Crafts, Books and More to Celebrate Holi
(Photo by Rishi on Unsplash)
I’m always trying to think of crafts, books and more to celebrate Holi. Growing up, my family and I enjoyed Holi celebrations at the mandir (temple) and twice we were lucky to be in Gujarat, India for the festivities. With my daughter, I included different color-themed and Holi centered activities to celebrate Holi. We pair these with our favorite Holi book and books about colors. This year, Holi festivities will yet again be different given the pandemic we are still in so we are trying to get creative with how we will be celebrating. I compiled an assortment of children’s crafts, books and more to celebrate Holi. These fun festive activities are ones that I have done with my daughter already and incorporate fine motor skills, require minimal preparation and aren’t too messy. (These activities and crafts should be done with adult supervision.)
Holi Washi Tape Craft
Supplies:
- Washi tape (an assortment of colors)
- Scissors
- Wooden letters (Michaels has unfinished wooden letters by Artminds)
Let’s get crafting:
If doing the craft with toddlers or preschoolers, cut up the pieces ahead of time and place them partially on something for your kids to peel off of and place on the letters. My three-year-old helped with peeling back the tape from the roll prior to me cutting it. Older children can help with cutting the pieces. Once you have enough pieces of tape, decorate the letters. Don’t forget to put on some fun and festive music while crafting!
Once the letters are all done, display them for all to see! I chose to spell out Holi Hai, which translates out to “It is Holi”!
Tissue paper Suncatchers
Supplies:
- Colorful gift wrap tissue paper
- Clear Con-Tact paper
- Scissors
- Tape
Let’s get crafting: (There are two ways to do this craft.)
Cut the tissue paper in rectangles or squares and cut the Con-Tact paper into a rectangle (this will later be cut into whatever shape you want or keep as rectangle). Provide your child with the tissue paper pieces and set up the Con-Tact paper with the sticky side facing them. Let them stick the tissue paper wherever they want on the Con-Tact paper. Once the sheet is completely covered, keep as it is or cut into the shape of choice and then tape it onto a window. Or you can…
Cut the tissue paper into mango shapes and cut the Con-Tact paper into square or rectangle. Provide your child with the tissue paper mango shape pieces and tape up the Con-Tact paper with the sticky side facing them onto a glass door (make sure that it is closed, locked and safe). Have them stick up the mango shape pieces wherever they want on the Con-tact paper.
It helps to model how to do the craft and warn your child that the paper is sticky. I had to show my daughter to press down on the tissue paper and to try not to touch the Con-tact paper while doing it. Here’s what you will need and how to make these.
Tissue Paper Holi Shapes
Supplies:
- Colorful gift wrap tissue paper (to reduce waste, we used pieces from the suncatcher craft)
- Cardstock paper (cut into a mango shape, heart or whatever you want as Holi decoration)
- Glue stick or liquid glue
Let’s get crafting:
Rip or cut up the tissue paper into small squares. Have your child help you gently crumple the pieces up. Set up a pile of the crumbled up pieces and glue them onto the card stock sheet. I showed my daughter how to do the first few pieces then assisted when she needed help. This colorful piece can then be displayed for Holi celebration décor.
*Our image shows hearts because we previously did this craft for Valentine’s Day and will be incorporating into our crafts to celebrate Holi specifically, using a variety of vibrant colors!
Holi Finger Painting:
Supplies:
- Finger paint
- Paper
- Washcloth
Let’s get crafting:
For this simple activity, play some festive music and let your child paint along to the beat. I like to keep a washcloth handy in case things get too messy.
Holi Celebration Packet:
I created a Holi Celebration Packet filled with an assortment of Holi-themed coloring sheets and activities, including DIY Holi celebration decorations (banner, food toppers, and label cards) as well as two Holi Greeting Cards. The coloring sheets include a Holi Hai! sheet, children playing with pichkaris (water guns filled with color used during Holi), popular foods eaten during Holi (ghujiyas, malpua, and phirni), and much more! These can be found in my Etsy shop SonaSparkles.
We pair our Holi-themed activities with this Holi book: Festival of Colors by Kabir Sehgal and Surishtha Sehgal is a simple story that follows two kids getting ready for Holi celebrations by gathering various colorful flowers. They show how Holi powders were traditionally made, by grinding dried flowers into colored powder (gulal). The book ends with friends and family gathering together to celebrate Holi- spraying one another with colorful powder and shouting “Holi Hai!” (It is Holi!). The illustrations by Vashti Harrison are so colorful and beautiful!
Since Holi is also known as the Festival of Colors, we read books about colors. One that we enjoy is Mix it Up by Herve Tullet. It is an interactive simple picture book that teaches about the primary colors and has simple commands for children to follow to see what happens when colors are mixed together.
Hope you enjoy Holi celebrations!
Written by: Sona is a mom and digital artist who also happens to be a Board-Certified Pediatrician. Through her Instagram page @sona_sparkles, she shares kid-friendly activities and crafts, kids’ book recommendations, parenting tips, DIY projects, and recipes. She creates and sells cultural coloring and activity sheets, greeting cards, and art prints from her Etsy Shop “Sona Sparkles.”
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