Learning about Diwali with Kids

Explore engaging ways for families to teach kids about Diwali through hands-on activities, crafts, cultural experiences, and educational resources that make learning about the Festival of Lights both fun and meaningful.

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