It’s been quite a few years now since we’ve visited India. This Diwali season is reminding me of all the festivities that happen especially at the front gate of our family’s home in India.

Here is a typical family’s lifestyle in India at the front gate including a few special events of a lifetime.

The Front Gate in India

Growing up in the United States in a typical suburban neighborhood, I never knew what it would be like to live in a big city and to have a home that needed a front gate. Then, twelve years ago, I married my husband who just happens to be from India.

Since then I’ve had the chance to visit five times to stay with his family in New Delhi, India. Here’s a peek at my latest trip to India.

As I look through my pictures I noticed that, on my first trip to India, my son’s first visit, and my daughter’s first experience, there were lots of pictures of the front gate to our family home. I thought it might be fun to take you on an adventure through the daily life of India from the Front Gate in a typical middle-income home in New Delhi, India.

Welcome

For the first time, you visit a home, many times you will find that there are garlands or marigolds and banana leaves hanging to welcome visitors. You feel so honored to be welcomed in such a manner.

There is also a special sign at the entrance of some homes with blessings and who resides in the home.

Animals Visit

We were so excited to see that many days the cows and other stray animals would roam from gate to gate looking for food treasures of the day. Many homes keep their scrap foods for the animals that pass. It’s a simple way of having no waste and providing a blessing to those around you.

We were very surprised to hear the noises that would come around the neighborhood with the wild monkeys who would pass through You have to be cautious when they are present and generally most residents will go into their homes and shut the doors so that no unwanted visitors will enter.

Vendors Visit

Each morning you awake to the sounds of vendors passing by with the various items that they are selling from their carts. We would go out and buy any fresh produce we wanted for our meals that day or the next day. Here’s a picture of my daughter buying bananas with her Dadi Ji from the vendor.

You begin to recognize the specific calls of each vendor to listen for as they walk down the streets of the community.

Daily Cleaning

We were fortunate enough that there was a local resident who our family pays to come to the gate each day and ring the bell to come and clean the house. She would sweep and mop the floors, even the outdoor area. It’s very dusty in New Delhi, India.

My daughter was fascinated by the brooms that our housekeeper would use. She had fun practicing on her own by the front gate.

Festivals

Diwali is the festival of lights for Hindus.I had the chance to visit India during this occasion and see how absolutely beautiful the streets become as they are all lit by candlelight and lights. Here’s the view from our front porch.

For additional Diwali Activities {click Here}

Gardening

There were so many little gardens inside of each gate as we passed through streets of India. Many are marigold plants that were growing from seeds from the marigolds that had dried from the festivals and temple offerings. You will also at times find a special plant called “The Money Plant” growing too.

Indian Weddings

When there is a marriage in the house the tradition is to hang lights on the front of the house. I know technically it’s not the front gate but it is something you’ll see. It’s absolutely one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen as you travel at night.

Here’s a picture of our home covered with bridal lights and one tired little flower girl and my husband.

When a groom leaves their home for a wedding they will usually leave with a baraat. A baraat can become a large procession, with its own band, dancers, and fireworks. The groom and his horse are covered in finery and do not usually take part in the dancing and singing.

As a bride, the front gate also becomes the last place they stop before going to their new home, oftentimes the groom’s parent’s home. I’ve been through the process twice in India and the feelings are overwhelming from the bridal party as blessings are shared. When the car pulls away slowly, the bride’s brothers and cousins will push the car signifying that they have given her a push ahead as she begins her new life with her husband.

Here’s a picture of my sister-in-law as she leaves our home as a new bride.

Safety in India

Unfortunately, the front gate is there to keep families safe. As with any large city you have to be aware of others and protect your family. I think that it was an eye-opener to me the very first time I went to India how much EVERYTHING needed to be locked up.

My daughter was really obsessed with the locks while we were there and had fun pretending to open them.

The Real India Gate

At the center of New Delhi stands the 42 m high “Arc-de-Triomphe” like archway in the middle of a crossroad. Almost similar to its French counterpart, it commemorates the 70,000 Indian soldiers who lost their lives fighting for the British Army during World War I. The memorial bears the names of more than 13,516 British and Indian soldiers killed in the Northwestern Frontier in the Afghan War of 1919.

Here are some Books about India.

Thank you so much for joining me on my reflections on the front gates of India.

The more time I spend with my husband’s family and the more time in India we visit I feel like I grow in knowledge all the time. As I learn every day more and more about India I share them onto our India Pinterest Board. Come follow along !

Follow The Educators’ Spin On It’s board India Culture and Hindi Language on Pinterest.

You may also enjoy these activities about India for kids…

Disclosure: Amazon Affiliate links are used in this post. 

What is Diwali? Why is Diwali celebrated? The Festival of Lights is a holiday celebrated around the world.

Diwali is a five-day festival of lights, celebrated by millions of Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains across the world. The festival, which coincides with the Hindu New Year, celebrates new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness

These featured Diwali Crafts will help your child learn about the holiday and are perfect for home or for Diwali crafts for school. We use them as multicultural craft ideas as I teach my children about different cultures, including my Husband who’s from India.

