Registration For Primary School In Malaysia FAQ

We are getting more and more anxious parents asking the same questions over and over again on our Facebook group wall! This usually happens every February because registration typically starts on 1st March annually.

Here is a compilation of the most frequently asked questions by the parents in our group for registration for primary school in Malaysia. Please note that this is not an official FAQ. These are questions asked by parents and answered by parents who have been through the process. 

FAQ

Q: When can I register my child for standard one?
A: Currently the time frame is as follows:
Children born between 2/1/2010-1/1/2011 (For 2017 Intake)
Children born between 2/1/2011-1/1/2012 (For 2018 Intake)
Children born between 2/1/2012-1/1/2013 (For 2019 Intake)
Children born between 2/1/2013-1/1/2014 (For 2020 Intake)

and so on...

Q: Where is the link for online registration of schools in Selangor?
A:  In 2016, there is a new online portal for registration for primary schools in Selangor and Putrajaya. Here is the link https://public.moe.gov.my/

Q: Can you recommend a school near my house?
A: Here are some lists of schools which you can find online. They give you a good idea of schools in your area. You can click on the links (if any) to check out the school's website to give you an even better idea.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_schools_in_Selangor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_schools_in_Kuala_Lumpur

List of SJKC in Malaysia
http://www.weekasiong.com.my/school/selangor.html (This is the link for Selangor schools. Click on this link and browse the site to get list of schools for other states like Penang, Melaka, Johor etc.)

Q: What are the documents required for registration of primary school?
A: You can read our previous post on the documents required or join our facebook group - The Malaysia Primary and Secondary School Parents on Facebook. We have a photo album of notices received from various schools which will give you a very good idea of the documents required. Most schools will have forms printed on the documents required. You can get these forms at the guard house or school office. Some will have them posted on the school's Facebook page and banners may be put out outside the school compound or near the school gate or entrance to inform parents.

Q: For online registration of schools in Selangor, do I have to go to the school to submit my documents?
A: Yes, you have to do online registration FIRST for Selangor and Putrajaya, then print out your registration and bring along with required documents to the school of your choice for verification.

Q: Can I do online registration in Selangor AND walk-in registration for another school in KL?
A: No, you cannot. When you have completed your online registration in Selangor, you must go to the same school to verify your registration. You cannot register for another school in KL.

Q: How many school choices can we put in when registering?
A: In Selangor based on previous years online portal, only 1 choice. In WP KL, 3 choices. (Updated on 1 March 2018: Online Registration is now nationwide accept Sabah, Sarawak and W.P. Labuan. So in WP KL, it is also 1 choice only)

Q: Must I register at ALL the 3 schools I put as choices in WP KL?
No, only your first choice. When you register, the school will stamp behind your child's birth certificate. Be sure to bring the original along. This is one of the documents required during registration.
Q: When can I know the results of my application?
A: In August

Q: What happens if I don't get the school of my choice?
A: You make an appeal in September. You need to go to the school allocated with your letter and birth certificate. Ask for the appeal form to fill and the school will submit on your behalf. The results will usually be announced by November or December.

Q: What size envelope and how much stamp do I have to submit to the school? 
A: During registration you may be required to submit a white envelope and stamps. Different schools have different requirements. Some require 70sen stamp. Some 80sen. Some require white envelopes of a certain size. Some require window envelopes. However, they all have the same objective. They are for the school to inform you on the results of your school application. So, you don't have to worry too much about getting the size just right. Just make sure you find out what is required from the school of your choice and make sure you have them ready so you can save on a trip.

Q: What if the utility bill is not in my name?
A: If for example, you are staying at  your parent's or in law's house, your I/C address must be the same as that shown on the utility bill as prove that you are staying at the same address. If you are renting, you need to show your rental agreement. If you are purchasing, you need to show your S&P agreement.

Q: If my niece or nephew is studying at the same school, is it easier to get in?
A: No, but it may be easier if you have an older child at the school in which case you need to show the older child or sibling's birth certificate during registration.

Q: I stay in Selangor, can I register for a school in KL or vice versa?
A: Depending on your location, you may be able to get in. However, preference will be given to those living within the state.

Q: Can I put KL as my first choice, Selangor as my second choice or vice versa?
A: No, your choices need to be in the same state, no cross states.

