It might be Phase 3 in Singapore, but huge gatherings are still out of the question. In the past years, the Lunar New Year may bode wonderful times of house-visiting and soaking in the atmosphere at Chinatown. However, this year, many are turning to digital alternatives to stay in touch and take part in the festivities!
Regardless of your race or nationality, here’s how you and your family can be involved in this year’s Lunar New Year while brushing up your digital skills at the same time!
Learn the history online
There is no better time than now to teach children about history and traditions! The young ones with curious minds tend to have many questions about festivals and holidays. Some questions children love to ask regarding the Lunar New Year include: How did Lunar New Year start? Why is red the colour of Lunar New Year? With technology, you can now guide your children to use the internet for research on the festival. Remember to remind them on how to use online sources safely such as identifying reliable sources or avoiding suspicious pop-ups and ads. The internet has plenty of learning resources to keep the children engaged, such as videos and interactive worksheets.
Send e-greeting cards
During Lunar New Year, red packets are considered a symbol of luck, life, and happiness. They are given as a token of good wishes during this festival. This year, adults are shifting to e-packets, and children can follow suit by sending out their own e-greeting cards to friends and relatives. This ensures less physical contact while allowing children to hone their tech-savvy skills in design and word processing. While doing so, the children can also get creative using the resources they have, or even take up the challenge of creating some festive animated gifs to share!
Feast together virtually
The reunion dinner is an annual tradition where family members reaffirm their gratitude and respect to each other. This event is hugely significant, as it is a way of maintaining the family’s unity and cohesion. If your family normally do house visits during Lunar New Year, this is the year to go digital! Conduct a Zoom party and add to the festive vibes by ordering food to deliver to each other’s homes or playing some party games together. It is also a good opportunity to get your child familiarised with online communication tools while reminding them of safe communication habits online such as not talking to strangers or revealing personal information online.
Conclusion
With the COVID-19 pandemic still ongoing, we are seeing an acceleration of digitalisation. That includes learning and communication tools that even kids need to be aware of. Thus, more so than ever, digital literacy education shouldn’t be overlooked today! Check out the international schools in Singapore that run digital literacy programmes and best IB subjects to make sure your child is well equipped to face the demands of the digital world.