Easy Diwali Crafts for Kids

There are several symbols of Diwali that have become a traditional image for learning about with young children. Diyas are clay lamps filled with oil that are lit up on the night of Diwali.

Families decorate the doorways of their homes with garlands hung around doors and rangoli designs on the floor.

At the end of the festival of lights, there are fireworks and sparklers to celebrate Diwali with a big bang!

Diya Crafts for Diwali

For Diwali families set out Diyas around their homes for Diwali.  Create a colorful Diya and light oil by making a Diwali Paper Diya Craft.

With just a few ingredients you can create your own Glitter Salt Dough Diya Lamp. 

Get a little creative with your glass diya by creating a Clay Polymer Candle Holder. So many color and design possibilities.

Create your own shape and design with this Diwali Diya Craft with Air Clay or Model Magic. What colors will you choose?

Looking for more ideas? Try these 17 Diya Craft Ideas for Kids!

Door Decorations for Diwali

Indian Families also hang decorations around their doors for Diwali. With just a few easy folds you can make your own Paper Diya Diwali Craft or this paper Diya Diwali garland.

One traditional element is to hang the golden marigold flower in garlands around your home, temple, and even front gate in India. Here’s how to make your own Marigold Flower Garland with paper.

Rangoli Crafts for Diwali

With just salt and food coloring learn how you can make a Diwali Rangoli Craft for Kids.

One of my children’s favorites is to make a natural Flower Rangoli Craft with flowers they’ve picked from the yard.

You can watch these videos on how real rangolis are made with sand.

Click to see how to make this Flower Rangoli

Firework Crafts for Diwali

End the fun with this handmade Sparkler Craft for Kids for Diwali . Be sure to watch these videos about Diwali so you can see what the sights and sounds are like on Diwali.

Diwali Books for Kids

One of my favorite things to do with kids is to read a book and do a book craft with them inspired by a topic that we’re learning about. With these featured Diwali Crafts, you can select one of these Diwali books to read with your child. Once you’ve read the Diwali book you can create a special Diwali Craft.

Here’s a few colorful and fun Diwali Books for Kids:

Shubh Diwali! by Chitra Soundar (Listen to Read Aloud)

The Light Within You by Namita Moolani Mehra (Listen to Read Aloud)

Amma, Tell Me About Diwali! by Bhakti Mathur (Listen to Read Aloud)

Let’s Celebrate 5 Days of Diwali! by Ajanta Chakraborty (Listen to Read Aloud)

Archie Celebrates Diwali by Mitali Banerjee Ruths (Listen to Read Aloud)

Diwali in My New Home by Shachi Kaushik (Listen to Read Aloud)

My Diwali Light by Raakhee Mirchandani (Listen to Read Aloud)

It’s Diwali! by Kabir & Surishtha Sehgal (Listen to Read Aloud)

Reena and the Diwali Star by Ushma Multani

Click here for our top picks of Diwali Books for Kids!

Diwali Activity Ideas from Amazon

Watch and sing along to Mira, Royal Detective from Disney Junior sharing about Diwali. Head over to this Diwali guide for more Diwali Videos for Kids.

Let us know which Diwali Crafts you’ll be making this year with your child!  SHARE a PHOTO on Pinterest HERE!

Additional Diwali Crafts for School

If you liked these easy Diwali Crafts you might also enjoy our collection of Diwali Activities for Kids.

You may also enjoy these global activities for kids…

It’s festival season, it’s time to share with you the best Diwali Books for Kids! This book collection has grown over the years to be able to share with you the various traditions observed during the festival of lights with kids.

Here are my top picks of Diwali children’s books for how to explain Diwali to a child to go along with our popular Diwali crafts for kids!

Disclosure: This post contain Amazon Affiliate links. All opinions expressed are my own.

Top Picks of Diwali Books for Kids

You’re in luck! The volume of adorable Diwali books for kids have grown quite a bit in the past few years, since I had my oldest daughter 18 years ago. I remember searching and searching for just one book to explain Diwali to kids at school, and now there are so many options!

This Diwali book list shares a collection of unique stories, each carrying on the traditions that have existed in many Hindu families over the years. A wonderful way to explore this festival of lights.

Diwali Picture Books for Kids

Let’s Celebrate 5 Days of Diwali! by Ajanta Chakraborty

Shubh Diwali! by Chitra Soundar (Listen to Read Aloud)

The Light Within You by Namita Moolani Mehra

Binny’s Diwali by Thrity Umrigar (Listen to the Read Aloud)

Diwali (Celebrate the World) by Hannah Eliot (Listen to Read Aloud)

Diwali: A Festival of Lights (Little Golden Book) by Anita Yasuda

Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth by Sanjay Patel/Emily Haynes (Listen to Read Aloud)

My Diwali: Lights of Virtue by Priya Kumari & Komal Garg

Hurray for Diwali by Anita Thapan

It’s Diwali! by Kabir & Surishtha Sehgal (Listen to Read Aloud)

Reena and the Diwali Star by Ushma Multani

My Diwali Light by Raakhee Mirchandani

Lots of Lights by Kavita Sahai

Diwali in My New Home by Shachi Kaushik

Archie Celebrates Diwali by Mitali Banerjee Ruths (Listen to Read Aloud)

The Best Diwali Ever by Sonali Shah

Happy Diwali! by Sanyukta Mathur

Raaga’s Song: A Diwali Story by Navina Chhabria

A Sweet Diwali by Harshita Jerath

Garland Of Lights: A Diwali Story by Chitra Soundar

Diwali by Sital Gorasia Chapman

Our Diwali by Aditi Singh

Simba’s First Diwali by H R

Amma, Tell Me About Diwali! by Bhakti Mathur (Listen to Read Aloud)

Once Upon a Diwali (Holidays in Our Home) by Anita Mishra

Rani Saves Diwali by Anita Badhwar

The Diwali Gift by Shweta Chopra and Shuchi Mehta (Listen to Read Aloud)

Let’s Celebrate Diwali by Anjali Joshi (Listen to the Read Aloud)

Lighting a Lamp: A Diwali Story by Jonny Zucker (Listen to Read Aloud)

Rama and Sita: The Story of Diwali Books for Children

These books focus on the story of Diwali that focus around the Hindu Gods Rama and Sita. I’ve shared a kid friendly video below too to watch and learn more about The Story of Diwali.

Rama & Sita: The Story Of Diwali by Malachy Doyle (Listen to Read Aloud)

Prince of Fire: The Story of Diwali by Jatinder Nath Verma

The Story of Diwali: Rama & Sita by Jay Anika

Diwali Books for Toddlers

Start early with your toddlers and babies learning about Diwali.

Baby’s First Diwali (Baby’s First Holidays)

Peppa Pig: Peppa’s Diwali (Listen to Read Aloud)

The Dinosaurs Diwali Adventure by Jay Anika

My Divine Friends Board Book by Manasa Gautam and Aarthi Uma

My favorite baby book about Hinduism is My Divine Friends Board Book by Manasa Gautam and Aarthi Uma. It’s a touch and feel book about Hindu Gods. The illustrations are worthy of framing, it’s that good.

Diwali Non-Fiction Books

There’s something quite magical about the festival of lights and seeing it in person. I’ll never forget the first time we experience it in India as a family with my inlaws in their home and neighborhood.

Here are some non-fiction books with real images of families celebrating Diwali, which is also known as Deepawali.

You can learn more about What is Diwali here.

Holidays Around the World: Celebrate Diwali: With Sweets, Lights, and Fireworks by National Geographic

Diwali: Festival of Lights (Orca Origins) by Rina Singh

It’s Diwali! (Bumba Books ® ― It’s a Holiday!) by Richard Sebra

Diwali (Holidays and Festivals) by Acorn

Read Aloud Diwali Books

As you look at each of the books, I went ahead and found a Read Aloud of the story on youtube for you as well. It’s always fun to hear others read stories to our child, especially when you’re learning about holidays that happens around the world.

Support the Diwali authors by selecting your favorite to purchase at your local bookstore or through our links to Amazon by clicking on the image or link. We want to support them to continue to see more diverse books for our children to explore their world through books.

My personal favorite book to teach kids about Diwali is Shubh Diwali!

We’ve selected this book for our Virtual Book Club for Kids featured book of the week. You can check out more activity ideas below and on our Book Club Site and Virtual Book Club for Kids Facebook Group.

Book Extension Ideas for Diwali Activities

There are so many fun ways to extend these books with activities for your child. Here are several Diwali Activities to do to learn more about the traditions during the festival of lights.

You’ll find diyas, rangolis, and even pretend play Indian sweet to do with your child.

Rangoli Craft Idea for Kids for Diwali

8 Easy Diwali Craft Ideas for Kids

Flower Rangoli Craft for Diwali

Pretend Play Diwali Sweets with Cardamom Playdough

DIY Indian Stamps

Making Indian Samosas with Kids

Air Clay Diya Craft for Kids

Diya Craft with Playdough and Beads

Diwali Activities for Kids

17 Diya Crafts for Kids

Which Diwali craft or activity will you try first? Tell us in the comments below or share on social media and tag us!

Diwali Activity Books for Kids

One special Diwali gift to give to a child is one of these Diwali Activity books! A fun way to learn about the holiday and make a keepsake for their Diwali.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Little First Stickers Diwali by Holly Bathie

Shlokas and Mantras – Activity Book For Kids by Wonder House Books

My Diwali Coloring Book by Moksha Publishing

Diwali 50 Activity Book: Storytime, Dance-along, Craft, Recipes, Puzzles, Word games, Coloring & More! by Ajanta Chakraborty and Vivek Kumar

Origami for Diwali by Robyn Hardyman

The Story Of Rama & Sita Coloring Book by Jay Anika

You can also try these 8 Easy Diwali Crafts Ideas for Kids!

How to explain Diwali to a child

These Diwali books walk you through the traditions of families across the globe as they learn from family members. It’s so essential to teach kids to respect differences in others.

Let’s work together to help our children understand and respect different faiths. Perhaps take time this festival season to read to your child’s class or friend circle a Diwali book.

Here’s how we started talking about Diwali with my daughters when they were young with their preschool classes.

Click now to learn more about how to teach: What is Diwali

Wishing you a very special Diwali! Enjoy the festival season with these adorable Diwali Books for all ages!

Explore these Diya decoration ideas to illuminate your home for Diwali season.

DIY Diya Crafts for Kids

Exploring the world through festivals is a fun way to learn about other cultures with your child. In this post, we’re sharing with you various ways that your child can create a diya craft and learn more about the festival of lights, which is also known as Diwali.

Are you ready to make your own decorative diyas this Diwali?

What is a diya?

Traditionally a diya is an oil lamp made from clay or mud with a cotton wick dipped in ghee.

Diyas are a small type of lamp, lit on Diwali for worship and decorative purposes. In more modern times, diyas now come in a variety of options: they can be plain, colorful, simple, fancy, big or small!

They are lined up on building edges and windowsills and illuminated during Diwali.

Why are diya lamps used in Diwali?

On the night of Diwali, people around the world light millions of diyas. In fact, the name ‘Diwali’ is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Deepavali’, which means rows of diyas/ lights (“deep” means Diya and “avali” means row).

A diya signifies purity, goodness, good luck and power. The presence of light means the non-existence of darkness and evil forces.

You can learn more about the significance of diyas here.

Here are a few fun ideas for your little one to create your own handmade diya for Diwali.

DIY diyas for kids

Learn how to make your own DIY Diya on a CD. For the kids, it’s all about finding the best combination of beads and craft jewels for a special design

DIY Diwali Diya Decoration ideas in 10 mins! This design is extremely simple to make for the kids.

Simply use a recycled jar to create this handpainted glass diya. Add glitter paint and sequins with adhesive.

Create your own Diya again and again with this cardamom playdough diya with beads for kids. Add some beads and a voice tea light for little ones to have fun creating their own designs with playdough.

Get a little creative with your glass diya by creating a Clay Polymer Candle Holder. So many color and design possibilities.

Air-Dry Clay Diyas

These DIY Rainbow Diwali Diyas are simply gorgeous! The kids can follow this step-by-step diya tutorial for how to make these colorful diyas.

Using Terra Cotta Air-dry Clay you can make lines…….poke tiny dots….pinch…..and give the lamps a beautiful character of their own. Here’s how gorgeous these diyas look!

Create your own shape and design with this Diwali Diya Craft with Air Clay or Model Magic. What colors will you choose?

Make a lotus-inspired candle holder out of oven-bake polymer or air dry clay!

Salt Dough Diyas

You can use this microwavable quickest ever salt dough recipe to create your very own diya at home!

Salt dough Diya Lamps are Perfect for children of any age. It allows them the freedom to be creative and express themselves, making a piece of art.

You can shape your salt dough diya in a variety of design options. Here’s a few diya design examples with salt dough.

If you have some extra sequins around, these sequin salt dough diyas would be a perfect fit for your little one to make.

Paper Diya Crafts

With some simple paper folding you can make this Accordion Fold Diwali Paper Diya Craft These are so easy to setup and can pretty up any home or classroom. Use them as a gift tag, paste them on a wreath or just simply hang them in your rooms.

Want to decorate with diyas? Make this Paper Diya Diwali Garland. Not only is it made from one of our favorite craft materials – PAPER but also introduces the art of paper quilling. Would make for an adorable Diwali card too.

Create your own Diwali Paper Diya craft. These vibrant diyas are easy to make and are perfect to decorate our house! Plus they have templates to use.

Decorate your home with this Paper DIY Diya ornament. It would look lovely as a set of paper diyas strung up or simply on its own.

Hang this Paper Diya Lamps Garland on your door or even place them on the table like a centerpiece on the day of the Diwali festival.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Books about Diyas

For more books about Diwali, take a look at this collection of Diwali Books for Kids.

Diyas on Amazon

If possible shopping local and supporting your local artists is best, but sometimes we are limted. So I put together some options for buying diyas online to make with your child or to decorate your home with. Your child may be inspired by many of these designs for how to paint their own diya.

You could also host a Diwali playdate or do it with your child’s class and paint diyas together.

I love some of the paint color combinations and the rhinestones that have been used.

Just click on the image and it will take you to buy it on Amazon!

How Traditional Diyas are Made in India

One thing that I enjoy learning about are traditions around festival time. Here are a few videos showing how traditional handmade clay pots are made in India.

Traditionally you use Pure Cow Ghee Wicks to light the diya but you could use either a votive candle or even a battery-operated votive candle when you are around young children.

Diya Coloring Sheet

DIY Craft Ideas for Diyas for Kids

These DIY diyas are ideal to make with your preschooler or Kindergarten child. Honestly, it’s perfect for all ages, I enjoy making them too. It’s one of our Diwali traditions in our family to make a diya with the kids each year.

Which diya craft will you make this year with your child?

You may also enjoy these Diwali Activities for Kids…

Here’s how to make… 

What are Rangolis for Diwali

Rangolis can be created in a variety of ways with a variety No matter the design, Diwali would be incomplete without the traditional rangoli to welcome guests.  Rangolis are drawn in households celebrating Diwali in India and throughout the world.

In many cases, the drawing of the rangoli is a family tradition and is a time for togetherness.

You can see how we made a Rangoli Design with Colored Salt with Kids here.