Q: My child's birth certificate is laminated. What do I do as I  understand the school will stamp behind the certificate.
A: The school will paste a white sticker over it and stamp on the sticker.

Please note that this is not an official FAQ. These are questions asked by parents and answered by parents who have been through the process. 

There are many more FAQs and we are unable to include all of them here. Do join our Facebook group to search for the questions and view the answers or ask your own questions. We have many helpful parents who will be happy to help answer your question. We will also update this page with any new helpful FAQs as they arise in our group.

Good luck parents! We hope that you get the school of your choice!

NEW! How to Register For Standard One For 2019 and 2020 Intake

Related Posts:

Registration For Primary School For 2017 & 2018 Intake - Documents Required
Registration For Standard One For 2017 And 2018 Intake For Schools In Selangor And Putrajaya
The Unofficial Guide To Online Registration For Primary Schools In Selangor And Putrajaya
What To Do If You Registered For Primary School Last Year 2015 Under The Old Online System

Join our Facebook Group to network with other Malaysian Parents

Registration For Primary School For 2017 & 2018 Intake - Documents Required

It is that time of the year again. The time for registration of students for primary school. This time it is for the school sessions in 2017 and 2018.

Some kind parents have shared the notices they received from schools on the documents required and time frame. For those in our Facebook Parenting Group - The Malaysia Primary And Secondary Parents On Facebook, please note that we have posted these notices under the album called "Registration For Standard One Notices From Schools." You can go to the album to view the notices from various schools as shared by parents.

The notices are mostly in Chinese or Bahasa Malaysia. Here is a translated to English version of the documents required for registering for primary school as stated in the notices. What has been shared so far are for schools in Wilayah Persekutuan so that is what will be shared here.

Time Frame for registration: 1 Mac 2016 to 29 Apr 2016 (all start on 1 Mac but please double check the end dates with your school)
Time: School Office Hours (Usually Mon to Fri and hours may differ from school to school)
For Whom: Children born between 2/1/2010-1/1/2011 (For 2017 Intake)
                    Children born between 2/1/2011-1/1/2012 (For 2018 Intake)

Documents Required:

1. Original Birth Certificate
2. Copy of Birth Certificate
3. Utility Bills (Electric/Telekom/Water/Quit Rent/Assessment Bills) under parents/guardian's name to verify residential address - Original and photocopy 
4. Photostated copy of parents/guardian's I/C
5. Copy or siblings birth certificate (if studying at the same school) 
6. Self addressed envelope 4.5" x 9.5" White with RM0.80 stamp affixed. (amount of stamp required may be stated differently for different schools)

Notes: Quit Rent/Assessment Bills = Bil Cukai Tanah/Bil Cukai Pintu
Some schools may not state item 5 & 6 but it is always good to have them. The self addressed envelope is for the school to inform you of your registration status some time around August 2016 for 2017 intake or August 2017 for 2018 intake.

The above documents are required for walk in to school registration for schools in Wilayah Persekutuan. For Selangor and Putrajaya, please refer to our earlier post on Registration for Standard One for 2017 & 2018 for Schools In Selangor And Putrajaya which require online registration before handing in documents to school.

This is only a rough guide and actual dates and time etc may differ from school to school. Please refer to your school's notice.

Related Post:

FAQ on Registration For Primary Schools In Malaysia

Join our Facebook Group to network with other Malaysian Parents

The Race Towards UPSR 2016

The race towards UPSR 2016 is on. Students, parents, teachers, schools. We're all in the race together. It started at the beginning of this year. From the first week of school the kids were briefed on the UPSR 2016 new format. Meetings were called and parents were briefed on the new format by the school. Extra classes during weekdays and Saturdays were started. We've also been told that there will be extra classes during the coming March holidays from Monday to Friday. Since the March holidays is only a week, I guess that means no holidays for the UPSR students.

During the parents briefing in some schools, some students were singled out as potential 8As scorers and given trophies to encourage and motivate them. Wow. Stress. Stress. Kids started doing sample test papers for various subjects.

Below are the candidates registration form which must be filled and handed up to teachers. If you are on social media, you will see lots of sharing of posts on UPSR 2016 new format materials. Workbooks are being churned out by publishers at record rate. All read "Latest UPSR 2016 New Format" , "KBAT", "HOTS", "Sample UPSR test papers with New Format".

