Dussehra 2022: Dussehra, the celebration of lights, joy, and optimism, has arrived. Culturally, there are so many reasons and stories behind why we celebrate Dussehra. The festival serves as a reminder that, as long as you stay loyal to who you are, good will always triumph over evil, no matter how strong the enemy might be. But the gadget-obsessed generation is typically unaware of the significance of festivals. India is a country of festivals, and each of them is accompanied by some rituals and learning associated with each of these. While fun, games, and fervor is one side of the coin, there is so much more to festivals that parents can talk about with their kids. Through Indian festivals, you may teach your children the best lessons about right and wrong, virtue and vice.
(Also read: Dussehra date 2022: When is Dussehra in 2022? Know the date and puja time )
In a conversation with HT Lifestyle, Mansi Zaveri, Parenting Expert and Founder and CEO of Kidsstoppress, suggested activities to teach your children the significance of the Dussehra festival in the most fun and productive way.
1. Fun Podcasts:
The best way to teach your kids about this festival is through stories. Make them listen to podcasts that speak about the significance of the festival, and the reason behind the celebration. Kids nowadays have many questions and some of them are beyond our understanding. So, let them get all their whys, hows and whens cleared out by a well-researched and easy-to-understand podcast episode.
2. Teaching Colours:
The nine colours of Navratri can be a good colour recognition exercise for your little ones just beginning to learn colours. Get them all excited about the colour of the day and from dressing them up to what they eat, make sure it is in that colour! You could also research a little as to why we wear each colour on the day and explain it to your older ones.
3. Do A Role-play:
Narrate a story out of the Ramayana for your kids and then use an old dupatta to ‘dress’ Sita, or a towel/dhoti for an instant transformation to Ram. Print out Ram/Sita/Hanuman masks and get them to role-play the story as you narrate it. Hours of fun are guaranteed! My kids love it as it allows them to get a deeper understanding of why things happened the way they did and it is super engaging. You can hop over to YouTube and search for Story of Ramayana puppets shows.
4. Colouring Pages:
Kids love colouring! You could print out some sheets related to Dussehra and while they colour (you could assist in that too!) tell them a story behind the picture they are colouring. Like if they are colouring a picture of people dancing the Garba, I tell them the significance of it. You could even bust some moves!
5. Books:
Select books from the curated list for children and read them out together. There is a wide range of children’s books that explain the stories behind Dussehra in kid-friendly language. Oh! are you worried that they will be bored? Do not worry, these books mostly have amazing illustrations that will surely entice your kiddos! This activity is sort of a ritual for me and my kids. It’s really amazing to share those moments with them, away from the gadgets.
With these fun activities, you get a chance to spend some quality time with your children during this spectacular festival and at the same time teach them about your heritage. Isn’t it a win-win situation?