This post contains amazon affiliate links. 

Making a Flower Rangoli for Diwali with Kids

Materials 

• Flowers
• Rangoli Design (printable)
• Paper
• Contact Paper
• small container or tray

Print Your Own Rangoli at MomJunction.com

Directions 

The first thing you need to do for this Flower Rangoli is to collect some flowers.  We went out into our garden and found a few flowers that we thought could work. Diwali occurs during fall, you could easily find colorful mums in your local garden store too to use for the flower petals.

In our small container we removed all of the flowers from their stems to create flower petals to use for the Rangoli design for Diwali.  For little ones these first two steps are such fun and make things feel quite special.  It’s a great activity for working on fine motor skills too!

Here’s another ways flowers are a part in celebrating Diwali with families too. 

One by one have your child lay down the flowers onto the rangoli design that you drew or printed out.  There are many resources for printing out rangoli’s, we printed ours from here.

Since this activity is for young children, having the frame to build open is to simply explore the concept of a Rangoli and the indian art form.  

The older the child the more intricate of a design they can create on their flower rangoli.

At the end we covered our flower rangoli art design with contact paper so that it could be a keepsake.  Plus we invited many friends over to create flower rangolis with us so it was perfect for our playdate friends to take home their Indian art project.  

It looks more like a pressed flower art project but still just as beautiful hanging up on the fridge.  

For older kids that could create this whole design without the printable, we simple used for inspiration as we explore the various art designs of rangolis from India.

Learning about cultures around the world can be a valuable tool to teach your child about.  Understanding how others celebrate can be a lot of fun.  It also helps them to learn to appreciate the uniqueness of everyone.  Learning about Diwali is one thing I encourage you to do with your child.  

When I met my spouse from India, I must confess I knew very little about Diwali. It’s been fun discovering the various elements of their Hindu Holidays in India.  

This tradition of making a flower rangoli has to be one of the most beautiful things I was able to see when I spent time in India a few years ago for Diwali.

Here’s some more information about Rangolis and their significance during Diwali.

Learning About Rangolis

• What is Rangoli
• Why do we draw Rangoli
• Significance of Rangolis During Diwali
• Books About Diwali for Kids
• Tools to Buy to Make Rangolis 
• Print Your Own Rangoli at MomJunction.com

Videos of how to make your own Rangoli

My daughters and I were researching how a Flower Rangoli was made and I thought you might enjoy taking a peek at some of the youtube videos we enjoyed as we were learning.  The step by step process of making a Flower Rangoli is a work of math and art dancing together.  So neat!

Rangoli Tools and Techniques

Over time I’ve learned that there are quite a few tools that the true Rangoli artists use for making Rangolis in India.  This video highlights how many of them can be used.

Here’s a few of our favorite Tools for making Rangolis 

Click here to view more videos about Diwali for Kids 

We have several Diwali resources on our site here at The Educators’ Spin On it.  Festival by festival it seems I’m learning and enjoying sharing with my children and hopefully you will share with your children as well .

Understanding how other cultures celebrate is one of my parenting goals, I hope you’ll join me.

Kids Activity Ideas for Diwali from The Educators’ Spin On It

• DIY Stamp Designs inspired by Diwali 
• Making Diwali Sweets with Kids
• Diya Crafts for Kids
• Creating a Diya for Diwali 
• Exploring India during Festival Season  
• Videos and Books about Diwali for Kids
• The Best Diwali Books for Kids

This post is part of the annual Diwali for Kids blog hop from Multicultural Kid Blogs! See the posts below for great ideas on celebrating Diwali with children.

• Maple and Marigold on Multicultural Kid Blogs: Celebrating Diwali in Canada
• Weaving Ideas: Paper Plate Rangoli Idea for Kids
• ArtsyCraftsyMom: Accordion Fold Paper Diya Craft
• Maple and Marigold: Rustic Indian Peda with Roasted Pistachios
• Creative World of Varya: Diwali Inspired Ideas for Kids
• Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes: Rangoli with Glass Marbles
• My Little Moppet: 20 Tips to Organize a Diwali Party for Kids
• All Done Monkey: Diwali Books for Kids
• Growing Up Gupta: 7 Amazing Multicultural Diwali Gift Ideas
• Kidzlens: DIY Bandanwar
• The Educators’ Spin On It: Making Flower Rangoli with Kids (HERE)

Click for more Easy Diwali Crafts for Kids 

Here’s a fun way to learn about another culture with your child.  Diwali is a celebration for the Festival of Lights in India. You can make your own light be creating a Diya.

Grab your supplies and come join us

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to Amazon.

 Making Diyas for Diwali with Kids

Supplies for Diyas for Diwali 

• Playdough with Cardamom Spice (like this one)
• Beads
• Battery Operated Tea Light

Explore 17 Creative Diya Crafts for Kids

Create Balls with the Playdough. We used our cardamom scented playdough.

Then press in the middle of the balls to make a place for the candle

Add Beads or Sequins to decorate your Diya

Time to add the Battery Operated Tea Light!

We used playdough to make our diyas again and again for Diwali pretend play. If you’d like to make them to keep, we’d suggest making them from salt dough. You can use this easy salt dough recipe for this.