Parents whatsapp group beep notifications of sharing on new materials, workbooks etc. Whenever a new workbook is shared, it gets snapped up by parents. Kids do homework till midnight. Later on arts classes and physical education classes will be replaced by academic lessons.

I have stopped buying workbooks. I can only watch helplessly as my UPSR candidate at home attend extra after school tuition classes and does his homework till midnight. With not enough time to even complete his homework or even get the necessary rest that a child of 12 needs, where will he find the time to even look at extra materials or do even more extra workbooks or sample tests at home?

We don't even have time to check his school work or discuss any school work with him. Any extra time he has, I want to make sure he gets the rest and tender loving care he needs. UPSR results? Well, that will now have to depend entirely on the school, himself and his dad who has now replaced me as the home school teacher when time permits.

Oh, and the seminars have not started yet. Soon the standard six students will have to start attending seminars or "ceramah" organized by the schools. Busy. Busy.

For more information on UPSR 2016, go to the Ministry Education website for FAQ on UPSR 2016 - Soalan-Soalan Lazim UPSR 2016

Books Kinokuniya Malaysia Giveaway

Dear Mumsgather Finds members,

We are happy to bring to you yet another exciting giveaway. Books! If you are a book lover, check out our latest giveaway brought to you by Books Kinokuniya Malaysia webstore. Three winners will win three books each including children's books and puzzle books for mum or dad. This giveaway starts on 22 Feb 2016 and ends at 12 am 1 March 2016.

To find out more about this giveaway, go to our Contest Information Page.

Share this giveaway with your friends who loves books with the hastag #bookskinokuniyamalaysiagiveaway
Good Luck everyone!

What To Do When Your Child Is Bullied In School

Bullying. It only happens to other people's kids. Not yours. Not until your child is bullied. Then you realize
that bullying is a rather common thing that happens in many schools. When your child is bullied in school, then suddenly you are at a loss about what to do. Where do you start?

This is a problem that has been brought up over and over again on our Facebook group - The Malaysia Primary And Secondary School Parents On Facebook. So, we did an infographic of the steps which we hope will help the parents.not claim to be experts on this very difficult topic. These are merely the author's view based on her own parenting instincts on what is the right thing to do.

In this post we will discuss the steps in more detail. Firstly, we will talk about...

WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN YOUR CHILD IS BULLIED 

• Keep Quiet - Do not keep quiet and hope that it will go away. It won't. It is likely to get worse. Besides, you do not want other children to be bullied like your child
• Teach Your Child To Fight Back - You can teach your child how to stand up against bullies but do not teach him to fight back. It may worsen matters and you are teaching him that aggression is the right response. You want to teach him how to be assertive, not aggressive. You can send your child to martial arts classes like tae kwan do, not to become aggressive or to fight the bullies but as a way to build his own self confidence and make new friends.
• Approach The Bullies Or The Bullies Parents Yourself - Much as you'd like to do this very thing, avoid it. Meet up with the bullies and or their parents only with the school or other third parties acting as intermediaries. Many parents actually report success when approaching the bullying kids or their parents but this is the wrong way. You are an adult and the bullies are kids who sometimes do not know better. For example, they may be 7 year olds who come from a poor family background or who learned at home that aggression or bullying is the way to get attention and what they want. Who are you as a parent to approach and threaten the kids yourself? Always speak with the parents or kids with a third party present. When bullying happens in school, the school must act as an intermediary. Do not approach the other party yourself.

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR CHILD IS BULLIED

So what do you do when your child is bullied? You can read our infographic below for a summarized version but here is the detailed flowchart.

1. Support Your Child - First of all, support your child. Talk to him. Hug him. Show him unconditional love and let him know that it is not his fault (Of course you must also establish that he was not the one who started the fight if there was one). Bullying is never right, even when provoked in some way. Talk to him about bullying and how to prevent bullying. Teach him to stand up for himself. Help him build confidence and make new friends. Bullies often like to bully those who are alone.
2. Talk To The Teacher - The first thing you should do is to inform the teacher. Do not assume the worse (ie. the teacher will not do anything or penalize your child). Inform the teacher in a matter of fact manner giving facts, times and names if you have them. Work together with the teacher to resolve the bullying.
3. Inform The Headmaster - If you are unable to resolve the bullying at class level, bring it up to school level by informing the headmaster. Again, stay calm. You want to get results, not vent your anger or frustration. State facts. This is not the time for name calling even if you feel extremely frustrated that the teacher has done nothing to resolve the issue.
4. Report To The Authorities - If the bullying has not been resolved at school level, then bring it up one step further, to the State or District Education Office, the Ministry of Education and the Police. However, you may need to do this step first of all if your child sustained injuries.
5. Change Schools - Bullies are everywhere so you should consider this only as a last resort. However, trust your parental instincts. If you feel that your child is unhappy or will not be able to thrive in his current school, even after the bullying has been resolved, transfer him out of the school.

