As you get ready to celebrate festival of Holi, why not engage your children in colourful, fun Holi Activities for kids?
We have lined up the best Best Holi Activities for kids just for you! These include Fun Holi Games, STEM Holi Activities as well as Literacy and Numeracy worksheets.
Practicing STEM activities at home gives your children a great advantage to explore concepts hands-on and in a fun way, without any academic pressure. That’s when pure learning takes place.
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But before you start with the activities, here is the science behind Hoil. Holi, the festival of colours, is celebrated on the last full moon in the 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 STEM Activities for Kids
1. Oil, Water and Colour Experiment
You will love this experiment as it teaches your kids how applying oil before playing with Holi Colours can protect their skin.
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.
Ask your child to stay with coloured hands for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, ask her to wash the colour off her oiled hand and then off the other hand.
Which hand was easier to colour off? 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!
Oobleck is a great for sensorial play as well as getting children interested in STEM.
We bet kids will love making this rainbow oobleck and while they are at it, make sure to sneak in these Fun Facts About Rainbows.
3. 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!
4. 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!
5. 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.
6. Rainbow Crayons
To celebrate this festival of colours, we decided to make our very own rainbow crayons for family and friends.
As Holi comes near the academic session, there are plenty of old broken 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: It 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 ice/bake 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.
7. STEM 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 colored 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. Simply delightful!
8. STEM Magic Painting
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 color the sheet using different spray color bottles.
The water will slide off from the wax crayons, coloring the remaining parts of the sheet. As your child will color, the letter will come out as if by magic.
Related: Make your Holi Artwork stand out with Puffy Paints.
9. 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.
10. 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 Fevicryl 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 Fevicryl 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 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
Holi Fun Games For Kids
11. 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.
Related: As Easter approaches, plan fun Easter Activities for Kids to keep them entertained and happy!
12. 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.
13. Roll and Splash
This is a wonderful outdoor water game for kids that makes for a perfect fun Holi game. With a bit of mathematics added in, it is one water-cum-math game both you and your children will love.
Pretty easy to set-up, all you need is a big shallow pan/dish. Fill it with water and let your children sit around it in a circle.
All 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!
14. 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!
15. Water Balloon Relay
This is a fun outdoor game that everyone (including you!) will absolutely adore. And it has the best Holi 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!
16. 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!
17. 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.
Holi Learning Activities for Kids
18. 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 5minutes.
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.
Related: Also check out Simple Easter Crafts for kids!
19. 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.
20. 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.
21. Holi Book
This craft embodies the spirit of love-the essence of Holi. 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.
22. Water Balloon Art
This is fun 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.
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. Recycled Bottle Bubble Art
Soak in the spirit of Holi with this fun bubble art. This art activity for kids brings the best ingredient – bubbles to make painting fun. Water, bubbles and holi – what else could be more exciting!
25. Colours of Life
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 craft, which we call Colours of life.
- Marigold Flower
- Paints of different colors
- Craft paper
- White craft sheet.
How to do it:
Holi Stories for Kids
We all love stories! They are excellent tools to convey information, pass knowledge and even teach important lessons without making unnecessary mistakes.
Here are a few stories that will help your children understand not only the cultural significance of the Holi festival but also learn the etiquettes to play the festival.
1. Holika Story
We know Holi is all fun but have you even wondered how the festival came into being? This Holi, take a mythological trip and learn all about the festival – how it started and why it is celebrated.
2. Holi Across India
India is a country of diversity. Each festival comes with its own regional flavour and Holi is no different. Learn all about this festival of colours and how it is celebrated in the different parts of the country with this short narration.
3. Happy Holi
This story truly imbibes the modern spirit of Holi – fun and forgiveness! Centered around two siblings, it is a story of Holi celebrations we all would agree with.
4. Learn How to Play Holi
This is a foolproof way to sensitize your children on Holi etiquettes and not take the festival as an excuse to forcefully colour someone who does not wish to indulge in it.
Holi Books for Kids
1. Festival of Colour
This is a beautifully illustrated Holi book for kids. It is a story of two siblings – Mintoo and Chintoo, who are all busy preparing for their favourite fun festival. Young children will especially relate to the story and find it fun to read.
2. Amma, Tell Me About Holi
Here comes another book from the beloved Amma, tell me series! Much like the rest of the collection, this book is packed with information on the Indian festival of Holi.
Its charming illustrations and rhyming story brings Hindu mythology to life in the most beautiful and fun manner.
3.Let’s Celebrate Holi!
This children’s book on Holi is a part of Maya & Neel’s India Adventures series.
It scores high on raising multicultural kids and is a perfect read for children above 3years of age. This is an apt book to learn about the Indian festival of Holi.
4. Holi Colors
This is a much-loved Holi book for kids. It’s vibrant illustration and simple storyline makes it a great hit among young children. Perfectly written to introduce kids to the festival of colours.
5. Dev and Ollie: Colour Carnival
This wonderful Holi book for kids uses adventure and humour to bring the festival of Holi to life to its readers. “Dev and Ollie: Colour Carnival” comes with a poignant message and enchants its readers with its captivating plot.
6. Here Comes Holi: The Festival of Colors
Yet another book that dives deep into the significance and story behind Holi – the festival of Colors.
What we love about the book is the neat glossary at the end that helps children get back to specific parts of the story. Perfect for kids 6years and above.
7. Why Do We Celebrate HOLI
This book comes with interesting facts, besides the story, about the Holi festival. It takes its readers on a delightful narration of the festival of Holi in a very interesting manner.
Simple, easy to understand language and pretty illustrations make it quite a hit among children.
8. We Throw Color On Each Other!
This fun Holi book for kids is a great way to introduce children to the festival of Holi.
If you are aiming to raise multicultural children or are an Indian settled abroad with young children, this is the book for you. It is great for classroom reading on celebrations around the world.
9. Rani Celebrates Holi
Many children who shy from celebrating Holi will resonate with this story of an elephant, who is averse to the festival of colour.
But will its owner – Rani convince it to take part in this colourful adventure?
10. It’s Time for Holi!
This is a great cultural book for kids that will introduce them to the festival of Holi in a rhyming fashion.
Captivating illustrations and description of events leading to Holi, make it an interesting read for children.
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