Editor Have you ever experienced the difference in behaviour when you ‘tell’ your child something v/s when you ‘show’ them? Children always learn better through experiential learning methods like ‘role-play’, ‘reading books’, ‘art play’ etc.
Why not make use of this festive season & the extra time during the Diwali vacation to reinforce some of the traditional values that the auspicious festival of Diwali stands for!?
Here are 5 simple ideas that will make your child get into the festive spirit AND help them understand the significance of Diwali!
Values: Respect & Family bonding
How: Books
The Zooboo book ‘A1 Summer’ is all about two siblings trying to adjust to the village life. The story takes you through their journey of learning to appreciate the simple things in life, respecting elders and the value of family bonds. This Diwali, take some time to read this book with your kids & use it as an opportunity to discuss about ‘mindful social behaviour’. Personalize this book here.
A heartwarming book that emphasizes on sibling and family bonds… 
… and respecting each other.
Value: Good always triumphs over Evil
How: Enacting/Puppet show
This is a great time to tell your kids about the Hindu mythology ‘Ramayana’. You can create a simple stick figures puppet show to explain to the kids what is Diwali & why it is celebrated. Print out the characters of Lord Ram, Goddess Sita, Lord Hanuman, Lord Lakshman, Ravana and you can refer to this video for enacting the story.
Use the moral of the story to emphasis on how good deeds and purity of heart always wins over evil & negativity.
Values: Sharing & Helping
How: Group Diwali art activity with shared resources
Nothing will get the kids into the festive mode quicker than a Diwali themed art acitivity! Collect easily available material like paper plates, paints, decorative stickers, printsouts of diya/lanterns etc. Let your kids create some festive art while sharing these resources with their siblings/cousins/friends.
hobbycraft 
madebylakshmi 
rachelmarsh 
thejoyofsharing 
artsycraftsymom
Values: Kindness & Empathy
How: Donation to the needy
Diwali cleaning would surely have resulted in a lot of unused clothes and toys from the house. Take this chance to teach your kids about the value of being kind, helpful & empathetic towards those less fortunate than us. Let your kids be an active part of deciding what they don’t use/need and encourage them to give it away to a shelter home/ngo/ needy.
assureshift 
seattleschild
Values: Humility & politeness
How: Reward chart for saying the 5 golden words
Talk to kids about the 5 golden words – Please, Thank you, Welcome, Sorry & Excuse me. Use them in everyday conversations. Every time they use a golden word in the correct context, give them a star/sticker on a reward chart. Gradually, they will understand the value of being polite, using socially appropriate language & conversing with humility.
As a bonus, you can gift them a personalized Zooboo storybook after they complete 50 stickers on their chart!
helloparent 
pinterest
Team Zooboo wishes each of you a very Happy Diwali & a Prosperous New Year!
