Celebrate Holi with exciting and fun Holi activities for kids! These colorful and hands-on Holi activities will add a lot of playful learning and teach children about this much-awaited Indian festival of colours.

From fun Holi games for the classroom (and at home!) to printable Holi activities for kids, this list has everything to get kids in the Holi spirit

Holi activities for children
Fun Holi Games

But before we get down to business, here’s the story of Hoil. Holi, the festival of colors, is celebrated on the last full moon of the Hindu lunar month of Phalguna.

It marks the end of winter and the arrival of spring. According to Hinduism, it also marks the victory of good over evil.

Holi is considered a day when broken relationships and friendships are mended and mistakes are forgiven. Now that you know the science of Holi, let the fun begin.

Holi activities for children

1. Experiment with oil, water and colors

This is a fun Holi-inspired STEM activity that teaches kids how applying oil before playing with Holi colors can protect their skin. Here’s how to do it:

Apply baby oil to one hand of the child and wet the other hand with water. Now take Holi paint and rub it on both hands.

Leave the paint on the skin for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, ask the child to wash the paint off his hands. Which hand was easier to paint?

To their surprise, they will find that the color on the oiled hand comes off quite easily, while a light stain remains on the other hand.

The oil does not mix well with the paint, thus forming a thin barrier between the skin and the color. On the other hand, water mixes easily with color, making it harder to remove color from a wet hand.

Also, check out STEM hygiene exercises for kids.

2. Rainbow Oobleck. Ідеальне заняття Холі для малюків, дошкільнят і дитсадків, це надзвичайно весело та легко!

3. Holi word search

If you are looking for an easy Holi activity for the classroom, this is for you. A simple word search is all you need to talk about Holi.

Holi word search

4. A rainbow in my plate

Make a rainbow in a plate with this simple candy experiment. You will need a pack of Gems or M&Ms.

Arrange the gems in a circle on the plate, creating a colorful pattern. Add water to see how the colors melt from the candy, creating a rainbow on your plate.

Precious stones are covered with food coloring. Water dissolves this food coloring to produce colored water. Without the color coating, they all look the same.

Related: Check Out Science Activities for Kids for More Fun!

5. Hoi Roll a Story

Let kids play with their imagination and creativity with this fun Holi activity for students. Children can do this activity in groups or individually, and when they are finished, let them share their stories with their friends and classmates.

Holi Roll-a-Story

6. Disappearing colors

This is a truly wonderful experiment that never ceases to amaze children. All you need is food coloring in different colors, laundry bleach and droppers.

Mix food coloring with water in different clear glasses. Add a dropper of laundry bleach to each color solution to see what happens.

Depending on the colors used, some fade faster than others.

Continue adding bleach until one of the colored waters is completely gone.

You’ve just discovered the science behind bleach. Bleach contains oxidizing agents that react with color molecules, causing them to lose their color.

This is why you add bleach to spots and stains. This is how bleach works!

7. Holi trivia with answers

Test how much kids know about the festival of colors with our simple Holi trivia and immerse yourself in the history and mythology of the celebration. Will make everyone think!

Holi quizzes

8. Dancing colors

This is an interesting experiment for children of all ages. Younger kids will love it and your elders will love it.

Take two transparent jars. Add ice water to one jar and hot water to the other. Have your child put two or three drops of food coloring into both jars.

When the color mixes in the water, it seems to dance. Do not mix! Observe which jar the color dances/mixes faster in.

9. Holly WH-Questions

This is an interactive Holi activity for preschool and kindergarten kids that will get them talking about the holiday. A fun activity to incorporate into the morning classroom routine, these Holi-based questions will open children’s hearts.

Holi Wh questions

10. Rainbow pencils

Celebrate the festival of colors by creating your own rainbow crayons! This is a great idea to recycle and give new life to old worn out colored pencils.

Step 1: Ask your child to peel off the stickers from the colored pencils and sort them by color.

