Best ways to celebrate Krishna Janmashtmi with kids
The festival is an auspicious occasion or celebration prevalent in our religious community. India is the land of festivals. Festivals bring people emotionally and physically together and add colours and joy to our lives.
But nowadays, a lot of difference can be seen while celebrating festivals. They are losing their true essence and meaning behind them. For today’s generation festival means just an off from their work or school. As parents, it’s our duty to let the children know the the the children know the inspiring and mythological stories behind these festivals. This will help in inculcating moral values in them. Let ‘s introduce them with our vast culture of festivals. As Janmashtmi, birthday of Lord Krishna is around the corner, get them involved in preparations with you.
Here are some ways to celebrate Janmashtmi with your children:
Introduce your kids with Sri Krishna by colouring and inspiring story books
Prior to Janamashtmi celebrations prepare children for the Janmashtami festival. Let them know the stories related to Shri Krishna, his birth, his childhood, his mischievous acts and other incidents of his life.
Buy colouring books depicting life of Krishna. In this way, children will get more information about Little Krishna and his life. This will help in creating a bond between your kids and ‘Bal Gopal. ‘
Make Krishna’ s peacock paper crowns
Involve children into making of peacock paper crowns. Give the task according to their age and let them decorate using their own creativity. They will love and enjoy this craft work. Narrate the story behind it:
Story goes that Krishna played his flute and the peacocks were so mesmerized that with large tears of ecstasy, the king of peacocks dropped many divine feathers at Krishna’s feet. Krishna lovingly accepted the offering of the peacocks and picked up the feathers and to everybody’s joy, placed a few of them on his turban. Thus he came to wear the peacock feathers.
Decorate flute
Buy some simple flutes from the market as part of costumes and give them to the children to decorate it with the accessories like beads, stones, colourful ribbons.
Prepare sweets
Festivals are incomplete without sweets. While preparing Sweets at home involve your children by helping you in making sweets.
Decorate Dahi Handi
During his childhood, little Krishna would love to steal and eat butter. After that, he was named as ‘Maakhan Chor ‘. Take an earthen pot, decorate and fill it with butter. Hang it in your indoors but, not very high. Let the kids break this dahi handi and enjoy. To avoid mess fill it with sweets.
Dress up like Lil Krishna, Radha, Gopi etc
Children love to be dressed up like Little Krishna, Radha and gopis. prepare them for an act related to Krishna’s life. Make them wear traditional dresses and accessories with some minimal makeup. You can also prepare them to dance. Lastly, distribute prizes who performs the best or those who were traditionally dressed best to motivate them.
Jhankis
Children of older ages can set up a Jhanki on different themes related to Krishna’s life. Arrange some cardboards, clay dolls, toy animals, coloured sand and make village scenes, Krishna’s childhood, rasleela and other incidents. Make decorative ‘jhoolas’ for ‘Bal Gopal ‘and at last you can select the best Jhanki to appreciate them.
