11 Diwali Crafts and Activities to do with kids
Are you looking for fun Diwali activities to do with kids? This blog is a great source to find the Best Diwali Crafts, Books, Best videos to learn about Diwali, printable Worksheets, Templates and more.
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The activities listed here are the ones we did with my 4-year-old this year and the previous year. However, this blog will be a growing list of Diwali activities as I add more ideas every year. So pin this blog to your activities board on Pinterest to check again later.
Now, Let’s dive in
What is Diwali?
Diwali is the major Hindu festival celebrated throughout India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and parts of Sri Lanka. It is also known as Deepavali or the “Festival of Lights” because it is traditionally celebrated with decorations that include many small oil lamps.
Diwali marks the return of Rama to Ayodhya after defeating Ravana, who had seized his wife, Sita. It commemorates the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil. This year, Diwali is on November 4th.
How do people celebrate Diwali?
A traditional Diwali celebration includes a home puja ceremony and the Most common Tradition people do during Diwali are
- Clean their homes and decorate with lights and flowers.
- Draw Rangolis at the entrances of home to welcome goddess Lakshmi
- Wear new clothes
- Exchange gifts with loved ones
- Enjoy delicious feasts and sweets
- Enjoy Fireworks.
It is a great time to have fun with family and friends.
Activities that kids can do during Diwali
I have listed more than 10 activities that will keep kids of all ages interested. Celebrate the holiday with your kids by incorporating these fun Diwali activities for kids into your day!
Playdough Indian Sweets
Diwali is incomplete without iconic sweets like Ladoos and Jalebis. Friends and Families bring sweets and we usually have a variety of sweets at home. One fun Diwali activity that kids can do is make these diverse Indian sweets with playdough.
We made Thumb-size Playdough Ladoos, Murukku, A bowl of Gulab Jamoon, Milk sweets, Kaju katli, Somasi and Halwa. You can Pin this pic for reference.
Make a Paper Diya Craft
These Paper Diyas are so easy to make with a free printable template. They are so Vibrant and makes a perfect decoration element for Diwali. Click on the image to learn the instructions and get the template.
Make a Paper Lotus
On Diwali, People Worksop Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth. She Sits on open Lotus and is considered to be her favourite flower. Make this Paper Lotus craft with our Free printable template and Step and step instructions.
Make a Salt Dough Diya
Salt dough Diya is a fun idea to do with the kids! Salt dough is excellent for making Diyas and other salt dough crafts like Christmas ornaments, keepsake handprints, etc.
Here is the exact salt dough Recipe:
- 1 Cup All-purpose-floor
- 1/2 Cup Table Salt
- 1/2 Cup Lukewarm water
Instructions: In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt. Slowly add in the water while stirring until it comes together. Knead with hands until it is soft.
Watch this video to see how She makes Vibrant Diyas with her kids using Salt dough.
Handmade Diwali card
Handmade cards are very special, especially when made by small kids. Here is an easy Diwali card idea that even toddlers can make. Make fireworks with different colours on a black Cardstock A5 sheet and add your text at the Bottom and Tada… Your Card is ready. For making the Firework prints, we made fringes at the one edge of the Straw. 
Rangoli Cardboard Maze
If you love DIYs, Create this fantastic Maze or Labyrinth for your Toddlers or Preschoolers. You can make your beautiful Rangoli with vibrant colours and add the maze layout with cardboard strips. Learn more instructions on the blog.
Make a Diwali Busy book
Here are a few Velcro matching activities perfect for Toddlers and Preschoolers, with Fireworks, Ladoos, rangolis and Diyas. All these are free printable and a great way to practice various basic skills.
Diwali counting clip cards
Practice counting with these Diwali clip cards which is a great way to practice number identification, counting and also fine motor skills. The Free printable pack has 15 cards and can be perfect for Preschoolers who can identify 1 to 10.
You can download this at the end of the post by signing up.
Learning materials from Twinkl
Twinkl has some great Learning resources to learn about the Diwali festival. Some resources we used are Ramayanam cone characters, powerpoints about Diwali, a few worksheets and Dipals Diwali Ebook ( I have added the video of the same in the next section). We also love to read the resources they have for each Hindu god during every Hindu festival.
Read the Story of Ramayana
The Ramayana story is the most well known Hindu myth. Written in Sanskrit, it tells the story of Rama, a prince whose wife was kidnapped by Ravana, an evil demon king. Diwali is the perfect time to learn Ramayana, the great Indian Epic, as Diwali marks the return of Rama to Ayodhya after defeating Ravana.
Books about Diwali for kids:
Here are a Hand–picked collection of books to learn stories around the festival of light.
- Amma Tell me about Diwali
- Binny’s Diwali
- The Diwali Gift
- 5 Days of Diwali
Watch the best videos about Diwali
Kids love to learn through videos. If you allow screen time for your Kids, Here is a list of the best Diwali videos that kids can watch to know why it is celebrated and what people do during Diwali.
First, learn the story of Ramayana in this animated video.
Do you know that while the North Indians celebrate Diwali for Rams return to Auyothya, it is celebrated for an entirely different reason in the South? Watch the video to learn the story of Naragasura.
The following Video by Twinkl is our favourite to learn what people do during Diwali.
Another Video by NatGeo, showing clips of the 5-day celebration.
Practical Life activities for kids
Practical life activities are essential for the development of self-esteem and independence. Here are some ideas to involve kids in practical life activities during the week of Diwali.
- Before Diwali, we give away all the unneeded things at home and clean them. Kids too can declutter their space by giving away old toys, clothes, books and cleaning their room.
- Involve kids in the preparation of sweets. Some simple tasks would be making Gulab Jamoon balls or preparing Dough for Ladoo.
- Kids can colour the Kolam or Rangolis, which they would also love.
- Kids can decorate the house with Flower garlands and lights (with supervision)
Did you love all the Diwali activity ideas and recommendations? I will be adding more great ideas to this list every year. So pin this blog for later.
How to download Diwali Counting clip cards?
To receive your Diwali free printable pack of 15 cards right in your inbox, Please enter your details in the form below. I will send the PDF file to download and print.
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