Diwali Crafts for Kids: Diya Painting, Paper Lanterns, Torans and Greeting Cards

Diwali is the festival children look forward to most, and one of the best ways to make it their own is to let them make part of it. A diya they painted, a lantern they folded, a toran they hung over the door: these become the things a child points to proudly when guests arrive, and the things they remember years later.

Here are four classic Diwali crafts for kids, with what you need, step-by-step instructions, and ideas for different ages. None of them needs special skills, and most use things you already have at home.

1. Painted diyas

What you need: plain clay diyas, acrylic or poster paints, brushes of different sizes, cotton buds, glitter glue or small stick-on stones, and newspaper to protect the table.

How to make them: wipe each diya with a damp cloth and let it dry completely. Paint a base colour over the outside and the rim, leaving the inside where the oil and wick will go unpainted. Let it dry. Then add patterns on top: dots made with a cotton bud, simple lines, petals, swirls or a ring of contrasting colour around the rim. Finish with a little glitter glue or a few stones.

For younger children, three to five: let them paint just one colour all over, then add dots with cotton buds. Dotting is easy, satisfying and always looks good. For older children: try traditional patterns, such as a band of mango leaves, a row of tiny diyas, or a simple paisley.

Keep the inside of the diya, where the flame will be, free of paint and glitter, and let painted diyas dry fully, ideally overnight, before an adult lights them. Many families keep the painted diyas as decorations and use plain ones for lighting.

2. Paper lanterns

Hanging lanterns are a beautiful Diwali tradition; in Maharashtra the large star-shaped lantern hung outside homes is called an ākāśa kandīla, a sky lantern. This is the simple folded version every child can make.

What you need: coloured chart paper or thick craft paper, scissors, glue or a stapler, a ruler, a pencil and decorations.

How to make it: take a rectangle of paper and fold it in half lengthways. Along the folded edge, draw lines across the paper about two centimetres apart, stopping about three centimetres before the open edge. Cut along the lines, through both layers, from the fold. Open the paper out, curve it into a tube with the cuts running up and down, and glue or staple the short edges together. Press gently down from the top and the strips will bow outwards into a lantern shape. Add a strip of paper across the top as a handle.

For extra colour, line the inside of the tube with a second sheet in a contrasting colour before you shape it. Decorate the outside with stickers, sequins or patterns drawn with gel pens. Paper lanterns are for decoration only: never put a real flame inside. A small battery-powered tea light works safely if you want them to glow.

3. A paper toran

A toran is a decorative hanging for the doorway, traditionally made of fresh marigolds and mango leaves to welcome guests and the goddess Lakshmi. A paper toran is a wonderful craft that lasts the whole festival.

What you need: green and orange or yellow paper, scissors, glue, a long piece of ribbon or string, and a pencil.

How to make it: draw and cut out a mango-leaf shape from green paper to use as a template, then trace and cut out ten to fifteen leaves. For marigolds, cut strips of orange or yellow paper about four centimetres wide, snip a fringe along one long edge, then roll the strip up tightly and glue the end, fluffing the fringe out into a flower. Glue the leaves along the ribbon, pointing downwards, with a paper marigold between every two or three leaves.

Younger children can glue pre-cut leaves while an older sibling or parent rolls the flowers. Older children can add small paper bells, or draw a simple pattern of veins on each leaf.

4. Handmade greeting cards

A handmade card is one of the nicest things a child can give at Diwali, especially to grandparents. What you need: thick paper or card folded in half, coloured paper, glue, scissors, crayons or markers, and any decorations.

Four easy designs: a diya card, with a diya shape cut from brown or orange paper and a yellow paper flame glued on top; a rangoli card, with a simple rangoli pattern drawn in the centre and filled in with colour or small dots; a lantern card, with a mini paper lantern made as above and glued flat on the front; and a fingerprint card, where children dip a finger in paint and make diya flames, flower petals or a row of lights.

Inside, encourage your child to write the message themselves, however wobbly the handwriting. A few words in their own hand, Happy Diwali Ajji, I love you, mean more than anything printed.

The best Diwali decorations are not the most perfect ones. They are the ones a child made, and wants everyone to see.

Planning a craft afternoon

Pick one craft per session rather than trying all four at once. Lay everything out before calling the children, cover the table with newspaper, and keep wet wipes nearby. Put on some Diwali music, and while hands are busy, tell one of the Diwali stories: Rama’s return to Ayodhya, Krishna and Narakasura, or Lakshmi emerging from the ocean of milk. Children often remember the stories best when they hear them while making something.

Safety notes

Use child-safe scissors for younger children, and supervise all cutting. Choose non-toxic, water-based paints and glues. Keep glitter away from small children’s eyes and mouths. Only adults should light diyas, and lit diyas should always be kept away from paper decorations, curtains and children’s clothing. Never place a flame inside a paper lantern or near a paper toran.

Taking creativity further

Craft is a doorway into India’s great art traditions: the patterns on a diya can lead to Madhubani, Warli and Kalamkari, and a simple rangoli card can grow into a love of design. Our live arts and painting classes teach these traditions to children step by step. If you would like your child to learn with a mentor, enquire about our classes through the Book a Class page; fees are listed on our Pricing page.