Diwali - EYFS/Early Years activities, Displays and ideas
17th - 23rd October 2025
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Free Sample Resources
An Overview of ‘Diwali’
‘Diwali’ topic resources (scroll down to browse or search by resource title or keywords)
‘Fireworks’ resources
More topics/special dates you may be interested in
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FREE SAMPLE RESOURCEs!
(Click on the images below to find out more)
Please note that both Editable (docx file) and non-editable (pdf file) versions are available for all Diwali topic resources. (Editable files require Microsoft Word to work at optimum level and Non-Editable files require a pdf viewer.)
Area of Learning/Resource Title
- Area - Communication and Language
- Area - Expressive Arts and Design
- Area - Literacy
- Area - Mathematics
- Area - Personal Social and Emotional
- Area - Physical Development
- Area - Understanding the World
- BRIGHTEN SOMEONE'S DAY
- CREATE MEHNDI DESIGNS
- DESIGN DIVA LAMP
- DIVA LAMP COUNTING PUZZLES (1-10)
- DIWALI - A4 Greeting Cards Posters
- DIWALI - Greeting Cards Activity
- DIWALI - LOLLIPOP PUPPETS
- DIWALI - My Diwali Celebrations (Draw and Write)
- DIWALI - Senses Booklet
- DIWALI - Senses Prompts/Display
- DIWALI 2-PIECE PUZZLES
- DIWALI 2-PIECE PUZZLES - COLOURING
- DIWALI BORDER SHEETS (HORIZONTAL)
- DIWALI BORDER SHEETS (VERTICAL)
- DIWALI BUNTING
- DIWALI COLOURING SHEETS
- DIWALI MEMORY CARDS
- DIWALI PATTERN MATCH
- DIWALI PICTURE SNAP
- DIWALI RANGOLI COUNTING PUZZLES (1-10)
- DIWALI RANGOLI PLAYDOUGH MATS
- DIWALI STORY CUT AND SEQUENCE
- DIWALI STORY SEQUENCE CARDS
- DIWALI STORY SEQUENCE COLOURING
- DIWALI SWEET SHOP ROLE PLAY PACK
- DIWALI WORD CARDS
- DIWALI WORD MAT
- HAPPY DIWALI BANNER
- LARGE DIVA LAMP TEMPLATE
Keywords
- Activities
- Art and Craft
- Cards/Flashcards
- Colouring
- Colours
- Counting
- Design Your Own
- Discussion Prompts
- Drawing
- Fine Motor
- Games
- Greeting Cards
- Group Activities
- Laminate to use with w/b pens
- Marking Making/Drawing/Writing
- Matching and Sorting
- Measures - Money
- Measures - Time
- Memory
- Number Recognition
- Observational Skills
- Ordering Activities
- Pattern
- Pencil Control
- Personal Opinions
- Playdough/Loose Parts
- Posters/Displays
- Problem Solving
- Puzzles
- Role Play
- Scissor Skills
- Senses
- Snap Cards
- Take Home
- Turn Taking
- Word Cards
- Word Mats
An overview of ‘Diwali’
Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, is one of the most significant and widely celebrated festivals in India and among Hindus worldwide. It symbolises the victory of light over darkness and good over evil. While Diwali is predominantly a Hindu festival, it is also celebrated by Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists, each with its unique historical and spiritual significance.
Customs
Lighting Diyas and Fireworks: Homes and public places are decorated with earthen oil lamps (diyas) and electric lights. Firecrackers are burst to drive away evil spirits.
Rangoli: Colourful patterns made from powders, rice, or flowers are drawn on the ground to welcome the gods and goddesses.
Sweets and Feasting: Diwali is marked by the sharing of traditional sweets and elaborate meals among family and friends.
Gifts: Exchanging gifts, especially sweets and dry fruits, is a common tradition during Diwali.
Spiritual Significance
Diwali represents the inner light within individuals. It’s a reminder to let go of ignorance, selfishness, and evil, and to embrace love, kindness, and wisdom.
Diwali, therefore, is not just a festival of lights, but a deeply spiritual and cultural occasion celebrated with great joy and enthusiasm by millions of people across the world.
General ‘Diwali’ Resources
Click on the thumbnail images below for further details…
DIWALI STORY SEQUENCE CARDS
Large (18.5 cm square) Diwali Rama and Sita story sequence cards to share with your children. Ideal as a group starter before using our smaller cut and sequence Diwali activity.
DIWALI STORY SEQUENCE COLOURING
Large (18.5 cm square) Diwali Rama and Sita story sequence cards to share and colour with your children.
DIWALI STORY SEQUENCE CUT AND MATCH ACTIVITY
Cut and sequence Diwali Rama and Sita story activity. Ideally used after a group starter using our Large Diwali story sequence cards.
DIWALI - LOLLIPOP PUPPETS
Diwali puppets to be cut out to stick on lolly sticks. There are two background images included.
DIWALI RANGOLI PATTERN PLAYDOUGH MATS
Print and laminate these sheets to create re-useable playdough mats. Children will love playing with playdough to create these patterns using and refining fine motor skills and colour recognition.
DIWALI - Senses Prompts/Display
These prompts are intended to encourage discussion and thinking about our senses during Diwali.
Together with each mini-banner there are small note sheets for children to mark-make/write/draw their thoughts and experiences.
DIWALI - Senses Booklet
My Diwali Senses Booklet. Intended to encourage discussion and mark making about our senses during Diwali.
Booklet includes a front cover plus 5 optional pages entitled: ‘During Diwali I can…smell/feel/see/hear/taste’.
DIWALI - My Diwali Celebrations (Draw and Write)
These sheets are intended to encourage children to record experiences of their Diwali celebrations. They are differentiated by amounts of expected writing/drawing/mark making.
'HAPPY DIWALI' BANNER & BORDERS (Free)
DIWALI BUNTING
Bunting display which reads ‘Happy Diwali!’
DIWALI - A4 Greeting Cards Posters
These templates have detailed outlines to be used as a starting point for an art activity.
The children must think about which card they think their friend/family member will like best before colouring it for them.
The outlines can be coloured, painted, or collaged to create an individual poster design.
They could be stuck to a folded piece of A3 card to make a large card!
DIWALI - Greeting Cards Activity
These card templates have detailed outlines to be used as a starting point for an art activity.
The children must think about which card they think their friend/family member will like best before colouring it for them.
The outlines can be coloured, painted, or collaged to create an individual card design.
DIVA LAMP COUNTING PUZZLES (1-10)
Diva lamp themed counting puzzles. Select those appropriate for your children (1-10 available) and allow them to match the number with the corresponding number of diva lamps. Each pair has a different way of connecting as a puzzle for the children to match and so even if they haven’t learnt what the number looks like yet, but are beginning to say the numbers in order, this can be a fun way to introduce them to new challenges.
Once the puzzles are complete, why not line the numbers up in order and count together? If your children would enjoy a further game, leave out a number and see if they can spot which one is missing from the sequence. Puzzles could also be used as a fine motor control/counting activity if left uncut. Children could be given an appropriate number for their learning and encouraged to place objects on the diva lamps, counting as they go.
CREATE MEHNDI DESIGNS
What Mehndi designs will your children create for Diwali? Pack contains example poster and two (left and right) A4 sized blank hand sheets for design work. Perhaps your children may enjoy creating some artwork using loose parts, playdough, chalk, crayons, pencils or even collage materials?
DIWALI SWEET SHOP DRAMATIC ROLE PLAY PACK
Download this one stop 'Diwali Sweet Shop' role play pack.
Pack includes: banner, menu with prices, blank proforma menu for children to fill in, picture cards of various sweets to be sold in the role-play shop (to ideally cut out and laminate), sweets order form, open/closed signs, opening times poster and advert posters with descriptive vocab.