Step 2: This requires the help of adults. Using a knife, cut the crayons into 2-inch pieces.

Step 3: Arrange the colored pencils in the silicone tray according to the VIBGYOR pattern. We used a robot-shaped silicon ice cube tray.

Step 4: Bake it in the oven at 225 F for 10-15 minutes.

Step 5: Let them cool before your kids remove them from the pans.

That’s it! Your Holi style pencils are ready.

11. Holi Unscramble

Check out the Holi vocabulary with this fun decoding. While most words are easy, there are a few that may require a little more thought. Don’t worry if you can’t get them all, it comes with an answer sheet!

We bet everyone, from kids to adults, will love this Holi-inspired exercise.

Holi Unscramble

12. Holi Art

If you don’t prefer a messy game, then this game is for you. All you need is a deep dish (tray), some glass balls, paint and white craft paper.

Glue the craft sheet to the bottom of the dish using double-sided tape. Next, take three balls and dip them in the primary colors.

Put the colored balls on the paper and let the child tilt the plate in different directions. The balls will roll, creating not only an amazing pattern but also complementary colors to create the most beautiful Holi art.

13. Holi Roll & Multiply

Practice math with this fun Holi activity for 2nd graders. Children should work in pairs to roll the dice and solve the corresponding multiplication problem.

Holi Roll & Multiply

14. Magic Holi drawing

A perfect Holi activity for toddlers and preschoolers, it will not only spark the minds of youngsters but also develop their logical thinking skills.

Take a white craft paper and write Holi in big bold letters in the center with a white wax pencil. Add different paints and water to spray bottles to make paint.

Attach this sheet to the clothesline with paper clips. Ask the child to color the sheet using bottles of different colors. The water will slide off the wax crayons, coloring the rest of the sheet. As your child colors, the letter will emerge as if by a wave of a magic wand.

Related: Make your Holi painting pop with Puffy Paints.

15. Holy tic-tac-toe

This is a great Holi activity that will get kids thinking. Each box has a clue for the action. Children choose the clues they want to complete to create a horizontal, diagonal, or vertical row of ready-made clues.

Holi tic-tac-toe

16. Postcards for talking on Holi

One way to celebrate any event is to talk about it. These conversation cards make it easier to talk about this holiday and help children share their thoughts about it. A great activity to engage in the classroom, it will help students expand their minds.

A conversation starter on Holi

17. DIY organic Holi colors

This year, skip the store-bought Holi colors and make your own gulal (color powder) at home.

Making your own gulal is a great way to bring math to life and give a hands-on lesson in measurement and ratios.

Here’s what you need:

Gram flour (Besan)
Cornflour
Lemon
Turmeric powder
Henna
Beet
Sieve
Large bowls
Red roses

How to do it:

Making these organic Holi colors is easy. The only factor to keep in mind is time.

Since these colors take a little time to prepare, it is better not to waste time until the last moment. Here’s how to make these non-toxic edible Holi colors.

Here’s what you need:

Flour by grams (Besan)
Cornflour

How to do it:

Step 1: Sift 4 tablespoons of flour into a large bowl.

Step 2: Add 1 tablespoon of turmeric powder to make a fine mixture.

Step 3: Using a spoon, mix both the ingredients to make a smooth mixture.

Step 4: Sift the mixture 2-3 times to get a nice yellow holi. color.

Here’s what you need:

Red roses
Cornflour

How to do it:

Step 1: Dry the flowers until they are crisp.

Step 2: Pluck the petals and grind them into a fine powder.

Step 3: Sieve it to get a fine powder without coarse grinding.

Step 4: Mix dried rose powder with cornmeal in equal proportions for a gorgeous organic red color.

This Holi color takes a little more time and preparation, but is definitely worth the effort. Your kids will definitely love its texture and have a great time making it.

