What is the most important festival of India? In my opinion, the national festivals are higher than any individual identity we may hold. We celebrate Independence Day on 15 August to commemorate our nation's independence from the colonial British Rule on this day in 1947, and Republic Day on 26th January to celebrate the date on which the Constitution of India came into effect, that is, on 26 January 1950.
Here are some ideas to celebrate Independence Day and Republic Day with your child using different activities with the theme of India.
A. Books
Know more about India's struggle for freedom and our freedom fighters with these books for different age groups. Since this is an important topic even from an academic point of view, these books are going to be relevant to your child for a long time.
1. Comics from Amar Chitra Katha
These are available on the ACK app as well as paperback and hardcover books from Amazon and Flipkart. Their books include Rani of Jhansi, Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh, Mangal Pandey, Lal Bahadur Shastri, and many others. Here are some collections you can check out:
2. Books by Subhadra Sengupta
Check out her books on Indian history and struggle for freedom here.
3. Books by Sonia Mehta
We love her books. In context of Indian national festivals, her book series "Discover India" are excellent to introduce children to our wonderful country and make them aware about various interesting aspects. These are the top favorites of ours!
B. Art & Craft Activities for Indian National Festivals
Check out these videos for some easy and beautiful National Festival themed art and craft activities.
1. Flag drawing and colouring activity
Depending on the child's age, flag drawing and colouring, or only flag colouring activity can be done. Depending on the materials available, this can as elaborate as you wish.
2. Various craft activities
3. Make an Indian tricolour flag at home
4. Culinary Art: Tricolour Recipes
Get your child involved in making tricolour food items for the national festival week! This can include tiffin items or even lunch items.
Here is one video for 6 simple recipes:
C. Performance Art Activities
1. Enactment of Dandi March
This does not require much set-up and is a good opportunity to teach a little information about Dandi March. This was an impromptu act often done by my little sister whenever she would find a stick good enough to be passed off as Gandhiji's walking stick. Just find some followers, walk about, and awaken the spirit of protest against injustice and subjugation.
2. Speech Activities for older children
A favourite speech to be enjoyed around Independence Day time is the "Tryst with Destiny" speech, delivered by Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, to the Indian Constituent Assembly in the Parliament, on the eve of India's Independence, around midnight on 14 August 1947. It is considered to be one of the greatest speeches of the 20th century. On Republic Day, the speeches of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, the architect of our constitution, are inspiring to perform. You can find his writings and speeches here.
3. Song Activities
Some songs to be enjoyed during national festivals are:
Our national anthem Jana Gana Mana, Vande Mataram, Saare jahan se achcha.
If you enjoy old Hindi songs, you will also enjoy songs like Aao Bachho Tumhe Dikhaye (from Jagriti) and Nanhe munne bachche (from Boot Polish).
4. Poetry Recitation
There are many patriotic poems in Hindi, English and regional languages that are suitable for recitation on Independence Day. Our post on Hindi patriotic poems for kids can be found here. For small children, try to recite only a few lines. The focus should be on the interest, spirit and fun of the activity and not the length of the poem or the memory power of the child. In English, my favourite is "Where the mind is without fear" by Tagore.
Find some Hindi patriotic poems in our previous post:
D. Learning Activities
Throw in a mix of learning, writing, reading, numeracy and GK using DIY materials and worksheets, and you can make a week's worth of activities with the theme of Independence Day. You can do stamping activities, beginning sounds, matching, counting, board games, national symbols based activities, and many other India themed games. Here are some ideas:
Don't forget to stay updated and download our Independence Day Printable Worksheets available during the time around Independence Day. These are worksheets with fun activities for kids to enjoy while learning! These printables are FREE for subscribers, so sign up today!
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