8 Deepavali DIY craft ideas

Deepavali is fast approaching! What fun craft activities shall you do with your children over the weekend to usher in the festival of lights?

We’ve put together eight Deepavali craft ideas suitable for the whole family to spend some quality time together!

Orange pomander ball

You will need:

Oranges

Cloves

Knife

Tea-light candles

Teaspoon

Satay sticks/ bamboo skewers

What to do:

Mum or dad has to slice off one end of the orange and scoop out a bit of the pulp so there is enough space to slot in the tea-light candle.

Next, the kids can decorate the oranges by poking some holes into the oranges in any pattern of their choice and then pressing in the cloves.

Once they are done decorating, you can place the tea-light candle inside the orange and light it for the most wonderful smell to fill your home!

Rainbow paper chains

You will need:

Different coloured paper (or gift wrap paper)

Scissors

Ruler

Stapler

What to do:

Cut out (or tear using a ruler) long rectangular strips of paper of different colours, but of the same size.

Loop them together into little hoops and staple the ends (mum or dad should do this part for their little ones), until a long chain is formed.

Your fabulous rainbow paper chain is now ready to be hung up and brighten up the place with the lovely colours!

Edible home-made paint

You will need:

1 cup of salt

1 cup of plain flour or corn starch

1 cup of water

Food colouring

Saucepan

Mixing spoons

Small containers/ jars

What to do:

Adult supervision is required to combine all the ingredients (except for the food colouring) into the saucepan and mix it on a low flame until it thickens.

Once the mixture cools down, divide it into the small containers or jars and add in a few drops of different food colouring into each one.

Now your children have some specially homemade edible paint, which is safe even for your tiny tots to join in the painting fun as well!

Origami animals

Origami is a Japanese art of paper folding and is a fun way to create all sorts of animals and flowers out of a simple piece of paper.

You can make some beautiful peacocks, or adorable elephants, and even some pretty flowers to decorate your house!

Here some instructions for different origami creations

Wax painting greeting cards

You will need:

Wax crayons

Paper

Paint

Paintbrush

What to do:

Fold the paper in half and ask your kids to draw any picture they like with the wax crayons on the outer front half of the paper.

Then they can paint over their crayon pictures and watch the magic happen!

Once the paint dries, your kids can write some positive Deepavali wishes in the greeting cards to send to your friends and family.

Elephant pencil holder

You will need:

Empty, clean can or jar

Paper

Colouring pencils or markers

Glue

Gift wrap paper

Sticky tape (optional)

Scissors

What to do:

Glue or use sticky tape to cover some wrapping paper over the empty cleaned out can/ jar.

Draw a picture of an elephant’s face on a piece of paper, colour it in then carefully cut it out and stick it onto the can/ jar.

Now your kids have a lovely customised pencil holder to put all their colouring pencils, markers or crayons for their next fun art project!

Feather art

You will need:

Colourful feathers

Glue

Paper

Marker

What to do:

Your child can use the marker to draw an outline of a large peacock or bird on the piece of paper.

Then, add some glue to the inside of the peacock or bird outline and stick on some colourful feathers to make the picture come alive!

Once the glue has dried, you can string up the picture and hang it for everyone to admire.

Sock puppets

You will need:

Old socks

Glue

Scissors

Wool

Bits of felt or cloth

Craft googly eyes or buttons

What to do:

Cut a bunch of wool to the desired length and glue it onto the sock puppet as the hair.

Glue on the eyes using the craft googly eyes or buttons and add on bits of felt or cloth for the other facial features such as the mouth, nose, cheeks, etc.

Have your children put on a fun puppet show about the wonderful story behind Deepavali to entertain the whole family!

We hope you’ll enjoy making these fun DIY crafts with your kids. Here’s wishing you a happy and blessed Deepavali!