Welcome to the lesson notes for Nian and the New Year Monster! In this story, you will meet a scary monster and a brave family. You can tap or click on highlighted words in the story to see their meanings, and you can listen to the audio to hear the story read aloud.
After reading, use these lesson notes to learn new words, practice a simple grammar pattern, and think about the story's theme. There is also a short speaking and writing task at the end. Have fun!
Nian is a . Every year, he at the New Year. He is very .
A family is at home. Mama (妈妈) and Baba (爸爸) are with the children, Xiao Ming and Xiao Hong.
They Nian: Roar! The family is . "What can we do?" says Xiao Ming. "Nian is red (红)," says Baba.
They red paper and red (灯笼). The house is red. Nian the red. He stops. "He is scared!" says Xiao Hong.
But Nian is still . "We need a ," says Mama. "Nian is scared of loud sounds too." They get (爆竹).
Pop! Pop! Bang! The firecrackers are . Nian is very scared. He . "Nian runs away!" the children shout.
The family is happy. They say, "新年快乐! (Happy New Year!)" Every year, they use red and firecrackers to .
Nian is a big, scary monster that comes every New Year.
Mama and Baba are at home with their children, Xiao Ming and Xiao Hong.
They hear Nian roar and get scared. Xiao Ming asks what to do, and Baba says Nian is afraid of red.
They decorate with red paper and lanterns. Seeing the red, Nian stops, and Xiao Hong cries, 'He is scared!'
Nian still approaches. Mama says they need a loud sound, as Nian fears that too. They get firecrackers.
The firecrackers pop loudly. Nian is terrified and runs away, and the children shout in triumph.
The happy family wishes each other 'Happy New Year!' They use red and firecrackers every year to keep Nian away.
Let's look at some important English words from the story. These words will help you talk about the New Year and this story.
- monster — a big, scary animal or creature
- scared — feeling afraid
- loud — making a lot of noise
- lantern — a light inside a case, often red at New Year
- firecracker — a small thing that makes a loud bang
- shout — to say something very loudly
In the story, we see this pattern many times: [person] is scared of [thing]. We use 'scared of' to say what makes someone afraid.
Look at these examples from the story and try to make your own sentence.
- Nian is scared of red.
- Nian is scared of loud sounds.
- The family is scared of Nian.
- I am scared of dogs. (your own example!)
The family in the story has a big problem: Nian is coming! But they do not run away. They work together and use red paper, lanterns, and firecrackers to keep Nian away.
This story also shows why many people use red decorations and loud sounds at New Year. Red means luck and happiness, and loud noises scare away bad things!
- The family works together to solve a problem.
- Red is a lucky color.
- Loud sounds can scare away bad things.
Now it is your turn to practice! First, say your answers out loud. Then write one or two sentences.
- Say out loud: 'Nian is scared of...' and finish the sentence.
- Write one sentence about something that makes you scared. Example: 'I am scared of spiders.'
- Tell a friend or family member about the story in English. Use the words 'monster', 'red', and 'loud'.
Nian and the New Year Monster comes from the Chinese / legend tradition and is best known as a festival legend. This Yak Yacker article is an original learner retelling based on Traditional Chinese New Year legend; public-domain folk material, so the wording here is simplified for modern learners rather than copied from one old edition.
Older printings, translations, and retellings of this story can vary quite a bit. The original audience was usually kids/general, but this version is adapted for A1 Beginner learners studying English. Use generic monster/firecrackers/red-color version; modern versions vary.
If you want to look into the source tradition, start with Wikipedia.
If you want to keep going, browse more in our English section and review the A1 English Vocabulary List. After that, try Best Graded Readers for English for another useful next step.