Activities with Kids for Diwali

With the Diwali vacations beginning this week and the kids will be at home for longer hours and you got to make them enjoy the festivities to the fullest. So here is what we are planning to do during the holidays

1. Make Diwali Cards : For all the little gifts that we have bought for friends and family we will add a card saying Happy Diwali. Once you have children at home its time to stop investing in printed cards. So I will draw all the diyas and the daughter is going to colour all of them.

2. Rangolis: Here are a couple of ways you can do it with kids

• Bindis on a paper plate: Do a nice design on a paper plate keeping the center empty to place a diya: Ask your children to stick the bindis on the line you have drawn. A lovely, safe & non messy Rangoli will be ready. Now place the diya in the center. Try and get colourful big bindis or in differing sizes  so the kids enjoy it more.
• Rangoli with flowers:  Draw an outline with chalk making an easy design like a flower or a fish or a simple swastik. Ask your children to pluck out the petals and complete the design. Try and accommodate adding a Diya in your design
• Rangoli with Pistachio Shells: Make a design of your choice a flower, diya or a swastik whatever you like. Paste the pista shells on the line/design. Paint them with water colours and place it outside your house.
• Rangoli with different coloured grains/glitter: Make a design of your choice a flower, diya or a swastik whatever you like. Stick different coloured grains/pulses on the line/design. Place it outside your house and put a diya in the center

3. Diya Painting: Stop Buying expensive diyas from your favourite store. Buy lots of decorations instead that you can use to help them decorate it. Buy the plain brown clay diyas and paint them with some Fevicryl colours either with a brush or a piece of sponge. Once it dries up stick some fevicol with a brush on the rim. Ask your children to stick some glitter on it. Use can also use a glitter pen to make design on it. Stick some bindis or sequences for design. Avoid the mirror pieces as they can be sharp.

4. Handmade Paper Lanterns: We are either going to try mak ethese at home for which we are desperately trying to look out for easy methods or may just buy it.

5. Fairy Lights: This is my favourite bit. I love decorating the house with Fairy Lights and hanging them outside like torans or just filling them in transparent clear bottles to make beautiful lamps.

6. Read Stories on Diwali & why we celebrate it? So obviously all of us will attempt to teach our kids why we celebrate Diwali. Try and get great reads/downloads from the internet on why we celebrate Diwali

7. Show them Youtube videos

8. Download lots of colouring worksheets for Diwali. Below are a few of them.

9. Burst lots of fuljadis(sparklers). Its ok to burst the wheel or the fountain too.

10. Invite people over and visit people. I haven’t done it many years but now with the daughter I want to celebrate it in a way that she enjoys it to the fullest and understands the festivities around it.

11. Gift people: Even if its a simple chocolate thats wrapped. It can still be fun for the children to gift and receive gifts

12. Pray: We promise to visit a temple and pray everyday at home so we understand that god has been kind to us and we are fortunate enough.

13. Make lots of healthy mithais(sweets): Yes make a few of them at home and involve your kids. Recipes coming up soon.

14. Eat lots of healthy food and eat lots of dry fruits.