What do colourful dumplings, fragrant sachets, festive songs, and captivating stories have in common? At ELFA Preschool, they all came together in a joyful celebration of the Dragon Boat Festival!
As a bilingual preschool, we believe that children learn best when language is brought to life through meaningful experiences. Beyond building Chinese language skills, we nurture children’s curiosity about the rich traditions, stories, and values behind the language. Cultural celebrations such as Dragon Boat Festival offer wonderful opportunities for children to experience Chinese culture in ways that are engaging, memorable, and age-appropriate.
Discovering the Story Behind the Festival
The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as 端午节 (Duān Wǔ Jié), is one of the most well-loved traditional festivals in Chinese culture. Observed on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar, the festival commemorates Qu Yuan (屈原), a poet and statesman remembered for his loyalty and devotion to his country.
Through engaging stories and guided conversations, our children were introduced to the festival and the customs still celebrated today. They learned about dragon boat racing, rice dumplings, and meaningful traditions passed down through generations. These learning moments helped children develop a deeper appreciation for Chinese culture while enriching their language learning in a natural and meaningful context.
Learning Through Hands-On Experiences
Across our ELFA Preschool centres, children explored the festival through a variety of immersive and age-appropriate activities. Each experience was thoughtfully designed to spark curiosity, encourage participation, and make cultural learning come alive.
Children from ELFA Preschool @ Hougang enjoy making colourful jelly dumplings with guidance from their educators
At ELFA Preschool @ Hougang, children arrived in beautiful traditional Chinese costumes, adding to the festive atmosphere. One of the highlights was creating colourful jelly dumplings, a playful and child-friendly interpretation of the traditional rice dumpling. The celebration was further brought to life through music and movement. As children sang and danced along to《五月五是端午》, they experienced the joy of the festival through rhythm, language, and expression.
Children create their own fragrant xiang bao using a variety of traditional herbs
Meanwhile, children at ELFA Preschool @ Jurong East embarked on their own Dragon Boat Festival adventure through storytelling, creativity, and sensory exploration. They listened to an interactive story about the festival’s origins and created their own fragrant xiang bao (香包), a traditional sachet associated with the celebration. The fun continued with a rice dumpling fishing activity that encouraged hand-eye coordination, focus, and teamwork.
Children enjoy an exciting rice dumpling fishing game filled with laughter and fun
To complete the experience, the children also tasted traditional rice dumplings, giving them a firsthand connection to this meaningful festive custom.
Although each centre celebrated in its own unique way, every activity reflected ELFA’s belief that children learn best when they are actively involved. Through these joyful experiences, children discovered that Chinese learning can be both enjoyable and meaningful.
Nurturing a Lifelong Appreciation for Language and Culture
At ELFA Preschool, we believe that language comes alive when children can see, hear, touch, create, and experience it for themselves. Through cultural celebrations such as Dragon Boat Festival, children gain more than knowledge of traditions. They build confidence, curiosity, cultural awareness, and a deeper connection with the world around them.
Most importantly, they discover that learning Chinese can be fun, meaningful, and filled with joyful memories. Through experiences like these, ELFA Preschool continues to nurture confident bilingual learners who appreciate culture, embrace discovery, and develop a love for learning from an early age.