SAY NO TO BULLYING! Share this post with the hashtag #Saynotobullying or embed the following infographic on your site by copying and pasting the code below it on your site.

Share this Image On Your Site

Copy and paste the code below on your site.

<p> <strong>Please include attribution to http://mumsgather.blogspot.com with this graphic.</strong><br /> <br /> <a href='http://mumsgather.blogspot.my/2016/02/what-to-do-when-your-child-is-bullied.html'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVjO57W7p4zhMH2WKM87KGyR9b8WU-7ezh4SlM76ml6tHOmI0ZOQF-YVOMjYTozKUEJIo3sWLzXj8v3jdc53M3VUj5tW9kYAjkzwfnntTymBMM8Wwv4BqulEqss0tNDMQXh3T98g/s1600/Infographic+on+Bullying.png' alt='Infographic On Bullying' width='540px' border='0' /></a></p>

All parents should educate their child to stand up against bullies. Not only that, you must stress to your children that bullying in any form is wrong. 

What am I going to do after my ICGSE / SPM / STPM?

Career Guide For Teens And Parents – Technical Courses
A Guest Post By Vyasa Kandasamy founder of CAD Design Centre

I have been asked quite a bit about career choices made as teens get to the age of 16 onwards, and start thinking of their future education. 

Very often they start making decisions on courses based on little input they get here and there. Perhaps from a friend or a relative, or a magazine article. Sometimes parents can't help much, as they are in a totally different profession altogether. For example mom is a banker, father is an accountant, and the son wants to get into the field of engineering, even more specifically electronics engineering. Parents cant do much, as they are not really knowledgeable about these technical fields.

I am a Mechanical Engineer, by training but I too got into my field by accident. (I also believe in the Law of Attraction now, but that is a different topic altogether :) I did my STPM a long time ago, and based on my results, it was mentioned by some career guide statistics that with my results, Mechanical Engineering would be the most likely course I would get. Thank god for that, as was i didn't really want to do medicine (which my parents wanted me to do :)

As I was applying I realized I had a liking for some form of mechanical engineering - as I liked to take a part things, and fix and build stuff when I was growing up. And I had a liking for car engines. So I thought "Hey, Mechanical Engineering would be perfect for me" and applied for the course to a few universities, and got into USM (Their engineering campus was in Tronoh). But throughout the course content, I did not get to even touch or smell a car engine! In reality, studying life was totally different, full of Maths, Maths and more Maths, and lots of physics and lots of theory. Hadn't I done a proper soul searching of why I went into Mechanical Engineering in the first place, undertaking this course could have been quite a disaster for me.

The fact is this whole process would have been much better, if I started to get to know about what I want much earlier in life, say 15 onwards. I would have understood the importance of the various subjects that were thought during the ages of 15 onwards, instead of just studying for it. It would make it a lot more fun to know something about the career path you are wishing to undertake later on in life, and it would have given a lot of meaning to the secondary school subjects.

During discussion with many of my fellow engineering students, I gathered that many of them got into the various Engineering fields by virtue of result and not any prior knowledge of the fields. I found this to be pretty interesting.. and what a waste of talent? What if students really knew about the various fields much earlier and get pointed to the right fields much earlier in the lives, and it would save them and their parents much stress and $$$$!

So here is a series of articles with videos I chose carefully from the internet, which I felt explains the field very well and in a simple way. Well, the articles are more technical related fields at this point of time, so be patient :) Currently, it is about the various Engineering fields and Architectural fields,  I will be adding more fields in the near future.

The links to the articles are below. Enjoy the articles and the videos!

What is Engineering?

·         Mechanical Engineering

·         Mechatronic Engineering

·         Electronic Engineering

·         Electrical Engineering

·         Civil Engineering

o   Highway Engineering

·         Chemical Engineering

·         Computer Engineering vs Computer Science

Architecture

·         What does an Architect do?

