Chinese Zodiac for Kids
Your child’s Chinese Zodiac Sign can help unravel mysteries surrounding their personality, traits, and characteristics. Knowing your child’s Chinese Zodiac animal gives you a star chart by which you can help them navigate life’s ups and downs. What you’ll discover about the ‘whys’ of your kids’ wants, needs, dreams, dislikes, & likes can give you more parenting tools that you can use to support, strengthen and inspire your son or daughter.
The first step, of course, is finding out what Chinese Zodiac Sign corresponds with your child’s birthday. The Chinese Astrology cycle is a little different than Western Zodiac. Where the Western system has 12 monthly cycles, the Chinese have a 12 year cycle, each named after a different animal.
Here is a brief overview to get you started:
- Rat: 1996, 2008, 2020
- Ox: 1997, 2009, 2021
- Tiger: 1998, 2019, 2022
- Rabbit: 1999, 2011, 2023
- Dragon: 2000, 2012, 2024
- Snake: 2001, 2013, 2025
- Horse: 2002, 2014, 2026
- Goat: 2003, 2015, 2027
- Monkey: 2004, 2016, 2028
- Rooster: 2005, 2017, 2029
- Dog: 2006, 2018, 2030
- Pig: 2007, 2019, 2031
While this overview is simplistic since the Chinese Astrologers also look to the month and hour of your birth, which grants greater depth. So think of the information here like a primer for which you can gather more details as you go along.
Chinese Zodiac Dog Child
Chinese Zodiac Dragon Child
Chinese Zodiac Horse Child
Chinese Zodiac Monkey Child
Chinese Zodiac Ox Child
Chinese Zodiac Pig or Boar Child
Chinese Zodiac Rabbit Child
Chinese Zodiac Rat Child
Chinese Zodiac Rooster Child
Chinese Zodiac Sheep Child
Chinese Zodiac Snake Child
Chinese Zodiac Tiger Child
12 Kid’s Chinese Zodiac Animals
Chinese Zodiac Rat/Mouse Child
Rat’s element is water and it comes under the ruling of Yang, or Universal Masculine. From day one Rat shows a certain charm that catches everyone off guard. They are truly sweet children and do not hesitate to express their feelings openly.
While that’s all well and good, when Rat’s cute behavior doesn’t manifest the way they hoped, be ready for the next tactic. Rat may cry, become domineering with pets or other children or become clingy, wanting every ounce of your attention. Parents who are not aware of this get roped into giving little Rat exactly what they wanted, and you’ll even feel good about it!
Many Rats have control and stress issues. While superficially the child Rat seems all sunshine and lollypops, you have a deep thinker on your hands. Their mind never stops, and this often leads to making mountains out of a speck of dust. Learning to control that tendency is one of the greatest challenges your child faces.
Other characteristics among Rat children include leadership capacity, strong will, coping skills and a strong sense of financial management once math comes into the picture. Among others, Rat is a steady friend, particularly with Ox and Dragon, who together can spell trouble.
Click to read more about the personality, traits, & characteristics in the Chinese Zodiac Rat Child.
Chinese Zodiac Ox Child
Ox children have a fixed element of water and the Yin, or female aspect. The wonder of the Ox is that these kids stay on course with little if any drama. They seem to have the stamina of three adults and a good deal of self-awareness.
Ox children follow directions to a T. This means teaching them early on to whom they should listen and who is not really trying to help. Even when wronged, these kids are tough as nails outwardly, but may hide true feelings within.
The young ox is very healthy. He or she will grow into a hard, determined worker no matter the project. Ox has fortitude and the ability to see things through.
Other traits associated with Ox children include patience, reliability, modesty, practical, traditional, kind-hearted and conventional. Ox children are often attract Rat, Snake and Rooster as playmates.
Click to read more about the personality, traits, & characteristics in the Chinese Zodiac Ox Child.
Chinese Zodiac Tiger Child
Chinese Zodiac Tiger children bear the element of wood and the Yang energy. Folks be ready for a madcap adventure with this child. Tigers love fun, some of which gets them in hot water. Friends and family alike are enamored by Tiger’s charisma and his tendency to wax poetic about future hopes and plans.
Tiger is filled with positivity. Nothing really ruffles his or her fur. This child wants (and needs) a lot of physical activity. They are natural athletes and this exertion gives Tiger a way to expend some of that buoyant energy.
Tiger is a very loving child but not without limits. This pussy cat seeks out others who seem down trodden or hurt, and builds them up. So doing continues to bolster a healthy Tiger ego. When not fixing the world, Tiger loves a good adventure and joking around.
