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As Malaysia entered its 3rd wave of the pandemic on 14 October 2020, a few of the states and federal territories were placed under and currently, as of date of writing, undergoing a second round of the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO), due to the increasing Covid-19 cases in the locations as stated.
With the Deepavali celebration coming up, our hopes are for the number of Covid-19 cases in Malaysia to decrease so that families and friends will be able to celebrate this festival together in person, while adhering to the SOPs enforced by the Government. Whilst it is uncertain if the CMCO will be lifted by 9 November 2020, this year’s Deepavali celebration on 14 November 2020, may continue to be celebrated on a smaller scale at home. However, just as the nation has gradually adapted to the new normal and learned to be more creative and innovative in the way celebrations are done despite the pandemic, the celebration of the Deepavali festival can still be one that is fun-filled and strengthens family bonds!
Check out some of the activities that you could do with your little one(s) to celebrate this festival of lights! May the bright lights of Deepavali brighten up these seemingly gloomy days, and illuminate our lives with health and happiness!
Arts and Crafts Activities
Arts and crafts activities are a great way to develop and strengthen your child’s creativity and fine motor skills! It is also a great way to teach your child with autism how to play independently and occupy their time in a meaningful manner.
1. Deepavali Decoration
Materials Needed:
- Template
- Colour pencil
- Paint
- Glitter glue
- Stickers
- Coloured sand/rice
Steps:
- Print out the template.
- Join your child to colour and decorate with colour pencils, paint, glitter glue, stickers, or even coloured sand/rice!
2.Paper Cup Lantern
Click on the image above for the video tutorial!
Materials needed:
- Fairy lights or any serial lights
- Paper cups
- Paint
- White glue
- Glitter glue
- Child-friendly scissors/ art and craft blade
- Tape
Steps:
- Paint the paper cups with colours of child’s choice.
- Draw Deepavali themed decorations on the cup.
- Trace the drawings with white/craft glue.
- Fill in the decorations with glitter glue. Let it dry.
- When the decorated cups are ready, poke a hole at the bottom of the cup and fit in the lights.
- Tape the lights in place.
3. Playdoh Kolam/Rangoli
Materials needed:
- Rangoli template
- Mahjong paper
- Pencil/modelling tools (to shape the playdoh)
- Playdoh of different colours
Steps:
- Draw a tracing of a Kolam/Rangoli on a mahjong paper using a template.
- Make shapes using the playdoh and fit into the Kolam/Rangoli template accordingly.
Check out another way to create Playdoh Rangoli!
4. Everglow Rangoli
Materials needed:
- Template
- Washi Tape
- Paint
Steps:
- Print the printable template of rangoli/ kolam
- Place washi tape (colourful tape from stationery stores) on the lines
- Use paint and go wild with your kids (hand painting, messy painting, feet tracing)!
- Wait until the paint is dry before removing the tape.
Cooking Activities
1. Sugee Cookies
(Recipe from food52)
Ingredients needed:
- Ghee
- All-purpose flour
- Sugee/fine semolina flour
- Caster sugar
- Salt
- Baking powder
Steps:
- Mix Ghee and sugar until combined.
- Mix in all dry ingredients until you can form a soft dough.
- Form the dough into balls and place them on a baking sheet
- Bake cookies in a preheated oven (165°C) for 13-16 mins.
- Let them cool completely and enjoy!
2. Doodh Peda
(Recipe from KidWorldCitizen)
Ingredients needed:
- Butter
- Condensed milk
- Milk Powder
- Cardamom Powder
- Spools/Cookie stamp/molds
Steps:
- Mix softened butter and condensed milk together
- Microwave it for 2 minutes, or until it bubbles
- Stir in the milk powder and cook for another minute
- Stir in Cardamom powder
- When the dough is not too hot to touch, roll it into balls and press in various designs using cookie stamps/molds/spools.
Song Time
Songs are a great way to engage in interactive play with your child with autism! Here are some Deepavali songs that you and your child can sing along together:
Story Time
For those who celebrate Deepavali and would like to learn more about this festival, here are some video stories of Deepavali that you could watch with your child!
We hope that you and your kid(s) will enjoy the activities above together and have an amazing celebration! Let’s stay safe and healthy through this season, and may the Diwali lights bring bright days, beautiful beginnings and fresh hopes to all!
Happy Deepavali from all of us at EAP!
REFERENCES:
- Rangoli/Kolam Template 1: http://www.getcoloringpages.com/coloring/188505
- Rangoli/Kolam Template 2: https://www.sparklebox.co.uk/6401-6410/sb6410.html
- Paper Cup Lantern Video Tutorial by Flintobox: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=324093948369025
- Playdoh Rangoli Video Tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSiuvJ9mML0
- Sugee Cookies Recipe: https://food52.com/recipes/82214-sugee-biscuits-recipe
- Doodh Peda Recipe: https://kidworldcitizen.org/try-these-easy-doodh-peda-indian-sweets-for-diwali/
- Chinnu Telugu Deepavali Kids Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9zg6j8zSko
- Deepavali Song 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTyC00K8-cg
- Happy Diwali Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkDHF-GRH_g
- Upin Ipin Pesta Cahaya Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vRoS8m_S9o
- Ramayana: Story of Diwali: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp59n0So-XE&t=207s
- Happy Diwali: Diwali Story for Kids: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQ-VIbZSKIo