01 September 2023

Mid Autumn Festival 中秋節 Resources in Cantonese

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a time of family, traditions, and togetherness—and it’s also a wonderful opportunity to bring culture and language learning to life for kids. Whether it’s sharing mooncakes under the full moon, listening to festive songs, or reading a cozy picture book about Chang’e and the Jade Rabbit, this festival offers countless ways to connect children with Cantonese language and heritage. In this post, I’ve gathered fun and kid-friendly Cantonese resources—including picture books, music, videos, and hands-on activities—that will help families celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival while also building language skills.

Mid Autumn Festival Dates

2025 Oct 6

2026 Sept 25

2027 Sept 15

2028 Oct 3

2029 Sept 22

2030 Sept 12

Quick Links

Mid Autumn Festival Vocabulary in Cantonese

Mid Autumn Festival | 中秋節 | zung1 cau1 zit3
8th month 15th day | 八月十五 | baat3 jyut6 sap6 ng5
full moon | 滿月 | mun5 jyut2
moon watching | 賞月 | soeng2 jyut2
reunion | 團圓 | tyun4 jyun4
mooncake | 月餅 | jyut6 beng2
snow skin mooncake | 冰皮月餅 | bing1 pei2 jyut6 beng2
Chang'e Moon Goddess | 嫦娥 | soeng4 ngo4
Moon Rabbit | 月兔 | jyut6 tou3
lantern | 燈籠 | dang1 lung4

Mid Autumn Festival Books

A Big Mooncake for Little Star (小星的大月餅) by Grace Lin

A story about a little girl who sneaks a bite of her mooncake every night. This book is available in Chinese and English.

English version: Kozzi, Amazon; Chinese version: Kozzi

Cantonese read aloud: 采姐姐的故事王國 Lillian’s Story Kingdom

ISBN: 9780316404488 (English) 9789865535193 (Traditional Chinese)

Mooncakes by Loretta Seto

This book features a family celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival while telling three of the festival tales. This book is in English.

Buy it here: Kozzi, Amazon

English read aloud: The Dream Big Bookshelf

ISBN: 1459814312

Bitty Bao Mid-Autumn Festival Set

Bitty Bao has a collection of board books for the Mid Autumn Festival. Buy them as a set or individually. There is a Cantonese version and a Mandarin version for each book.

Buy it here: Bitty Bao, Yuto, Kozzi, 2bwellkids

Peppa and the Moon Festival

Peppa and her friends celebrate the Moon Festival with lanterns and mooncakes. Unfortunately, this book is only available in Asia.

Buy it here: Taobao

ISBN 9780241369067

幸福月餅店 by 鄭宗弦

A family own bakery shows us all the steps on how to make mooncakes and run their business for Mid Autumn Festival.

Buy it here: Yuto, Kozzi

Cantonese read aloud: Cantonese Mommy, Michigan Cantonese Storytime

ISBN 9789578602731

Mid-Autumn Pop Up Book – 中秋節 and 團圓中秋節

These are two beautifully illustrated pop up books to explore the traditions of Mid Autumn Festival.

Buy it here: Yuto, Kozzi

Mid Autumn Festival Songs

Here are some kid friendly Cantonese songs to learn about mooncakes, and traditions of Mid Autumn Festival. Below are some of our favourites as well as a playlist with even more songs.

For more Mid Autumn Festival songs in Cantonese, check out this playlist:

Mid Autumn Festivals Videos

Videos are a fun and engaging way for children to learn Cantonese—and the right ones can meet kids at different stages of their language journey. In this list, you’ll find a mix of videos that beginners to intermediate speakers can enjoy.

Twinklebots Cantonese teaches us basic Mid Autumn Festival vocabulary in Cantonese.

Kala EE shares a wonderful variety of videos that explore different traditions of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Join her on a visit to a bakery to see how traditional mooncakes are made, or tag along to a shop to learn about colorful lanterns. She also guides viewers through making snow skin mooncakes (冰皮月餅 bing1 pei2 jyut6 beng2) and introduces the traditional fire dragon dance, a unique custom in Hong Kong. You can find all of her videos in the playlist below.

TVB Hands Up is a popular series in Hong Kong. They have a couple of videos about lanterns which is a big part of Mid Autumn Festival. Here is a fun skit featuring lantern riddles and toy lanterns, a DIY lantern craft and a video featuring a lantern craftsman. You can watch the videos in the playlist below.

Sunshine Nursery Rhyme teaches us about the tales and customs of Mid-Autumn Festival.

Learn about different vocabulary that contain the word moon 月 and also a little about the tales of Mid Autumn Festival.

Mid Autumn Festival Toys

Toys are a playful way to bring the Mid-Autumn Festival to life for kids. From pretend-play mooncake sets to glowing lanterns, these hands-on items spark curiosity and excitement while helping children feel connected to their culture. Lanterns are available in many shapes and characters. You can find a variety online or at your local Chinese store. Here are some toy items that you purchase to add to your child's toy rotation.

Bitty Bao: Wooden Mooncake Toy

Purchase direct: Bitty Bao

Local Canadian Shops: Yuto, Kozzi, 2BWellKids

Baby Snack Time: Plush or Playset

Purchase direct: Baby Snack Time

My Heart Felt Toys: Mooncake

Purchase direct: My Heart Felt Toys

Mid Autumn Festival Activities

The Mid-Autumn Festival is all about family, togetherness, and passing down traditions. Sharing these experiences—whether it’s making lanterns, enjoying mooncakes, or going on a lantern walk with friends and family—creates meaningful moments that connect children to their heritage. Hands-on activities are a beautiful way to celebrate while also building language skills and cultural pride. Here are some of our favourite activities to do together for the Mid Autumn Festival.

My Mid-Autumn Festival Activity Book is a fun, bilingual (Cantonese & English) digital resource packed with crafts, coloring sheets, puzzles, mazes, and lantern-making activities. It also includes flashcards with Jyutping, a vocabulary list, and a 30-minute Cantonese art video by Cherry from Childrens Cues, making it a hands-on way for kids to celebrate the festival, build language skills, and connect with their heritage—all from home.

Another fun activity to enjoy with little ones is making mooncakes together! You can bake traditional mooncakes or create playful versions using playdough. Mooncake molds are available at local Asian markets or online through Amazon, but if you don’t have a mold, Kumara Squad (@kyl.scrapbook) has shared a creative, eco-friendly method using recyclable materials. Check out her tutorial on Instagram, Playdough Mooncakes, for a hands-on and sustainable way to celebrate the festival.

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A post shared by 在家玩學中文 | Crafts and Bilingual Play (@kyl.scrapbook)

Here are some of our favourite recipes to follow to make snow skin mooncakes.

For more free ideas, check out my other Mid Autumn Festival activities. I have created a scavenger hunt to look for key vocabulary, a colouring sheet and a free felt mooncake template. Download them here!