Other characteristics of the Tiger child include sensitivity, boldness, impatience, well-spoken, determined (or stubborn, or both!), the heart of a romantic and spontaneity
Click to read more about the personality, traits, & characteristics in the Chinese Zodiac Tiger Child.
Chinese Zodiac Rabbit Child
Chinese Zodiac Rabbit children have the Yin aspect and the element of Wood. This child is obedient to a fault. You can take her anywhere without worry of some sort of tantrum. She learns manners quickly and uses them effectively.
Parents of the Rabbit need to realize that she has deep feelings and a sense of obligation. She knows what is expected and when. When she learns how to use this ability, she can shake up the household in terms of dynamics. Should this clever stroke of genius fail, its seen as trivial in the grand scheme of things.
Rabbit does well in school and finds making friends fairly easy. She is born with luck in her sign coupled with unwavering diplomacy. She gets on best with the Pig, Sheep and Dog.
Other common personality markers for the Chinese sign of the Rabbit include kindness, creative, graceful, decisive, realism, observant and just a touch of mystery thrown in to keep it interesting.
Click to read more about the personality, traits, & characteristics in the Chinese Zodiac Rabbit Child.
Chinese Zodiac Dragon Child
Chinese Zodiac Dragon children have the Yin aspect and the Element of Wood. Dragons are live-wires (as you might well expect). Dragon always presses forward, seemingly without fear. This child is intense, and seems to set out after one quest after another never worrying about random Knights.
The Dragon child craves respect and loyalty. He seeks after people perceived as powerful and devoted to a specific goal for companions. Even so, he is the first to defend the playground against a bully. He has no tolerance for injustice.
Dragon children thrive on responsibility. It makes them feel trusted and important. Make sure you praise him, however, for those well-finished deeds. His work is sincere, even when there’s a mistake. He wants to be the family’s champion in all things great and small.
Other traits common to Dragon include being unconventional, charming, impulsive, innovative, talkative, capricious and obvious (it’s very hard for Dragon to hide anything – his face reads like a book). Good friends for Dragon are Monkey, Rat and Snake.
Click to read more about the personality, traits, & characteristics in the Chinese Zodiac Dragon Child.
Chinese Zodiac Snake Child
Chinese Zodiac Snake children bear the Yin aspect and the element of Fire. Be ready parents, Snake is a very complicated child. Highly intelligent and witty, she carefully considers nearly every movement in life.
Snakes are somewhat reserved with their feelings and have a tendency to worry too much. She will always have lofty goals, but you need to help create the plan for success. The Snake child can become a very adept leader because she understands every side to an equation. Coupled with outstanding natural talent, people seek Snake out as companions.
Just as in nature, Snake children periodically shed their skin and grow into something new. The change may be small or huge, but it will come. Parents need to be ready to embrace those transformations and adapt their parenting skills accordingly.
Key words assigned to Snake personalities include mysterious, sagacious, instinctual, keen-minded, peaceful, shielded and independent. Friends for Snake include the Rooster and Ox, and potentially Snake’s big cousin – Dragon.
Click to read more about the personality, traits, & characteristics in the Chinese Zodiac Snake Child.
Chinese Zodiac Horse Child
Children born in the year of the Horse have the Yang aspect and the Element of Fire. The horse is constantly on the move always looking for a new adventure. He has a very up-beat demeanor and a love of Nature’s citizens. Parents may find they have trouble reigning in the Horse particularly when he doesn’t get his way.
With family and friends alike Horse is entertaining. He progresses through land marks earlier than most children. He also has a bit of an impetuous nature that can entangle friends in a flamboyant romp with questionable endings.
Horse children are problem solvers ever asking the question “how do I fix it?”. Not one for complexities, Horse simmers down any question to the simplest solution. You can trust your Horse child’s intuition (particularly pay attention to how they respond to new people in your family’s life).
Common Characteristics for horse include capriciousness, charm, high-energy, liberated, smart, self-assured, bluntness, unconventional and athletic. The best companions for Horse are the Tiger and Dog.
Click to read more about the personality, traits, & characteristics in the Chinese Zodiac Horse Child.
Chinese Zodiac Sheep Child
Chinese Zodiac Sheep children are sweet, gentle angels. They want the best for every living thing. In fact, they are so tenderhearted they might feel a empathy for the rock that gets kicked. Your child sees beauty everywhere and shares that vision freely. In fact part of the issue for Sheep is that she also sees ugliness and isn’t sure how to process that.
Sheep is a follower. They like someone else in charge. Their open vulnerability attracts people, and fortunately for her most are not users. Really all Sheep craves is acceptance without stressful expectations and a sense of security.