You will need:

Beet
Cornflour
Water

Step 1: Cut the beets into pieces and boil them in half a cup of water.

Step 2: Boil water until ready, reduce to half and let the water cool.

Step 3: Take a cup of cornflowers and blend in cooled beetroot water to make a smooth paste.

Step 4: Transfer the paste to a wide dish/plate and allow it to dry outside, away from direct sunlight.

Step 5: When the paste is dry, grind it into a fine powder.

Step 6: Sieve the powder for a soft, skin-friendly, lump-free pink color.

Like organic yellow holi, green gulal is one of the easiest holi colors to make.

With just two ingredients and simple instructions, your kids can whip up this homemade gulal in 5 minutes.

What you want you need:

Heena powder
universal flour

Step 1: Using a large sieve, mix 2 tablespoons of Heena powder with an equal amount of all-purpose flour.

Step 2: Sieve the mixture twice to get a super smooth green holi color.

These easy-to-make DIY Holi colors will ensure you and your kids have a completely rash-free Holi.

They are chemical free, gentle on the skin and all natural to make your Holi extra colorful.

18. Do-it-yourself water gun

Children love to play with water guns and the idea of making their own water gun is sure to excite them. You will need an old plastic bottle, an old newspaper and oil paints.

Step 1: Take an empty old plastic bottle. A 500ml water bottle works best as it is not too big and not too small.

Step 2: Cover your work surface with newspaper to prevent stains. This is the most interesting part of the DIY water gun. Place the bottle on the newspaper. Now ask the child to pour the oil paints into the bottle.

Use different colors to create your own bottling art. Hold the bottle by the neck and rotate it to spread the color around. Let it dry for a day.

Step 3: This step requires adult supervision. Remove the cap from the bottle and poke a hole in the center using scissors or a metal skewer.

Step 4: When the bottle is dry, fill it with water, cap and squeeze for endless water gun fun.

Read also: Scientific experiments with water

19. Make Rainbow Slime

Holi is the perfect time to indulge in Rainbow Slime. A surefire way to keep kids entertained, this borax-free slime is so much fun to make and play with!

20. Holi Ladoos

After all these creative and fun activities, your child deserves a special treat. Beat your festival hunger with these delicious healthy coconut laddoos.

To prepare them, you will need dried coconut, condensed milk, and food coloring. Heat a pan to toast the coconut for 5 minutes.

Add the condensed milk and stir the mixture until it starts to leave the sides of the pan. Divide the mixture into different bowls according to the amount of food coloring you have.

Now ask your husband to add 4-5 drops of food coloring and roll the mixture into a ladoo. Your Holi Ladoes are ready.

21. Holi Math & Literacy Fun

Teach your children about the festival and its history. This will help them understand their culture and traditions.

To help them understand the story better, we have developed free Holi x Holi worksheets.

Let your kids practice counting, math manipulation with these free Holi math worksheets. These free math and literacy printables will ensure your kids have fun while learning.

22. Shirt with a tie

On Holi, make a shirt with paint with your loved one. Take an old plain white or any other solid light colored t-shirt and roll it up. After curling up, have your loved one tie the elastics on the t-shirt in different places.

Now comes the most interesting part. Grab fabric paints or tempura paints and let your child color it using their creativity. It is advisable to use plastic gloves during painting. After that, leave it for an hour before washing. Dry in the shade, ta da… your Holi t-shirt is ready.

23. Inflatable drawing

What better way to learn how to draw with raisin than Holi. Water and colors are everywhere, so it’s time to learn different fun painting techniques with kids.

Airbrush painting is one such creative way to create abstract art. And it’s almost unbelievable how it creates perfect Holi inspired art.

24. Art from water balloons

This is a fun Holi art that can be done with many kids together. You will need an open space for this craft and large white sheets. You can also use an old sheet for this.

Dilute water colors in different water buckets and use this colored water to fill the balloons.

