Netflix recently premiered a brand-new animated movie musical about a young girl with big dreams to fly to the moon. One she’s there, Fei Fei hopes to meet legendary Chinese moon goddess Chang’e from her bedtime stories. And with more changes going on in her life, she wants more than anything to hold on to the past.
During her fantasy adventure, Fei Fei learns some very important life lessons when on the moon. Here are some to discuss with your family:
- Build your dreams. When Fei Fei decides to build a rocket, we see that it isn’t a simple task. She doesn’t give up when there’s setbacks and continues to work until her rocket is built. This is a great reminder to kids that it’s okay to dream big, but they need to work hard in order to achieve their goals.
- Healing takes time. Over the Moon explores a realistic cycle of grief through Fei Fei, who loses her mother at a younger age. The pain of loss can be overwhelming, especially for a child. Explain to your family about what grief means, that emotional healing is different for everyone and how they should express their emotions even if they feel sad or mad.
- Embrace change. Fei Fei longs for the time when her mother was alive, and it’s hard to let new people in her life. Through Chang’e, she learns that she can love someone new, and it doesn’t mean that she’ll forget her mother. Talk to your kids on how they deal with changes in their life and ask them how they feel about it.
Movie-inspired activities
Now that you’ve seen Over the Moon, try these screen-free activities for kids.
- Learn about the Mid-Autumn Festival. Over the Moon gives us an inside look at the Mid-Autumn Festival, a holiday that’s celebrated by many families around the world. Learn more about the holiday through recipes, activities and crafts with this excellent guide from Chinese American Family.
- Build a bottle rocket. Want to fly to the moon like Fei Fei? Use science and a few household items to make a bottle fly with this Science Sparks project.
- Make moon cakes. Moon cakes are pastries usually filled with lotus seed paste or red bean paste. Learn where to buy some moon cakes at a traditional Chinese bakery near you or try this kid-friendly recipe from Multicultural Kid Blogs.
- Play with ping pongs. Chin, Fei Fei’s soon-to-be stepbrother loves ping pong. Join in on the table tennis fun with this set you can easily set up at home.
- Start a moon journal. If your kids are curious about the night sky, observe some astronomy at home with this free printable moon journal from Buggy and Buddy.
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