I made the quiz! It needs quite a bit of refinement, but if you are willing to test it out, please do so.
Holi Coloring Pages for Children {Free Printables}
Here are few Holi coloring pages I created that you can download and print for free! These are great for children 1.5 year and older. Of course, the older they are, the more they will enjoy these.
If you want to do more activities with kids, I created a roundup list too. Will continue to update that as I find more.
This is my first time making a proper coloring page so I hope you enjoy them. Let me know what you would like to see more of too!
PS – Feel free to share the website link with friends but don’t upload the images to your website.
10 Fun Holi Projects to do with Kids
Spring is here! Flowers are blooming. Pollen is attacking us (I can’t be certain I will survive this season of allergies) and kids everywhere are waiting for the Easter Bunny.
But there is something more exciting than the Easter Bunny. And that’s Holi! होली!
Photograph: Steven Gerner, Flickr, wikipedia
Holi is the celebration of the end of winter and the beginning of spring – the beginning of new things to come. Like many other Hindu holidays, Holi is also the celebration of good over evil. On the eve of Holi, known as Holika Dahan, we lit bonfires. The bonfire represents the demon goddess Holika who is burned with the help of God Vishnu. By lighting a bonfire and making prayers, we cleanse our own souls of the internal demons battling inside.
On the next day, Holi, we celebrate by throwing powdered colors (gulal) in the forms of water guns (pichkaris), balloons, or by hands. It’s a way for little children and adults to have fun and be little again.
In some communities, it’s a day to unwind by doing bhaang, a marijuana drink or getting high. Seriously!
Either way, Holi is loads of fun and is celebrated in many different ways across India. Both Hindus, and non-Hindus, mainly Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists take part in the fun.
On all good holidays, Holi is full of food as well. Lots of sweets and goodies.
To celebrate Holi with little kids, I’ve put together a list of fun projects and books to enjoy with them.
Holi Cookies
Love, Laugh, Mirch – has super cute splatter sugar cookies your kids will love to make.
Sketchy Desi made colored sugared cookes with crystallized sugar over on brown girl mag.
Download and Printables
The Playful Indian – has two sheets to print out for the kids. The color by numbers is great for older kids, but no matter, all ages can enjoying coloring in.
I created a few printables on my Holi downloads page. It’s the first time I’m making them, so be nice!
Arts and Craftsy Mom made a few printables along with other craft suggestions for the younger kids.
What better way to celebrate Holi than with splatter paint!
Make Your Own Holi Powder
Essentially you can make a type of sidewalk paint that can wash off from your garden and yard.
You have two ways of making sidewalk paint:
1. