ACTIVITY CORNER
Let the lights of Diwali shine
Melanie Pilcher, the Alliance’s quality and standards manager, shares some fun and meaningful activities that you can enjoy with children this Diwali
Melanie is responsible for resources that support best practice in all matters relating to the EYFS.
Sunday 12 November marks the start of five days of celebrations for one of the biggest Hindu festivals of the year: Diwali, or Deepavali. Children and families across the country will be joining in with these celebrations, giving educators the chance to make connections and build relationships between their settings, families, and the wider environment.
Make it meaningful
The word Diwali means ‘rows of lighted lamps’. Families celebrating Diwali decorate their homes with candles, lights, and small oil lamps called ‘diyas’ and, because of this, it is known as the ‘Festival of Lights, bringing a welcome glow to the dark winter days and nights.
As with any opportunity to celebrate the differences and similarities within our diverse communities, the first consideration should be to make it respectful and meaningful for every child. You may have Hindu children celebrating Diwali at home with their families. This gives an ideal opportunity to involve them in the learning process, finding out about their traditions and how you can join in. Perhaps you can invite family members to tell a story, cook, draw rangoli patterns, or simply talk about their Diwali traditions.
While Diwali is celebrated in many cities, some children will have little experience of different religions and cultures. In areas that are less diverse, it’s even more important for educators to provide a broad range of meaningful experiences. A ‘Happy Diwali’ poster on the wall has no significance to a child who doesn’t know what Diwali is. Similarly, getting every child to make a ‘diya’ to take home has no relevance unless the educator has clear knowledge and understanding of aims.
Diwali offers lots of potential, so pick more than one activity to provide a breadth of experience for the children and consider how you can expand on these suggested activities.
Crucially, make sure you apply this same level of thought to other festivals throughout the year!
Literacy, and communication and language
Research the story behind Diwali and share it with the children. There are lovely books that explain Diwali in an age-appropriate way, including:
- Baby’s First Diwali – Dorling Kindersley (DK)
- Mr. Men Little Miss, Happy Diwali – Adam Hargreaves
- First Festivals: Diwali – Ladybird Books
Once you have shared the story and introduced characters such as the goddess of happiness and good fortune, Lakshmi, or Rama (who fought the battle of light over darkness), you can bring the characters to life. Young children may not grasp the complexity of the story, but having the opportunity to play with and explore it at their own pace is a first step towards understanding.
Expressive arts and design
Palm-sized diyas can be made with clay or salt dough and are easy for children to create. A small ball is shaped by pressing thumbs into the centre to make a dip large enough for an LED nightlight to sit in. Diyas can then be decorated with paint or collage – how would the children like to decorate theirs?
Every diya should be as unique as the child who created it.
Physical development and understanding the world
Introduce children to the aromatic spices used in Indian cookery and prepare festive foods. Diwali is a time for sweet treats like burfis made from condensed milk and coconut. They’re easy for young children to make but are packed with sugar, providing a good opportunity to talk about healthier options.
Try making the aromatic Indian pudding Gajar ka halwa (carrot halwa) instead but leave out the nuts in case of allergies: https://bbc.in/46Izbq9.
Personal, social and emotional development
Diwali brings people together. It is traditional to exchange gifts such as the diyas or sweet treats the children have made. People also like to dress-up in their best clothes so make sure the dressing-up box is well stocked with bright materials, sparkles and patterns. Plenty of opportunities for talking about what makes us feel good!
Maths
Rangoli is a traditional Indian art form using a range of materials such as rice, flowers, buttons, pasta, leaves or sand to create patterns.
The emphasis here is firmly on process over product, promoting fine motor and maths skills as children select materials and carefully place them. Younger children will enjoy the sensory experience of handling different shapes and textures, older children can create their own rangoli patterns, looking for symmetry, shape, and size. No need for glue, and the size of your rangoli patterns is only limited by the amount of space available – the floor is ideal.
Now we’ve talked intent and implementation, it’s over to you to consider the impact.
Happy Diwali!