The tunes of “rang barse,” gulal and pichkari bring so much excitement to everyone irrespective of the age. Young children hop and run around and pick notorious ways to gun someone with their pichkarees. Here’s a list of things that can help you devise more fun ways to celebrate Holi.
Have a pep talk Why Holi?
A role play can be organised on mythological tales associated with Holi. The play can portray characters of Hiranyakashipu, Holika, Lord Narsimha and the little Prahlad. This will lead to better understanding of the significance of Holi in a play way method.
Take them to the Holika Dahan
The night before Holi, pyres are burn, where a piece of wood is put by everyone. You can encourage your child to participate in the puja by letting him contribute his piece of pyre. Ensure that the children stay at a safe distance from the bonfire. In addition to reinforcing the Holi story, this can serve as a reminder that one should be careful with fire. Alternately you can go for a fire free version of the holika dahan at home itself where you can even enact the story for the child.
Ground rules
Toddlers are always super-charged. They get super excited during celebrations when they see the hull-gulla around. In order to restrain them from falling or hurting themselves, brief them some Holi rules beforehand.
- No shooting pichkarees directly on the face
- ‘No’ to water balloons as they can cause injuries
- Choose lighter colours (as darker colours contain more harmful chemicals)
- Give a timeout – Limited time for the play
- Instruct to close his/her eyes and lips if someone applies colour on his/her face, or throws water towards him/her
- Maintain hydration by drinking water
- Avoid wet-dry-wet situation
- Use sunglasses to protect eyes from dusty air and sun
- Keep first aid kit handy
Use safe colours
As we get geared up to celebrate the festival of colours, it’s natural of parents to get apprehensive to use synthetic colours. Synthetic colours contain harmful ingredients which can cause skin irritation, allergies, hair loss, edema and erythema. Opt for organic colours even if they cost a little more. They are safer and do not irritate skin.
Protect skin and hair
Apply oil or sunscreen all over your child’s body (skin and hair) before he/she goes out to play Holi. Oil forms a protective layer on skin and will not allow colour to stick to body. It even eases removal of any colour stains. Tip to avoid nail staining – paint their finger and toe nails with transparent nail polish and clean them after a bath.
Dress appropriate
Dress your child in jersey linen which can easily strain the water and keep them dry. Also, try to make them wear full sleeved clothes and which are long on the legs so the exposed body are is limited.
Note – Kids should play Holi under adult supervision and away from frenzied mob