Song for Diwali for Kids

You can sign this little Diwali song too.

Little Lamps Song

Tune: “London Bridge”

Little lamps are burning bright,
Burning bright, burning bright.
Little lamps are burning bright.
It’s Diwali.

See them lighting up the night,
Up the night, up the night.
See them lighting up the night.
It’s Diwali.

You can light your candle again and again for diwali fun!

Here’s our recipe for how to make Cardamom Playdough with Kids as you learn about Diwali.

CLICK HERE FOR CARDAMOM PLAYDOUGH

Click below for more Diwali Projects for Kids

Make a Flower Rangoli Design with Kids

Diya Crafts for Kids

Making a Diya with Air Clay with Kids 

Making Diya with Recycled Containers and Sequins

Rangoli Craft for Kids with Colored Salt 

Diwali Activities for Kids

DIY Indian Stamp Designs for Kids 

Here’s a glimpse from our front porch in India on the night of Diwali!

** LIKE IT? PIN IT!! **

Rangoli is one of the most popular art forms in India.

Here’s how you can make your own Rangoli at home! 

Disclosure: This post contains amazon affiliate links

Rangoli Design Ideas for Kids

Rangolis are special patterns made usually from rice flour and sugar or materials such as cereals, pulses, grains, sand or beads. They combine dots, lines, flower designs to create colorful designs on the ground in homes in India and throughout the world, especially at Diwali time.

The motifs used are usually taken from nature or geometric patterns using lines and shapes, drawn around a grid of dots. Rangolis are particularly popular around festivals such as Diwali – the Hindu festival of light.

Materials for Rangoli

• Salt OR Colored Sand
• Food Coloring 
• Glue
• Ziplock Bags Sandwich Size
• White Cardstock 
• Printer
• Printable of Rangoli Design or from Rangoli book 

How to Make Rangoli Art Designs with Kids

1. Place Salt into ziplock bags and then squirt in two drops of Food Coloring . Shake the bag until all of thesalt is colored. Continue until you have made all of your desired colors. Allow to coloring to dry before using for best results.

2. Apply small thin layer of glue onto the Rangoli design that you have drawn or printed. Then sprinkle the desired colored salt onto the areas.

*If you’re applying to the ground just simply design and the sweep up once complete after the festival, no glue needed.

3. Apply glue to additional areas once you’ve applied the first color. Continue until you have filled all of the rangoli art design in. You can blow any additional colored sand off in between colors.

4. Allow image to dry. Mount onto recycled cardboard for additional support. When complete this is a fragile piece of art. However, it provides such an opportunity to develop fine motor skills and an appreciation of Indian culture it’s so worth it.

Printable Rangoli Designs

We used a printable versionof a Rangoli as a beginner for my kids. On our sidewalk and doorway for Diwali though we do use some Rangoli stencils and also I have my kids create their own designs with sidewalk chalk.

Take a peek on Pinterest to see all the gorgeous way to create your own Rangoli or see a few video tutorials of hand made rangoli designs .

Click now of 8 Easy Diwali Crafts for Kids

Rangoli Books for Kids

Click on images for more details about these Rangoli Products that I recommend as you explore this Art form from India. Here are a few fun books too to learn about Rangoli.

Click now for the Best Diwali Books for Kids of All Ages

Rangoli Stencils and Rangoli Powders

Rangoli Stencils are available to purchase through the markets in India but luckily you can also find them on Amazon. Our favorite is the one featured here with the footprints.

Rangoli Stencils 

Rangoli Powders 

Have you noticed the recent growing trend many Mandala designs available?

Rangoli Activity Ideas from Amazon

Here’s a few videos of how to make Rangoli Art at home with colored sand.

Get ready for some Diwali fun with our Diwali List on Amazon! SHOP NOW

Diwali Activities for Kids

I’m sharing this Diwali inspired post today as part of a series of posts from bloggers and the Multicultural Kid Blogs. Click Here to visit the other ideas that they’ve shared for Diwali.

Kids Activity Ideas for Diwali from The Educators’ Spin On It

• Flower Rangoli Design Idea with Kids 
• Diwali Books and Videos for Kids 
• DIY Stamp Designs inspired by Diwali 
• Making Diwali Sweets with Kids 
• 17 Diya Crafts for Kids

• Creating a Diya for Diwali 
• Exploring India during Festival Season
• Books About India
• Top Places to Visit in New Delhi with Kids
• 8 Easy Diwali Crafts for Kids

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Plus discover a few more ways to learn about India.

Are you ready to explore India?

Learning About India with Kids 

Welcome to “Around The World in 12 Dishes“. We will be taking you on a journey around the world, exploring 12 different countries with our children, by cooking 12 dishes with them. One for each country we visit.

We started our journey the same way Phileas Fogg did in London, UK, and Stockholm, Sweden continued on to Moscow in Russia. Now our next stop is New Delhi, the capital of the exotic sub-continent of India!

