking about all of them.

How can I use these pages in a classroom?

Start by sharing the meanings of the symbols, then let kids pick a page. They’ll each have a favorite. The zodiac wheel works well for a class chart of everyone’s animal. The lantern and paper-cut pages make a bright window display that’ll last the whole holiday.