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Ganesh Chaturthi is a joyful Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed god of wisdom and prosperity. It usually falls in August or September and is celebrated with prayers, sweets, decorations, and family fun.
This is also a wonderful time to engage kids in meaningful, hands-on activities! From crafts and colouring pages to stories and printables, these Ganesh Chaturthi activities for kids make learning about the festival both fun and memorable.
Let’s explore some creative ways to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi with children.
What is Ganesh Chaturthi?
Ganesh Chaturthi is one of India’s widely celebrated Hindu festivals. It is celebrated to honour the Elephant-headed God Ganesha’s birthday. Ganesha is the son of Lord Shiva and the Goddess Parvati, and is the god of prosperity and wisdom.
When is Ganesh Chaturthi in 2026?
Ganesh Chaturthi is typically celebrated on the fourth day of the waxing moon in the Hindu month of Bhadrapada.
This usually falls in August or September, depending on the lunar calendar.
This year, 2026, Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated on September 14th.
How do people celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi?
Ganesh Chaturthi is a 10-day festival that is celebrated throughout India. However, each region has slight variations in the ceremonies and rituals.
On day 1, the Statue of Ganesha is installed at home or in a public place.
People offer flowers, fruits and Ganesh’s favourite food, modaks, and chant slokas and Bhajans.
Elaborate pujas (rituals) are performed, including the recitation of sacred texts.
Devotees often participate in processions, dancing and singing alongside the idol.
On the tenth day, the statue is immersed in water.
This grand finale is marked by music, dance, and celebrations, creating a sense of unity and devotion within communities.
20+ Fun Ganesh Chaturthi Activities, Crafts & Printables for Kids
We enjoy creating crafts and activities that align with the festival themes. These Ganesh Chaturthi Activities are all about Ganesha, and they’re sure to keep kids of all ages engaged.
Read on to learn more details on each craft and Activity, and Download Printables!
Make a Ganesha Idol with Play-Doh
The top Ganesh Chaturthi Activity I’d suggest is creating a Play-Doh Ganesha with your little ones. While it might seem difficult, it’s surprisingly simple and looks lovely.
We used a type of modelling clay similar to Play Dough called Air-dry clay. Our Little One was really into this activity. She did most of the idol-making herself, with just a bit of assistance.
We had a picture of Ganesha for reference, which made it even more enjoyable. Another great idea is for kids to get involved in crafting eco-friendly clay idols. This not only encourages their creativity but also raises awareness about the environment.
Plus, decorating these idols with colourful paints and ornaments lets their artistic talents shine through.
Create an Umbrella for the Ganesh Idol
During ceremonies, Ganesh idols are often adorned with umbrellas, which symbolise both protection and royalty. You can create a charming umbrella for your Ganesh Idol too. We crafted this umbrella for our Ganesha Idol using cardboard and Corrugated Paper. It’s incredibly easy to make and can be made with things you already have at home.
Simply fashion a circular base from cardboard, attach a skewer using a glue gun, gather some coloured paper for decoration, and your umbrella is ready to go.
Make a Paper Modak Craft
These Paper Modaks make beautiful decorations for the Festival, and kids will love the simplicity of the Craft project. Download our Free Modak Template and Enjoy Making Three-Dimensional Modaks.
Involve kids in making Modaks
Ganesha has a fondness for Modaks, and kids love them too! They’re among the tastiest and healthiest treats in Indian cuisine. You can engage the kids in making Modaks. When I was a child, I used to create various shapes of Modaks and relish eating them. So, let the kids unleash their creativity and fashion their Modaks. Just ensure that the stuffing and dough aren’t too hot. Kids can even try making a No-Cook Dry Fruit Modak recipe, which is perfect for the little ones.
Make a Toilet Paper Roll Ganesha Craft
Create an adorable Ganesha craft using our Free printable Ganesha Templates and a Toilet Paper Roll. If you don’t have a roll handy, you can easily use a paper cup instead with the same template.
Find detailed instructions with accompanying pictures in our blog post: Tp Roll Ganesha Craft
Related: 20+ Ideas to Make Crafts from Toilet Paper Rolls
Paper Plate Ganesh Craft
Try your hand at making a Paper Plate Ganesh Craft for an enjoyable and decorative project, perfect for Ganesh Chaturthi. The free printable Ganesh template makes this craft a breeze.
You might also like: Ganesha Crafts for kids
Cut and Paste Ganesh Craft
Cut-and-paste crafts offer fantastic activities for preschoolers for several reasons. They are simple to set up, mess-free, and allow kids to create beautiful masterpieces. What’s even better is that they help develop fine motor skills. Make this adorable Ganesha Craft with our Cut and Paste Template
We also have a Cut and Paste Craft template for Lord Shiva, who is the father of Lord Ganesha
Paper Mouse Craft
During Ganesh Chaturthi, let’s create a Paper Mouse craft to honour the mouse’s special role as Lord Ganesha’s vehicle, known as “Mooshak.”
Crafting a simple mouse using blue paper, or even better, brown paper, is a wonderful way to pay tribute to this significant association.
Learn with Ganesh Chaturthi Booklet
This printable mini-booklet explains the basics of Ganesh Chaturthi in a kid-friendly manner. Children will learn about how the festival is celebrated, what it represents, and explore key symbols associated with Lord Ganesha.
