Diwali for Kids: Complete and Free Guide to Celebrating Diwali with the Second Generation

Diwali for kids: celebrating Diwali with the second generation

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Diwali for Kids

Being an Indian-born American, raising my kids in America can be difficult at times. There has to be a balance of making your children aware of their own culture and heritage, while also making sure they are assimilating as you did.

In our home, we celebrate many holidays, including Christmas, Thanksgiving, Diwali, Eid, Mother’s/Father’s Day, National Coffee Day. We especially love celebrating National Do Dishes For Your Wife Day! Haha!

Jokes aside, we start celebrating in October and the party goes on every month until January! October starts with Diwali, the festival of lights.

When I was younger, my parents would put up festive lights on our porch and living room window, half white lights and half multi-colored; always crooked. It’s one of the things that I fondly think about when I think about celebrating Diwali with my family. When the lights went up, that’s when I knew the food, family, and laughter was just around the corner. IT WAS LIT. Y’all see what I did there? Yea, I’m hip.

Anywayyyyy, here’s a calendar of events because if you’re anything like me, you can’t remember which day is in what order!

Calendar of Events

Day One: Dhanteras

Dhanteras is known to be a very auspicious day where many Hindus buy gold and other expensive things like a car or house, etc. It celebrates the birth of God Dhanvantri.

Day Two: Narak Chaturdasi

This day celebrates the day when Lord Krishna killed the demon, Narakasura. It represents the day light overcame darkness. This is also know as Chotli Diwali. We wear new clothes, light diyas, and do a small pooja. We do fireworks on this day with the kids and make all the yummy ladoos.

Day Three: Lakshmi Puja

This is notably one of the most important days of the five days of celebration. We do a pooja dedicated to the Goddess Lakshmi, who is the goddess of wealth and prosperity. The general idea is that by doing the pooja, we are welcoming her into our home for good fortune.

Day Four: Padwa

This celebrates the day when Lord Krishna defeated Indra by lifting the Govardhan Mountain and releasing the captive maidens. Husbands give their wives a special present! We make a small mini mountain and celebrate it. It’s actually a fun sensory activity for the kids.

Day Five: Bhai Dooj

This is the last day of Diwali and probably the one the kids enjoy the most. It’s a day where the sisters pray for long, healthy and happy lives for their brothers. We’ve called it Bhai Bij but it goes by several different names. I think the modern twist is to get together with all the brothers/sisters and cousins and do a big potluck and small pooja to celebrate the brothers.

Diwali Activities for Kids

There are lots of ways to celebrate Diwali with kids. For us, we aim to include them in the poojas, cleaning, and definitely cooking (instead of just watching from the sideline and being taste testers). It’s an educational and immersive experience for them. Aside from the pooja, cleaning, and cooking, we also like to celebrate with fireworks. Now I’m not talking about some crazy July 4th fireworks, but some crackers they can pop on the ground and sparklers they can wave around (obviously with adult supervision).

Diwali Workbook

We are celebrating Diwali with some fun activities with our kids, including fireworks and fun arts and crafts.

That’s why I’ve created an almost 30-page workbook on Diwali. It not only tells a short story of how we celebrate it, but it has great activities for kids like coloring pages, a word search, and a cool maze!

The complete directions are including in a parent and teacher guide in the first few pages of the workbook. To prepare the activities, I suggest printing them in color on white card stock or printing on regular paper and laminating it so it’s durable and reusable.