DIWALI 2-PIECE PUZZLES
Set of 10 Diwali pattern puzzles each with 2 parts. Ideal for our youngest children in order for them to begin to spot similarities and differences, recognise patterns and colours and solve problems involving observational skills.
DIWALI 2-PIECE PUZZLES - COLOURING
Set of 10 Diwali pattern puzzles each with 2 parts. Ideal for our youngest children in order for them to begin to spot similarities and differences, recognise patterns and colours and solve problems involving observational skills.
DIWALI BORDER SHEETS (HORIZONTAL)
Diwali themed horizontal border paper. A variety of options including 2 types of lined and a blank sheet. Each of these are available within the pack in both full colour and black and white versions for colouring in.
DIWALI BORDER SHEETS (VERTICAL)
Diwali themed vertical border paper. A variety of options including 2 types of lined and a blank sheet. Each of these are available within the pack in both full colour and black and white versions for colouring in.
DIWALI WORD MAT
Word mat includes: Rama, Sita, Hanuman, Ravana, Rangoli, Diva Lamp, Lanterns, Fireworks and Diwali Sweets.
DIWALI WORD CARDS
Diwali themed word cards. Blank cards within the set to make your own or challenge the children to!
BRIGHTEN SOMEONE'S DAY
The main theme of the festival of Diwali is the triumph of light over darkness. This activity is designed to get the children to think about how their own actions can brighten someone’s day. There are three differentiated sheets for children to either draw, draw and write or just write about what they could do to make someone happy…and brighten their day!
DIWALI COLOURING SHEETS PACK
Our Diwali themed colouring sheets pack includes Diva lamp, Lanterns/lights, Rangoli patterns, Diwali sweets, Fireworks and Mehndi patterns.
DESIGN YOUR OWN DIVA LAMP
Challenge your children to design their own Diva Lamps. Perhaps your children may enjoy creating some artwork using loose parts, playdough, chalk, crayons, pencils or even collage materials? Pack contains example poster and two blank template sheets for design work.
DIWALI MEMORY CARDS GAME
A set of cards showing Diwali rangoli patterns and lanterns with an optional tab which can be folded before lamination for extra strength and to obscure the face of the card when turned over. These cards are designed for the purpose of playing a ‘Picking up Pairs’ memory game to match the pairs, however they may be used in other ways such as part of displays, feely bag activities, etc.
DIWALI PATTERN MATCH
Diwali pattern matching cards with a variety of edges to aid self-correcting by the children. Encourages close observation of shapes and colours.
DIWALI PICTURE SNAP
These colourful and engaging Diwali themed snap cards can be printed, cut out and laminated as a fun memory game to consolidate children's recognition of Diwali themed objects. They are double sided and come with a tab for double thickness intended to simply be folded and then laminated. Also could be used as a stimulus for role-play or discussion or part of a Diwali display area.
LARGE DIVA LAMP TEMPLATE
Large A4 blank diva lamp template ideal for decorating with collage materials, loose parts or playdough. Want a smaller template?…Check out our design your own Diva Lamps pack.
DIWALI RANGOLI COUNTING PUZZLES (1-10)
Rangoli counting puzzles. Select those appropriate for your children (1-10 available) and allow them to match the number with the corresponding number of Rangoli patterns. Each pair has a different way of connecting as a puzzle for the children to match and so even if they haven’t learnt what the number looks like yet, but are beginning to say the numbers in order, this can be a fun way to introduce them to new challenges.
Once the puzzles are complete, why not line the numbers up in order and count together? If your children would enjoy a further game, leave out a number and see if they can spot which one is missing from the sequence. Puzzles could also be used as a fine motor control/counting activity if left uncut. Children could be given an appropriate number for their learning and encouraged to place objects on the Rangoli patterns, counting as they go.
‘Firework’ resources…
More topics/special dates you may be interested in…
