My daughter is half-Indian so its important to me that she learns about the key celebrations from the culture. Diwali, the festival of light, is probably the most well-known among them. Cultural education is also considered a key pillar of the Montessori philosophy. In this post, I’ll share some of the best books and toys for toddlers I’ve found to celebrate Diwali and learn more about Indian culture at home.

The festival comes from the classic story of Rama and Sita and celebrates the triumph of good over evil. Thoughts of India more generally conjure up rich images of silks, spices, and bright beautiful colours. They also bring to mind colourful rangoli patterns and mandalas, intricate dress, and jewellery. Animals including elephants, tigers and peacocks also add to the fun when setting up a Diwali themed shelf.

On the shelf this week:

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Top of shelf:

• Tenderleaf toys peacock – a lovely, attractive toy which doubles as a colour learning tool. The peacock is the national animal of India so seems particularly fitting for Diwali week.
• Schleich tiger and Asian elephant add an extra element to the shelf as well as introducing the animals of India
• The Diwali sign is from Ginger Ray which I picked up on Amazon.
• Clay terrocota diya lamps which are traditionally lit to represent the triumph of light over dark, or good over evil during Diwali.

I also have small figures of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity and Ganesha, who is the overcomer of obstacles. Lakshmi is particularly important in Diwali. During Diwali, people practice Lakshmi Puja, which involves praying to her for wealth and prosperity.

Top shelf:

• Bangles on a dowel – a fun way to add a bit of Indian culture. I just slotted some Indian bangles onto the dowel of one of my toddler’s stackers. However, a kitchen roll holder will do just as well. Last year, she focused mastering the skill of placing the bangles onto the dowel. This year, she seems to prefer counting them as she puts them on.
• Tickit nuts and bolt twister – A nice, colourful practical life toy. It encourages the child to screw different shapes on and off.
• Wooden colour blocks from Kiwico’s Let’s Look panda crate
• Colourful threading beads from Plan Toys to practice hand eye co-ordination and making different patterns with the beads.
• Collection of play silks in wooden scarf keeper from Kiwico’s Let’s Listen panda crate.

Bottom shelf:

• A selection of Grapat mandala loose parts play pieces. I opted for the fire drops, rainbow flowers and rainbow snowflakes. I also used some of the Grimms rings and the Abel rewood mini block set.* I’ve put them all into an Ikea Trofast sorting tray to display on her shelf for her.

*If you want to get the Grapat pieces or Abel blocks from Babi Pur as I did, feel free to use my referral link for a discount.

I’ve only just introduced loose parts play to my toddler and let her imagination run wild. She uses them for everything from counting, filling up containers, and pretend cooking. I supervise her with them. I still worry because she might be a bit too young for some of the smaller pieces.

• Tickit gem cubes and mirror tray – This is a lovely set of 100 gem cubes. They look beautiful and inviting on the shelf. They can be used in various ways for colour learning and counting. You can also build and stack with them. They are also great for playing on the light box and mirror tray.
• Wooden stacking peg board from the Lovevery adventurer playkit.

Lovevery has a referral programme where we can both get £20 off a playkit if you are a new subscriber. Send me an email at empoweredmontessorimama@gmail.com and I’ll send you my referral code. This does not add you to any subscriber lists.

The shelf itself is from Lovevery and the bookcase is from Montessori and Me.

Our favourite books to celebrate Diwali:

Here are the links to the books I have invested in. I have enjoyed these books with my toddler over the last couple of years.