·         How to Design like an Architect

Vyasa is the founder of Cad Design Centre. They work with Young ones, Teens and College Students in exploring the above courses early on, before they decide to step in the fields and incur a big College or University fee.  For the already studying University Student, the courses will give them clarity and an edge in the University. As the courses are much need in the workplace, it would definitely give them an edge during the interview and in the workplace.

                Read more here -> Cad Design School and it’s courses :> List of Courses

What to Expect From A Home Schooling Centre

This post is a continuation of our previous post on Pros and Cons of Home School, Private and International Schools and Home Schooling Centres.

For those considering home schooling centres as yet another option for their children's education, we hope this post on What To Expect From A Home Schooling Centre will be an eye-opener for you.

This post was brought to you by Kensington Academy Malaysia. Kensington offers Cambridge IGCSE from Primary to Secondary, Years 1 through 11. Scroll down for contact information.

If you are opting for home schooling centres, below are a few factors you should think about and take into consideration.

Parents Support Role - Where Do I Start?

Regardless whether your child is a toddler or already has several years of primary school experience, sending your child to a homeschooling centre can be done at any point in time. Most parents find the end of one school year is a good time to start their ‘shopping’ because it gives them enough time to research on the details. No matter what your choices are, you should visit homeschooling centres around you, and talk to people who homeschool, contact or join a local homeschool organization/group. Educating yourself about the various routes you can take is the best way to define why you are making this decision and what you hope homeschooling will accomplish for your child.

Decide On Homeschool Curriculum - What Curriculum Is Available?

Fortunately, Malaysian parents are spoiled with choices when it comes to syllabus or curriculum choices. Nevertheless, the most commonly followed syllabi are the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) and the Alpha Omega Publication (AOP) for religious based homeschooling centres. Learning materials can be purchased at leading bookstores, they vary from traditional textbooks and workbooks that cover reading, writing, and arithmetic to more individualized approaches that are guided by a child's own interests, e.g. drama and play, art and craft etc. At Kensington Academy, we allow learners to not only excel academically, but also enhance various soft skills like recall of knowledge, teamwork, problem solving etc.

Comparison chart between public schooling and IGCSE Pathway from Kensington

Examination Board - What Exams Will My Child Take If We Choose This Route Of Education?

IGCSE stands for the International General Certificate of Secondary Education. Unlike the GCSE, which is taken by the vast majority of students in UK, the IGCSE is crafted to suit international students or students reside outside of the UK where the courses and examinations will have an international flavour rather than being grounded in British situations and settings.

There are many examination boards that award IGCSE certification. Kensington Academy currently uses the examination board from CIE (Cambridge International Examinations), a department of the University of Cambridge, UK. Hence, the course syllabuses and curriculum we use is designed to prepare our learners to meet the requirements set by the CIE.

Image Credit: Kensington Academy Malaysia. Top Picture is Principal of Kensignton Academy Malaysia, Mr Kelvin followed by pictures taken during students' self development/ outdoor sessions.

Contact Information: Kensington Academy Malaysia

Special Offer At Gakken Math Classroom

Hi there parents,

Remember we shared with you the free science experiment trial classes at Gakken Classroom Kelana Jaya.

Good news for you! You have another 2 weeks to redeem a month's worth of free science classes.

Free Science Experiment Trial Class
More Information About The Science Experiment Class

Gakken Classroom conducts science and math classes for children from 4 to 12 years old.

Today, we would like to share with you another offer by Gakken Classroom Malaysia. This time it is by Gakken Math Classroom. Your child can try the math classes for a month at 50% off. That means you only pay RM80 for 4 classes, a value for money offer.

The math classes focus on logical thinking through self learning. Children are encouraged and motivated to learn on their own. First they are taught the skills, then they are coached to apply them in real life.

To find out more about the Gakken Math classes, visit Gakken Math Classroom website and click on the links as shown below or call 017-727 9228 to book a month's trial classes for your child.

To find out more about Gakken Math Classes, go to the website and click on the links shown for more information

Example of the primary school math materials from Gakken Math Classroom

UPSR 2016 Grading System - 80 Or 85 Marks For Grade A?

Recently there were some news circulated on social media about the Grades for UPSR being reset to 80 from 85 and now it looks like it is official.

