Celebrate the festival of Holi with engaging and fun Holi Activities for Kids! These vibrant and hands-on Holi activities will add a generous dose of playful learning and teach children about this much awaited Indian festival of colours.
From fun Holi games for classroom (& home!) to printable Holi activities for kids, this list has it all to get children in the spirit of Holi
But before you start with the activities, here is the history behind Hoil. Holi, the festival of colours, is celebrated on the last full moon in the Hindu lunar month of Phalguna.
It marks the end of winters and welcomes spring. According to Hinduism, it also marks triumph of good over evil.
Holi is said to be the day when broken relationships and friendships are mended and mistakes forgiven. Now that you know science of Holi, let us get the fun started.
Holi Activities for Kids
1. Oil, Water and Colour Experiment
This is a fun Holi inspired STEM activity that teaches kids how applying oil before playing with Holi Colours can protect their skin. Here’s is how to do it:
Apply baby oil on your child’s one hand and dampen the other hand with water. Now take Holi colour and rub it on both the hands.
Let the colour sit on the skin for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, ask your child to wash the colour off their hands. Which hand was easier to colour off?
To their amazement, they will find the colour on oiled hand came off pretty easily while it left a mild stain on the other hand.
Oil does not mix well with colour, thus forming a thin barrier between the skin and colour. Water on the other hand mixes easily with colour, hence it is more difficult to get the colour off from the hand that was dampened with water.
Also check out Hygiene STEM Activities for Kids.
2. Rainbow Oobleck
Holi is the time for messy play and what can be more fun than making Oobleck inspired by holi colours! A perfect Holi activity for toddlers, preschoolers and kindergarten kids, this one is super fun and easy!
3. Holi Word Search
If you are looking for an easy Holi activity for classroom, this one is for you. A simple word search is all you need to get talking about the festival of Holi.
Holi Word Search
4. Rainbow in My Plate
Make a rainbow in a plate with this simple candy experiment. What you need is a packet of Gems or M&M.
Line up the gems around the circumference on a plate, creating a colourful pattern. Add water to discover how colours melt off the candies to form a rainbow in your plate.
Gems are coated with food coluring. Water dissolves this food colouring to make coloured water. Without the coloured coating, all of them appear alike.
Related: Check out Science Activities for Kids for more fun!
5. Hoi Roll a Story
Get kids playing with their imagination and creativity with this fun Holi activity for students. Kids can do this activity in groups or solo and once they are done, let them share their stories with their friends & classmates.
Holi Roll-a-Story
6. Disappearing Colours
This is a really great experiment and never fails to amaze children. All you need is food colouring in different colours, laundry bleach and droppers.
Mix food colouring with water in different transparent glasses. Add laundry bleach with a dropper to each coloured solution to see what happens.
Depending on the colours you have used, some will fade faster than the other.
Keep adding bleach till one of the coloured water fades away completely.
You just uncovered the science behind bleach. Bleach contains oxidisers, which react with colour molecules making them loose their colour.
That’s why you add bleach to stains and spots. That’s how a bleach works!
7. Holi Trivia With Answers
Test how much kids know about the festival of colours with our easy Holi Trivia and sneak in history & mythology surrounding the celebrations. Sure to get everyone thinking!
Holi Trivia
8. Dancing Colours
This is fun experiment for children of all ages. Younger children will enjoy watching it while your older ones will have a blast doing it.
Take two transparent jars. Add ice cold water in one jar and hot water in another. Let your child squirt two-three drops of food colour into both the jars.
As the colour mixes in the water, it appears to be dancing. Do not stir! Observer in which jar colour dances/mixes faster.
9. Holi WH-Questions
This is an interactive Holi activity for preschoolers and kindergarteners that will get them talking about the festival. A fun activity to include in classroom morning routine, these Holi inspired questions will open kids’ hearts.
Holi Wh-Questions
10. Rainbow Crayons
Celebrate the festival of colours by making your very own rainbow crayons! It is great idea to recycle and give new life to old battered crayons.
Step 1: Ask your child to peel the stickers off the crayons and sort them according to colours.
Step 2: This one requires an adult’s help. Cut the crayons into 2 inches pieces with the help of a knife.
Step 3: Arrange the crayons in a silicon baking dish following VIBGYOR pattern. We used a robot shaped silicon ice tray.
Step 4: Bake it in the oven at 225 Fahrenheit for 10-15 mins.
Step 5: Let them cool before your kids pop them out of the moulds.
That’s it! Your Holi inspired crayons are ready.
11. Holi Unscramble
Sneak in Holi vocabulary with this fun unscramble activity. While most of the words are easy, there are a few that might need a little more thinking. Don’t worry if you can’t get them all, it comes with the answer sheet!
We bet everyone, from kids to adults, will love this Holi inspired activity.
Holi Unscramble
12. Holi Art
If you don’t prefer messy play, then this one is for you. All you need is a deep dish(tray), some glass marbles, paint and a white craft sheet.
Stick the craft sheet on the bottom of the dish using two-sided tape. Next, take three marbles and dip them in primary colors.
Put them coloured marbles on the paper and let your child tilt the dish in various directions. Marbles will roll to create not only an amazing pattern but also secondary colours to make the most stunning Holi art.
13. Holi Roll & Multiply
Sneak in math practise with this fun Holi activity for grade 2 students. Kids must work in pairs to roll the dice and work out the corresponding multiplication problem.
Holi Roll & Multiply
14. Holi Magic Painting
A perfect Holi activity for toddlers and preschoolers, it will not only excite young minds but also build their logical thinking skills.
Take a white craft sheet and with a white wax crayon write ‘Holi’ in the center in big, bold letters. Add different paints and water to spray bottles to make spray paint.
Stick this sheet on a clothesline using clips. Ask your child to spray colour the sheet using different spray colour bottles. The water will slide off from the wax crayons, coloring the remaining parts of the sheet. As your child will colour, the letter will come out as if by magic.
Related: Make your Holi Artwork stand out with Puffy Paints.
15. Holi Tic-Tac-Toe
This is wonderful activity for Holi that will encourage kids to think. Each box has an actionable prompt. Kids pick the prompts they wish to do to make a horizontal, diagonal or a vertical row of completed prompts.
Holi Tic-Tac-Toe
16. Holi Conversation Cards
One way to celebrate any occasion is to engage in conversations around it. These conversation cards make it easy to talk about this festival and help kids share their views around it. A great inclusion activity for classroom, it will help students expand their minds.
Holi Conversation Starters
17. DIY Organic Holi Colors
Give store bought Holi colours a skip this year and make your own gulal (colour powder) at home.
Making your own gulal is a great way of bringing math to life and giving a hands-on lesson on measurement & ratios.
Here is what you need:
- Gram flour (Besan)
- Corn flour
- Lemon
- Turmeric powder
- Henna
- Beetroot
- Sieve
- Large bowls
- Red Roses
How to do it:
Making these organic Holi colours is easy. The only factor to keep in mind is time.
Since these colours take a little time to get ready, it’s better not to waste time till the last moment. Here is how to make these non-toxic, edible Holi colors.
DIY Yellow Holi Colour
Here is what you need;
- Gram flour (Besan)
- Corn flour
How to make it:
Step 1: In a large bowl, sieve 4tbs of gram flour.
Step 2: Add 1tbs of turmeric powder to make a fine mixture.
Step 3: Using a spoon, mix both the ingredients to get a homogenous mixture.
Step 4: Sieve the mixture 2-3 times to get a nice fine yellow Holi colour.
DIY Red Holi Colour
Here is what you need;
- Red Roses
- Corn flour
How to make it:
Step 1: Dry the flowers till they are crisp.
Step 2: Pluck out the petals and churn them into a fine powder.
Step 3: Sieve it to get coarse free, fine powder.
Step 4: Mix the dried rose powder with corn flour in equal proportions to get a lovely red coloured organic
Pink Holi Colour
This Holi colour requires a bit more time and preparations, but is certainly worth the effort. Your kids are surely going to love its texture and have a great time making it.
You will need:
- Beetroot
- Corn flour
- Water
Step 1: Cut the beetroots into chunks and boil them in half a glass of water.
Step 2: Boil the water till it is reduced to half and let the water cool.
Step 3: Take a cup of cornflower and mix in the cooled beetroot water to make a smooth paste.
Step 4: Transfer the paste into a wide dish/plate and let it dry outside, away from direct sunlight.
Step 5: Once the paste is dry, bring it into a fine powder.
Step 6: Sieve the powder for a lump-free, soft skin-safe pink
Green Holi Colour
Much like organic yellow holi colour, green gulal is one of the easiest Holi colours to make.
With only two ingredients and easy instructions, your kids can make this homemade gulal in a matter of 5 minutes.
What you will need:
- Heena Powder
- All purpose flour
Step 1: Using a large sieve, mix 2tbsp of Heena powder with an equal amount of all-purpose flour.
Step 2: Sieve the mix again twice to get a super smooth green holi colour.
These easy to make DIY Holi colours will ensure you and your kids have perfectly safe, rash free Holi.
They are chemical-free, gentle on skin and are all-natural to make your Holi super colourful.
18. DIY Water Gun
Children love playing with water guns and the idea of making their own water gun will surely get them excited. What you need is an old plastic bottle, old newspaper and oil paints.
Step 1: Take an empty, old plastic bottle. A 500ml water bottle works best as it is neither too big nor too small.
Step 2: Spread newspaper on worktable to prevent any stains. This is the most fun part of DIY water gun. Place the bottle flat on the newspaper. Now ask your child to pour oil paints on the bottle.
Use different colours to create your very own pour art. Hold the bottle with its mouth and rotate it to spread the colour all around. Let it dry for a day.
Step 3: This step requires adult supervision. Take the lid off the bottle and poke a hole in its center using a scissor or a metal skewer.
Step 4: Once the bottle is dry, fill it with water, cap it and squeeze it for endless water gun fun.
Also read: Science Experiments with Water
19. Make Rainbow Slime
Holi is a perfect time to indulge in Rainbow Slime. A sure shot way to keep kids happily entertained, this borax free slime is super fun to make and play with!
20. Holi Ladoos
After all these creative and fun filled activities, your child deserves a special treat. Banish hunger on the festival with these yummilicious healthy coconut ladoos.
To make them you will need desiccated coconut, condensed milk, food colors. Heat the skillet to dry roast the coconut for 5 minutes.
Add condensed milk and stir the mixture till it start leaving the sides of the skillet. Divide the mixture into different bowls according to the number of food colors you have.
Now ask your lo to add 4-5drops of the coloring and roll the mixture into ladoos. Your Holi ladoos are ready.
21. Holi Math & Literacy Fun
Teach your little ones about the festival and story behind it. This will help them understand their culture and traditions.
To help them understand the story better, we have designed Free Holi Worksheets
Let your children practise skip counting, math manipulative these free Holi Math worksheets. These free math and literacy printable will ensure that your children have fun while they learn.
22. Tie-Dye Shirt
This Holi, make a tie-dye shirt with your loved one. Grab an old plain white or any other solid t-shirt in a light color and roll it up. Once rolled, ask your loved one to tie elastic bands on the t-shirt at various places.
Now comes the fun part. Grab fabric paint or tempura paints and let your child color it using his creativity. It is a good idea to use plastic gloves when coloring it. Once done, let it sit for an hour before washing. Dry in shade and ta-da…your Holi t-shirt is ready.
23. Blow Painting
What better occasion to learn painting with a twist than Holi. With water and colours everywhere, it is time to explore different, fun painting techniques with your kids.
Blow painting is one such creative way to make abstract art. And it’s almost uncanny, how it makes for the perfect Holi inspired art.
24. Water Balloon Art
This is fun Holi craft that can be done with many children together. You will require open space for this craft and a large size white craft sheets. You can also use an old bed sheet for this.
Dilute water paints in different water buckets and use this colored water to fill up the water balloons.
Once the balloons are ready, let your children throw the balloons on the sheet to make some incredible Holi art.
25. Colours of Life Holi Craft
Holi is said to be the day, when broken relationships and friendships are mended and mistakes forgotten. It is a festival that brings us together and help us appreciate our differences.
It is the diversity that makes us all beautiful. Just like playing with one color alone will be boring, having zero diversity will also not be exciting. To show how Holi inculcates this spirit, do this easy Holi craft for preschoolers & kidnergarteners, which we call Colours of life.
- Marigold Flower
- Paints of different colors
- Craft paper
- White craft sheet.
How to do it:
26. Holi Book
This Holi craft for kids embodies the spirit of love & friendship. Take a few white sheets of craft paper and assign one sheet to each family member. Stick their pictures on their name sheets.
Ask your child to think of a colour that best describes that family member. Mention that colour on the sheet.
And if your child can write, ask him to describe how that particular colour describes the concerned person. For younger children, they can draw fruits and vegetables that person likes.
Fun Holi Games For Kids
27. Holi Memory Game
If you are looking for indoor Holi games for toddlers, preschoolers and kinder kids, try this holi inspired memory game. Simple print the free template, cut and laminate for days of fun.
Holi Memory Game
28. Water Balloon Cricket
Give a twist to water balloons splat this time with water balloon cricket. Bowl in the water balloons and your child has to hit them with a cricket bat. All you need is plenty of balloons for this fun Holi game for kids & family!
Related: As Easter approaches, plan fun Easter Activities for Kids to keep them entertained and happy!
29. Holi Three Word Game
Another indoor Holi game for family, this one will test everyone’s wits! Race to write in all words and one who finishes first wins the game!
Holi Three Words Game
30. Water Gun Cup Toss
Holi is incomplete without water gun play. Add another dimension to this by stacking disposable cups on top of each other and inviting your children to toss them by shooting water from their water guns.
31. Holi Minute-To-Win-It Challenge
This is a perfect Holi game for kids and friends! Each person gets to roll the dice and names six things corresponding to the colour in a minute. Sounds easy? Wait till you play it!
Holi Minute-To-Win-It32. Roll and Splash
If you are searching for fun Holi games for kids, especially younger ones, you have to try this one! Super easy to set-up, it is a winner for parents as well as kids.
All you need is a big shallow pan/bucket. Fill it with water and let your children sit around it in a circle.
Players take turns in rolling the dice and the lucky one who lands up with a six, gets to slap his/her hands into the water dish, splashing the water on everyone!
Sounds fun, right? We bet it is!
Related: Explore Party Games for Kids for more fun games!
33. Water Balloon Relay
This is one of the most loved outdoor Holi games that has the best props of all – Water balloons.
What you need:
- 3 Buckets
- Water balloons
- 2 Quarter Plates
How to play:
Divide the kids into two teams. Put all the water balloons in one bucket. Place the other two buckets at an equal distance away from the water balloon bucket.
Players from each team take turns to complete the race.
On the go, one player from each team picks up two water balloons, places them on their quarter plate and runs to the other bucket while balancing the plate with water balloons on their heads.
Once they dump their water balloons in their buckets, they run back to their teams and hand over the quarter plate to the next person. The team that will transfer the most balloons wins!
This Holi game works wonderfully with balancing and coordination skills. And is so much fun, you will soon have everyone joining in!
34. Pass the Water
Like the name suggests, this water game for kids is all about passing the water without spilling it. All you need is cups and water to get this outdoor game started.
How to Play:
All the players form a neat queue, standing a little apart from each other. Each player gets a cup. Fill water in the cup of the first person in the line.
Now to pass the water to the next player, the first player has to go over her/his head and empty their cup behind their backs for the next player to catch the water in his/her cup.
Be prepared to get wet!
35. Duck! Duck! Splash!
We absolutely enjoy playing this fun Holi game with kids. It is simple, easy and gets children (and adults!) moving! All you need is a nice open space and some water.
36. Water Balloon Towel Toss
This is a complete family outdoor game that is just perfect for Holi season – when nobody minds getting wet!
Though it may look easy-peasy, we assure you it is far more challenging than what meets the eye!