Paper Lotus Craft
You’ve probably seen Lord Ganesha seated on a lotus throne while holding sacred items, including a lotus flower. Let’s create a lotus craft for Ganesh Chaturthi. Lotus crafts are versatile, not only perfect for various themes like the flower unit, Diwali, or an India unit, but also a Great DIY decoration.
Make a Leaf Ganesha
An easy craft and project that kids will love! Turn your money plant leaves or betel leaves into a beautiful Ganesha craft with this step-by-step guide. You can download the eyes for free on the blog.
Lotus Throne for Lord Ganesha
Just like the previous mini lotus craft, you can create a beautiful throne for Ganesha using our free printable lotus template! The vibrant colours make it a stunning display for the Ganesh idol in your home.
While this isn’t primarily a kids’ project, they can certainly assist with cutting the petals and crafting the green accordion-folded lotus pad. This is a wonderful family project to enjoy together this Ganesh Chaturthi.
Ganesha Chaturthi Worksheets for kids
Our free printable pack has drawing props, colouring, a maze, counting and many fun printable activities. Perfect for toddlers and Preschoolers.
Read the story of the Birth of Ganesh
Ganesh is the son of Parvati and Siva. How Ganesha was born and how he got an elephant head is a fascinating story. We had this book set, which has 5 mythological books; it is pretty awesome to learn the story of Ganesha. The illustrations are so cool, and kids will love them.
Ganesha Stories for Kids
Ganesha’s stories are filled with adventure, humour, and valuable life lessons that will inspire and entertain children of all ages! Here are Lord Ganesha’s stories with video and a Free printable pack for you to read to kids.
Match the Ganesha Cards
Here’s an enjoyable activity designed especially for preschoolers to enhance their visual discrimination skills. It has 8 closely similar illustrations of Ganesha that need to be matched. For toddlers, it’s best to start with just four cards to make it more manageable and enjoyable. Simply print the pages twice and cut out the cards from one of the pages. Then, challenge the toddlers to match them with the base page. Printing on cardstock is sufficient; there’s no need for lamination.
Ganesha Colouring Page
Download this Fantastic Ganesh Colouring Page for free and have fun making this Ganesha Poster colourful!
Read the book Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth
Have you noticed that one of Ganesha’s tusks is broken? This book is loosely based on the Mythological tale of Ganesha breaking his tusk to make a pen. The story is humorous and charming. This is a great book to read with your child during Ganesh Chaturthi.
Ganesha's Sweet Tooth
Learn Ganesh Slogan
The Slogan “Vakratunda Mahakaya” is a prayer to Lord Ganesha. It is one of the most popular Ganesha mantras and is typically chanted at the beginning of any new undertaking or even any activity. Introduce this Ganesha slogan to children along with its meaning. You can download and save the image of the slogan for reference.
Best Ganesha Books for Kids
Reading stories about Ganesha is a fantastic way to immerse yourself in the spirit of Ganesh Chaturthi. We’ve curated a list of over 20 wonderful books about Lord Ganesha. Take a look at the full collection! Here are 6 Great picks from the Ganesha Booklist
- Lilu’s Ganesha
- Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth
- Let’s celebrate Ganesha’s Birthday
- Amma, tell me about Ganesha
- Ganesha The Wonder Years
- How Ganesh Broke His Tusk
Watch Ganesh Chaturthi Videos
Witness the vibrant celebrations of Ganesh Chaturthi in Mumbai through this video, which captures the concluding day of this 10-day festival.
Engage in Elephant-Themed Activities
Ganesha is an Elephant-Headed God, and it is a great time to include some elephant Crafts and learn about Elephant! Here are a few Elephant Activities we have on our blog.
- 5 Elephant worksheets for Toddlers
- Make a Handprint Elephant CraftÂ
- Make a Dusshera Elephant Craft
- Make an Elephant Maze
- Make an Elmer craft with Kids and also read the Elmer series.Â
- Learn The Elephant Facts for Kids
Create Rangoli Craft
Download the Free rangoli Template and create a Torn Paper Rangoli Craft. There are so many ways to use this Free Printable Template and create Rangoli crafts. Also, check out a few other Rangoli ideas we have on our Blog,
Lord Ganesha Printables for kids
Ganesh Chaturthi Colouring Pages – A set of 10 colouring pages featuring different Ganesh Chaturthi scenes, plus 2 description pages to help kids understand the meaning behind each scene.
Ganesh Chaturthi Mini Booklet – A simple printable booklet explaining what Ganesh Chaturthi is, when it is celebrated, and how people celebrate it. Perfect for early readers!
Lord Ganesha Cut-and-Paste Craft – Cut, paste, and create an adorable paper Lord Ganesha craft.
Love these Ganesh Chaturthi activities? You can get them along with printables for Diwali, Holi, Janmashtami, Dussehra, Pongal and more in the Indian Festival Printables Master Bundle.
Explore the Indian Festival Printables Master Bundle
We plan to keep expanding this list of Ganesh Chaturthi Activities with more fun activities and printables each year, so be sure to save it for later. We’ve put together numerous activities for kids for various festivals, and you might also find these enjoyable: