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8 Free & Fun Activities to Celebrate Holi, the Festival of Colors

By Ajanta Chakraborty, Co-Founder & CEO of Bollywood Groove & Culture Groove March 3, 2023

You might have heard about Holi, the famous festival of colors from India.  You might have seen stunning images of people covered in color from head to toe, celebrating with joyous abandonment!  But, how do you introduce or celebrate with your kids, while in the middle of a pandemic?  Read more to find out!

1. Learn the Story of Holi

The story of Holi is steeped in bravery. Imagine a little boy who defies an evil king and actually perseveres? This little boy's name was Prahlad and Holi is celebrated to honor his bravery.  Watch this short video story time to learn more or get the storybook here.





2. Make this cool Prahlad Lamp

Now that you have learned all about brave Prahlad, try to make this very cool glow-in-the-dark lamp that shows him emerging from the flames, victorious!

Template & Instructions  




3. Watch the Holi Read-Aloud

Now that you know why we celebrate Holi, let's find out how we celebrate it.  Watch this 15 minute read-aloud of our Maya/Neel adventure book or get the book here.





4. Make a Sliding Pichkari Card

Did you see the amazing Pichkari that we use to splash water on each other?  Make this very fun card with a hidden message inside of it!

Template & Instructions Here





5. Try a Holi Dance

Time to dance! Check out this very fun dance on a remix of a timeless Holi song with fun banter between two people splashing each other with color!





6. Try this Friendship Activity

It's no hidden secret that every society has some way of classifying and separating people. And, Holi acts as one of the best equalizers in Indian society!

The day of Holi is meant for people to put aside their differences and celebrate together. The easiest concept of such an equalizing factor for kids is to look at it from the lens of friendship.  Try this fun activity helping Chintu, the squirrel, climb up the friendship ladder.




7. Make Gujia, a delicious Holi snack

No Indian festival is complete without delicious food and Holi is no exception.  Check out this recipe for a healthy version of Gujia, a popular Holi snack.  Get the recipe here.




8. Sing and Dance with Holi 

Yes, we are tired of Baby Shark but the kids are definitely not! So check out this fun Holi Shark song that talks about all of the aspects of Holi celebration!