• It’s Diwali by Kabir Sehgal and Surishtha Sehgal – This is a delightful rhyming, counting adventure, guiding the reader through the main aspects of Diwali. We have five books by this mother-son author duo (three on this list) that are all beautifully illustrated and enjoyable.
• Rama and Sita: The story of Diwali by Malachy Doyle and Christopher Corr – This is an illustrated version of the classic tale behind the festival. Although it’s advertised for an older audience, I’ve had no issues reading it with my toddler. She is mesmerised by the bold, brightly coloured illustrations throughout.
• Mother Goose Goes to India by Kabir Sehgal and Surishtha Sehgal – This is a really beautiful book that takes some of our classic nursery rhymes and puts an Indian twist on them. Great fun and enjoyable to share with young children.
• Diwali (Celebrate the World) by Hanah Eliot – This is a lovely book explaining the main traditions during the five days of Diwali. We also have her Chinese New Year book and may get some of the others in future.
• Wheels on the Tuk Tuk by Kabir Sehgal and Suristha Sehgal – This is a fun take on the traditional Wheels on the Bus song with an Indian twist. Diwali is mentioned towards the end of the book: “Diwali fireworks go pop, pop, pop….” which led to my daughter (at 15 months old) referring to all fireworks as “pop pops” which was very sweet.
• Sita’s hike to the beach – This is actually a wordless picture book that comes as part of Lovevery’s level one reading skill set. It gives the opportunity for us to imagine what the story might be from the pictures alone, something a lot of toddlers probably do instinctively before they can read. My understanding is that the skillset won’t be available in Europe until 2025 but I did manage to get a set via the US and we’ve been enjoying the games and activities so far.
• Baby’s first Diwali – This was the first one I got for my baby when she was only 3 months old. Now at two, she still enjoys looking at the photos and naming the Diwali related objects.
• Nyra’s Diwali by Lovevery – This is a new release and follows Nyra as she tries to complete a beautiful Rangoli in time for Diwali. She navigates a series of challenges such as spilling the rice, or having a younger brother mess up her pattern. It introduces language to describe disappointment and worry which I’ve noticed my toddler using since we started to read this. Like all Lovevery books, this one has real life images which my daughter seems to find engaging and relatable.
• My little book of Lakshmi – This lovely little board book series (currently under £5 per book) introduces the main Indian deities. This one about the goddess Lakshmi is particularly suitable for Diwali since Lakshmi Puja – the practice of praying to her for weallth and prosperity- is a traditional part of Diwali celebrations.
• Ganesha’s sweet tooth by Sanjay Patel – This is a fun story of the Indian deity Ganesha where he accidentally breaks off his tusk whilst eating a giant Laddoo. He then realises he can use the tusk to help a wise poet transcribe the epic poem of Indian literature, the Mahabharata. The illustrations are unusual and striking.
• Illustrated stories from India – This book is obviously too old for a toddler but I tend to read the stories while my daughter plays so she can absorb the language. It’s also nice for me to hear traditional tales from other cultures as well.
• My little book of Ganesha – Another one in the board book series, this tells the story of Ganesha and his brother as they race around the world. It’s has a lovely meaning with a focus on family love. It is brightly illustrated and engaging for little ones.

Another fun crinkle book I bought for my daughter as a baby is the Nursery Times Animals of India. It’s colourful and fun and uses simple rhyming language. I actually learned something as well!

I also own some more general books on celebrations around the world which are great to bring out during a variety of celebrations.

• DK Celebrations around the world – Perhaps more suitable for older children but gives a good explanation of various global traditions with lovely illustrations throughout.
• Little Glow by Katie Sahota and Harry Woodgate – uses rhyming language to follow a glowing light around the world as it is used in various celebrations. We really enjoy this one.
• Let’s Celebrate! Special days around the world by Kate DePalma – This is from Barefoot Books and uses simple language and bright illustrations to describe global festivities. It also has some handy fact boxes at the end to help the adult who may be less familiar with the tradition.

Last year I dyed several batches of plain rice. I used food colouring and lemon juice to make a sensory bin for my daughter (then 15months old). I added some scoopers from Inspire My Play and different sized vessels to fill and empty. My daughter enjoyed it, though the rice did end up everywhere in the house. Other ideas might be smelling various Indian spices or introducing some Indian flavours to your young children.

I plan to take her to some local celebrations. She can see live Indian dancing, dhol drumming, and a lantern parade. I like to take the opportunity to bring what we’ve learned at home to life for her. I try to do this in any way I can. This is both local and free which is an added bonus.

I would love to hear about any other great books or toys for toddlers on the theme of Diwali. I’m also interested in activities related to it for future years…