Here’s where we’ve traveled so far on our journey…

 Around the World in 12 Dishes

• United Kingdom
• Sweden
• Russia
• India

(**Permission required to share this image of my child on your website**)

India Recipes for Kids

For our first cooking adventure in India, we picked some kid-friendly recipes and tasks that your child can do in the kitchen with you as they learn about Indian Food. We invited a family over for an Indian Family dinner. I had my 5-year-old daughter help me prepare the meal.

Here are some additional options for the best Indian Recipes to Make with Kids.

Mint Chutney Recipe

First, we started by making a Chutney. My daughter went to the garden and picked the coriander and mint and then rinsed and washed them to make Mint Chutney for our Samosas. Keeping safety rules in mind first, she put the fresh herbs into the food processor. 

Then she added a small pinch of salt and red pepper and a dash of lemon juice and water. Then it was time to close it up and push the on button.

Once that was complete she helped me arrange the sliced cucumbers and carrots onto the serving platter for our Indian Salad. My daughter arranged these all by herself, it’s just her way she’s very methodical.

Using fresh vegetables is one way to make Indian food a little less spicy and a great way to get veggies in. 

Now it was time for our guests to arrive for a little cooking fun! We invited a friend and her family for an Indian dinner. 

We decided to make Samosas together with the girls to teach them how to make an Indian dish. With just a little prep work it was super easy. 

Want to start first with just exploring Indian spices, try these tasty Masala fries.

Kid-Friendly Samosa Recipe

1. First, boil your potatoes and dice up the onions. 
2. Then mix them together and add 3 spices. Salt, red pepper, and garam masala. Add the spices depending on your family’s liking. We added just a pinch of each, enough to make sure all the potatoes had a little color to them. 
3. Then we used Won Ton Wrappers to create our Samosas. They are so easy to use with the kids and cook very easily. When making samosas usually you would use Mata flour, which is like a white all purpose flour mixed with water and oil. Here’s an authentic version recipe of Samosa Dough from Manjula’s Kitchen .  
4. To create the samosas I had both girls put a spoonful of potatoes and onion mixture onto the square and then fold it in half after putting water on the edges. 
5. Once sealed you fold it again to make a smaller triangle. 
6. Then it’s a grown up’s job to fry the samosas until golden brown.  We had so much fun making these together! 

My friend’s son who’s 2 and my youngest daughter who’s 1. Even our husbands joined the fun so that they could have more to eat!  We were so busy eating and making Samosas that we never took a picture of the finished product actually! Guess they were a big hit! 

We used the mint coriander chutney to dip our samosas in. We also tried tamarind sauce, which is truthfully my favorite and mixed together is delicious. 

If we had even more time we would have made paneer together like this Shahi Paneer recipe. YUM!

Samosas and Mint Chutney Recipes

We had so much fun at our Indian Family Dinner and enjoyed comparing it to our Russian Family Dinner last month.  It’s fun to see how similar foods can be with ingredients and how different at the same time. 

For our Indian dinner Menu we selected to share Tandoori Chicken, Dal Makhani, Shahi Paneer, Indian Salad and Naan. 

We’ll be sharing more Recipes, Books Activities and Printables about India all month long! 

Here are a few activities about India that we’ve shared on our blog, come check them out!

India Activities for Kids

• Learn How to Cook Indian Recipes with Kids
• 8 Easy Diwali Crafts for Kids
• Rangoli Craft Idea for Kids
• Songs About Holi for Kids
• Learning About Celebrating Durga Pooja with Kids
• Making a Flower Rangoli
• Diwali Printables and Diya Craft
• Holi Fun and T-shirt Craft
• Indian Flag and Printable
• Color Words in Hindi: Paper Bag Craft
• Colorful Fun in Hindi with Activities
• Family Words in Hindi: Family Book
• Exploring India through the Front Gates of India
• DIY Block Stamp Designs from India
• Personalized Hindi Ornament
• Books About India
• Learning about Raksha Bandhan with Kids
• The Best Diwali Books for Kids
• Top Places to Visit in New Delhi, India with Kids

If you liked this recipe you may also like our Diwali Activities for Kids!

Learning about the world and the festivals around it encourages our children to become Global Kids.

As we start the holiday season many of us enjoy sharing our moments of gratitude throughout the month.I’d love to take a moment to let my husband know I am forever grateful that he brought a whole other country and religion into my little world when we were married.

Diwali Activities for Kids 

I am forever learning and growing as I learn more about India so that I can help our children learn more about where they are from.

Here are a few fun ways that I’ve helped to teach my daughters about the special holiday called Diwali.

What is Diwali

What is Diwali? Why is Diwali celebrated? The Festival of lights is a holiday celebrated around the world.

Diwali is a five-day festival of lights, celebrated by millions of Hindus, Sikhs and Jains across the world. The festival, which coincides with the Hindu New Year, celebrates new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness

No matter your background I do think it’s important for all children to know about the festivals around the world.

Here are a few crafts, activities, videos, and books to help my children and perhaps your child learn about Diwali this holiday season.

Diwali Activities for Kids to Make

Rangoli Craft Idea for Kids

The Best Diwali Books for Kids of all Ages

Making Diwali Sweets with a pretend playdough made with Cardamom

Make Your Own Diyas for Diwali

Making Indian Samosas with Kids and more! 