As parents, it is important to hone your communication skills for the very sensitive Sheep. A harsh word at the wrong time leads to hours of crying or total retreat into wool-gathering. This retreat protects Sheep from an often harsh world. So long as life’s basics are available, sheep feels at home.
Traits common to Sheep children include compassion, peaceful, romantic, forgiving, creative, honest, quiet, naive and charitable. Good, protective companions for your child include Tiger, Pig and Horse.
Click to read more about the personality, traits, & characteristics in the Chinese Zodiac Sheep Child.
Chinese Zodiac Monkey Child
Chinese Zodiac Monkey kids bear the Yang aspect and the Element of Metal. You know the old phrase “monkey shines”? Well, get used to a lot of well-intended hilarity from this child. Monkey is a trickster and has the intelligence to plot out great schemes. He loves a good challenge and fully intends to succeed in anything he takes on.
Monkey children are objective oriented. This helps greatly when encouraging them to complete household tasks. Just be sure to give Monkey praise for those jobs well done. He will brim with happiness and the biggest sly smile you could want.
Parents of the Monkey may find his energy exhausting. He finds it hard to sit still, and never ceases asking questions. He should do well in school since self-improvement is high on Monkey’s list of goals. Mind you, that wit may express itself as the class clown, but Monkey is so charming no one seems to mind.
Common traits that Monkey children share include cleverness, realism, smart, curiosity, strategy-oriented, resourceful, diversified, lucky and happy. The best friends for Monkey are Dragon and Rat, both of whom can keep up with his new ideas.
Click to read more about the personality, traits, & characteristics in the Chinese Zodiac Monkey Child.
Chinese Zodiac Rooster Child
Rooster people are extravagant and love anything that draws attention to them.
Chinese Zodiac Rooster kids have the Yin aspect and the Metal Element. Rooster is very vocal about her ideas, no matter how wacky they may seem to others. The Rooster dreams big and has no fear of putting together the best plan of action to get what they want. Parents: little Rooster knows no fears so stand ready with those emergency supplies.
From a young age Rooster is stubborn, particularly when it comes to admitting wrongness or a fault. She wants to shine like the sun she greets every morning, celebrating it with a boastful caw. In turn, Rooster often gets center stage attention, which they love. Being the center of attention agrees with Rooster.
Despite all the bluster Rooster is a tried and true friend. Like the knights of old she will ride in to rescue the situation with gallant concepts and determination. More often than not, those efforts pay off. Nothing is outside of Rooster’s reach when they are on a mission.
Personality traits shared by Rooster children include humor, awareness, diligence, frugality, kind-hearted, dramatic, tidy and communicative. Ox and Snake make good companions for your little Rooster.
Click to read more about the personality, traits, & characteristics in the Chinese Zodiac Rooster Child.
Chinese Zodiac Dog Child
As you might expect, Dog children are very much like their canine counterparts. They are pleasant, friendly, loyal and devoted. Dog is a natural humanitarian from the first step they take going forward. They want to serve and help, and offers affection and assistance with no thought of repayment.
Dog may worry over the littlest things. You know how your pet dog cries even when you are gone for only a few minutes? That kind of uncertainty surrounds the Dog Child. Parents can help by letting the child know they are love, appreciated and that their home is secure.
Fair play is right up Dog’s alley. This child believes in justice and that everyone should clean up if they mess up. This is a strong conviction in Dog and one that’s often met with disappointment. Bring up your little pup so they know that people are not always as responsible as is he.
Other notable traits in Dog children include truthfulness, honest, funny, strong morals, kind, outspoken, creative and very forgiving. Peers born in the year of the Horse, Rabbit or Tiger make good companions for this child.
Click to read more about the personality, traits, & characteristics in the Chinese Zodiac Dog Child.
Chinese Zodiac Pig/Boar Child
Children born in the year of the Pig have the Yin aspect and the element of water. This child is a highly social creature that everyone enjoys. The Piglet is diligent, brave and steadfast in everything she does. She loves to work as much as play, and as she grows may develop the travel bug.
When others give up, Pig goes on strong. As a parent you will find your child takes direction happily. Once achieved the goal should be praised and similar behavior encouraged. This is met with great affection that seems endless. Enjoy the hugs!
The young pig sometimes feels older in the way they stick to beliefs and promises. There is no room for deceits in Pigs world, meaning Mom and Dad have to shoot from the hip. Give your child the truth with love and you will have a strong relationship for life.
Generally speaking, you can count on Pig children to remain simple, strong, organized, passionate, patient and the overall “good guy”. The best friends for Pig include Rabbit and Sheep.
Click to read more about the personality, traits, & characteristics in the Chinese Zodiac Pig Child.