Diwali Crafts for Kindergarten
Diwali, a festival of lights and one of the most important celebrations of Hinduism, provides an opportunity to teach kindergarten students about a different culture. While kindergarten students may not understand the religious aspects of the holiday, they will have fun learning about the traditional crafts and customs and creating decorations for their classroom.
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Rangoli Crafts
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During Diwali, it is traditional to display colorful grids or geometric designs, called rangoli, outside as a way to make the home more inviting for guests. Share pictures of rangoli with kindergarten students. Using sidewalk chalk, allow students to decorate the walkway in front of the school based on the designs they have seen. Cut out shapes from different-colored construction paper and have students arrange them on the sticky side of clear contact paper. Stick the contact paper onto the floor outside of the classroom door to create indoor rangoli.
Candle Holder Crafts
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Since Diwali is commonly known as a festival of lights, decorate candle holders to place around the classroom or for children to take home. Purchase clear candle holders at a craft store or use recycled glass baby food jars. Make a decoupage candle holder by gluing small pieces of tissue paper in multiple colors to the outside of a small glass candle holder. Instead of tissue paper, paint the outside of the holder with craft paint. Make Diwali diyas, also known as dipa lights, by shaping air-drying clay into the shape of a bowl. Press flower petals, colored stones or sequins into the clay and allow it to dry. Since schools may not allow actual candles, use battery-operated tea lights in the candle holders.
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Candle and Lamp Crafts
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Make faux candles and lamps to emphasize the focus on light. Cover an empty paper towel tube with construction paper. Cut a flame from yellow construction paper and glue it to the top inside edge of the paper towel tube.
Some people celebrate Diwali using simple oil lamps instead of candles. Paint a plastic or Styrofoam bowl, then tape a piece of construction paper with a slit cut in the middle of it over the top of the bowl. Insert a yellow or orange feather in the slit to represent the flame or fashion a flame shape out of a thin chenille stem and place it in the slit.
Other Crafts
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Add other decorations to the classroom to get it ready for Diwali. Cut out flowers from card stock. Punch a hole in the middle of each flower and string them onto a piece of yarn to make a garland of flowers for students to wear, representing another Diwali tradition. During Diwali, banners, also called toran, are typically hung above doorways to welcome visitors and invite good fortune in. Share pictures of toran with kindergarten students, then design a class toran to hang above the doorway of the classroom.
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References
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