Teaching Kids How to Make Indian Food

Learn about Indian Designs with Kids

17 Diya Crafts for Kids

Creating Flower Rangoli Designs with Kids

Create Your Own Diya for Diwali 

Diwali Crafts for Kids

Diya Crafts for Kids

Make Your Own Diya, Coloring Sheet and Song About Diwali

Diwali Videos for Kids

Here are several kid friendly videos about Diwali for your child. A few are animated Diwali videos while others share real life videos of families and communities celebrating Diwali together.

A fun way to explore and learn more about the festival of lights with your child.

Listen and Dance to Mira Celebrates Diwali! from Disney Junior

Ramayana : Story of Diwali | Mythological Stories from Mocomi Kids. Here’s an animated version of the story of Diwali

Here’s National Geographic detailed description of what it’s like in India on Diwali.

In this video, Jalebi Street brings to you an interesting learning video for kids that brings out the importance of Diwali.

Spending a day in India with a local family for Diwali.

5-minute Diwali story! Includes all 5 days of celebration including the story of Diwali.

Hindus celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights.

Diwali – ‘the festival of lights’ is one of the most popular festivals for kids and adults everywhere, celebrating new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil. This video aims at teaching kids about cleanliness and the importance of Goddess Lakshmi for Diwali.

Books About Diwali For Kids

Here are some children’s picture books to help your child learn about Diwali.

Click on each image to purchase the book on Amazon

For more Diwali book suggestions, visit our Book List of the Best Diwali Books for Kids of All Ages.

Diwali Coloring Books

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Diwali Activity Ideas from Amazon

I’m impressed with how many product options Diwali products now have for parents. I’ve hand-selected a few that I’d recommend. You can view my Diwali list here on Amazon.

These would make a fun gift for your child and other families celebrating Diwali this festival season.

 Looking for more Diwali Ideas for Kids? Check out our Diwali Crafts for Kids! 

You may also enjoy these global activities for kids about India…

Wishing you a very Happy Diwali from the Vij Family at The Educators’ Spin On It!

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Here’s a peek at our family learning about Diwali with our kids. These Diwali activities are simple and informational as you explore the festival of lights with your child.

Happy Diwali!

Learning about the cultures our parents come from is part of a bilingual family. My husband and I both try our best to expose our children to both our faiths, Hinduism and Christianity.

My husband is from India where Hindus celebrate Diwali along with many other festivals. Diwali, the Festival of Lights, is one of the most significant holidays in Hinduism.

You can learn more about Diwali here

Learning about Diwali with Kids

I created a very simple handout for my daughter to make so she could learn some of the significant details about Diwali. We shared it with her class at school. 

She and I dressed in Indian clothes and brought Indian sweets for the children to sample. It was a lot of fun. You can show one of these videos too.

Here’s a Printable of the Diwali Handout

Some of the Diwali vocabulary words we introduced and showed examples of…

• Diyas
• Fireworks
• Rangoli
• Sweets
• Lengha
• Kurta
• Sari
• Bangles
• Henna
• Puja

Click now for 8 Fun & Easy Diwali Crafts for Kids

Diwali Resources for Kids

I found several websites to help children understand the steps to prepare for Diwali including decorations and Diwali Puja, which my daughter started learning about last year.

Here’s a sample Step-by-step guide to perfectly perform Lakshmi puja at home

Here’s a photo above of the offering she prepared all by herself.

• Diwali Toolkit to teach others about Diwali.
• Here are some adorable Diwali coloring sheets and cards to create for Diwali!
• My daughter enjoys this video about Diwali in India. I love that they have real clips from the markets preparing for Diwali.
• Here’s a cute video clip of Mickey and Donald getting sweets ready for Diwali with Minnie Mouse!  Diwali with Mickey Mouse!
• Kids explaining Diwali to friends from Global Wonders
• Diwali information on Kid Citizen World
• Even President Obama extended his Diwali wishes too here!
• You can watch Diwali videos for kids here.

Watch these Diwali Videos for Kids!

Click now to see our favorite Diwali Books for Kids!

I think it’s a great idea to relate things to your child with people or characters they may already recognize. It’s a great way to make them feel connected to another culture.

Make your Own Diya for Diwali

My daughter and I decided to make our own version of Diyas for Diwali. Diyas are places outside of homes on Diwali to light up the night. We simply used some recycled baby food jars to create our candle holders. 

We also used glitter paint and sequins with adhesive. It was great fun to sit with my inlaws and create them.

My daughter is more into repetitive designs when she does her art so detailed Indian Art Work is right up her alley. 

It was also a great way to talk about symbols of Diwali with her Dadi Ji and Dada Ji (name for grandparents on Father’s side)

Here’s what our diyas looked like as we lit them on Diwali!

As the holy occasion of Diwali is here and the atmosphere is filled with the spirit of mirth and love, here’s hoping this festival of beauty brings your way, bright sparkles of contentment, that stay with you through the days ahead.

To Learn More About Diwali Click Here

Diwali Craft Ideas for Kids

• Flower Rangoli for Diwali with Kids
• Let’s Learn About Diwali with Kids
• Rangoli Craft Idea for Kids with Salt

Click now for 8 Easy Diwali Crafts for Kids