The Sistem Analisis Peperiksaan Sekolah or SAPS in short, which is the school exam analysis system by the MOE (Ministry of Education) has released the following downloads on its website.

Grade Ranges for primary school for 2016 (Julat Markah Sekolah Rendah 2016)

A = 80-100
B = 65-79
C = 50-64
D = 40-49
E = 0-39
TH = Tidak Hadir (Absent)

Grade Ranges for lower secondary school

A = 85-100
B = 70-84
C = 60-69
D = 50-59
E = 40-39
F = 0-39
TH = Tidak Hadir (Absent)

Grade Ranges for upper secondary school

A+ = 90-100
A   = 80-89
A- = 75-79
B+ = 70-74
B = 65-69
C+ = 60-64
C  = 50-59
D  = 45-49
E  = 40-44
G = 0-39
TH = Tidak Hadir (Absent)

* Note: The grade ranges for lower secondary school and upper secondary school are different from primary school as shown in the diagrams below.

Primary School Grade Ranges 2016

Lower Secondary Grade Ranges 2016

Upper Secondary Grade Ranges

Source of Information: SAPS
You can find the above information under the heading "Gred Sekolah untuk SR, SMR dan SMA"
(Note: SR= Sekolah Rendah/Primary School, SMR=Sekolah Menengah Rendah/Lower Secondary, SMA = Sekolah Menengah Atas/Upper Secondary)

While you are at the site, you may also like to take note of the following important dates. These are deadlines for schools to key in examination marks into the system. It will give you an idea of the time frame of key examinations for 2016 for Std 6 and Form 5 students.

You can find the following download under the heading "Takwim Peperiksaan Dalaman Sekolah 2016"

Internal Examination Calendar For Schools 2016

Source of Information: SAPS 

Cuti Perayaan And School Term Holidays 2016 As Set By KPM

We're about to conclude a 9 day school holiday (inclusive of weekends) for the Chinese New Year festivities. Since we're still in a holiday mood, let's have a look at the rest of the school holidays you can expect in 2016, school term holidays as well as "Cuti Perayaan" 2016 as set by KPM or Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia.

Here they are.

For Group A Schools Kedah, Johor, Kelantan and Terengganu.

• First Term Holidays - 11 March to 19 March 2016 (9 days)
• Mid Year Holidays - 27 May to 11 June 2016 (16 days)
• Hari Raya Aidil Fitri Holidays - 1 July to 9 July 2016 (9 days inclusive of 2 weekends)
• Second Term Holidays - 9 September to 17 September 2016 (9 days)
• Deepavali Holidays - 28 October to 1 November 2016 (5 days inclusive of 1 weekend)
• Year-End Holidays - 25 November to 31 December 2016 (37 days)

For Group B Schools in all other states other than the above

• First Term Holidays - 12 March to 20 March 2016 (9 days)
• Mid Year Holidays - 28 May to 12 June 2016 (16 days)
• Hari Raya Aidil Fitri Holidays - 2 July to 10 July 2016 (9 days inclusive of 2 weekends)
• Second Term Holidays - 10 September to 18 September 2016 (9 days)
• Deepavali Holidays - 28 October to 1 November 2016 (5 days inclusive of 1 weekend)
• Year-End Holidays - 26 November to 1 January 2016 (37 days)

The official holiday schedule from KPM can be downloaded from here.

You can use this schedule to plan your vacations. Happy Holidays!

Creating Family Traditions

Making Chinese New Year exciting for the kids

One of the things we enjoy doing a lot is creating family traditions and routines to make Chinese New Year a memorable affair for the kids.

We do this by doing the same thing every year. We take the kids to have a haircut, then we go to the same places to buy new year clothes, we do spring cleaning and get the kids to do the decoration and clean the porch, we buy the same Chinese New Year cookies. We travel back to hometown and stay at the same place.

Boring? In contrary, it is far from boring. By doing the same things every year, we have created a routine that the kids have come to anticipate and love.

I've read in forums of how people hate Chinese New Year because they hate visiting relatives, they hate their in-laws. They hate this and that and then they take off for a holiday to escape all of this. I feel sad reading it because there is much to love. I loved Chinese New Year as a child and I hope to make my children love and look forward to it year after year. It is not hard to do that. All you have to do is create a routine that you can revisit every year and that is how family traditions are created. By you!

Happy Chinese New Year 2016!