Once the balloons are ready, let your kids throw the balloons on the bed sheet to create some awesome Holi art.

25. Colors of Life Holi Craft

Holi is considered a day when broken relationships and friendships are mended and mistakes are forgotten. It is a holiday that unites us and helps us appreciate our differences.

Diversity is what makes us all beautiful. Just as playing with only one color will be boring, a lack of variety will not be exciting either. To show how Holi instills this spirit, make this easy Holi craft for preschool and kindergarten kids that we call Colors of Life.

26. Book of Holi

This Holi craft for kids embodies the spirit of love and friendship. Take several sheets of white kraft paper and assign one sheet to each family member. Glue their pictures on the name sheet.

Ask your child to think of the color that best describes that family member. Remember this color on the sheet.

And if your child can write, ask him to describe how this particular color describes the person of interest. For younger children, they can draw fruits and vegetables that the person likes.

Fun Holi games for kids

27. Holi Memory Game

If you are looking for homemade Holi games for toddlers, preschoolers and younger kids, try this Holi themed game. Just print the free template, cut and laminate for days of fun.

A game to commemorate Holi

28. A cricket on a water balloon

Opt for water balloon cricket this time. Throw in water balloons and your child has to hit them with a cricket bat. All you need is lots of balloons for this fun Holi game for kids and family!

Related: With Easter just around the corner, plan some fun Easter activities for the kids to keep them entertained and happy!

29. Holi Three Word Game

Another Holi family game that will test everyone’s wits! Compete to write all the words and whoever finishes first wins!

Holi three word game

30. Throwing a cup with a water gun

Holi is incomplete without playing with water gun. Add another dimension to this by stacking disposable cups and having your kids toss them around by shooting water from their water guns.

31. Holi Minute-To-Win-It Challenge

This is the perfect Holi game for kids and friends! Each person rolls a die and names six objects of the corresponding color in a minute. Sounds simple? Wait till you play!

Holi Minute-To-Win-It

32. Roll and Splash

If you are looking for fun Holi games for kids, especially younger ones, you should try this one! Super easy to set up, it’s a win-win for both parents and kids.

All you need is a large shallow pot/bucket. Fill it with water and have your children sit around it in a circle.

Players take turns rolling the dice, and the lucky person who lands a six gets to slap their hands into the water dish, splashing everyone with water!

Sounds like fun, right? We bet it is!

Related: Learn about party games for kids for more fun games!

33. Water balloon relay

This is one of the most loved Holi outdoor games that has the best prop – water balloons.

What you need:

3 buckets
Water balls
2 quarter plates

How to play:

Divide the children into two teams. Place all the water balls in one bucket. Place the other two buckets equidistant from the bucket of water balloons.

Players from each team complete the race in turn.

On the move, one player from each team takes two water balloons, places them on their quarter plate and runs to the other bucket, balancing on the plate with the water balls on their heads.

If they drop their water balls in the buckets, they run back to their teams and pass the quarter plate to the next person. The team that knocks over the most balloons wins!

This Holi game works great on balancing and coordination skills. And it’s so much fun that soon everyone will join you!

34. Pass the water

As the name suggests, this kids water game is all about passing the water without spilling it. All you need are cups and water to start this outdoor game.

How to play:

All players form a neat line, standing slightly apart from each other. Each player receives a cup. Pour water into the cup of the first person in line.

Now, to pass the water to the next player, the first player has to go over her/his head and empty their cup behind them for the next player to collect water in their cup.

Be prepared to get wet!

35. Duck! Duck! Splash!

We really enjoy playing this fun Holi game with kids. It’s simple, easy, and gets kids (and adults!) moving! All you need is a nice open space and some water.

36. Water Balloon Towel Toss

It’s a complete outdoor family game that’s just perfect for the Holi season – when no one minds getting wet!

Although it may look easy, we assure you that it is much more difficult than what it seems at first glance!

Source: Best Holi Activities for Kids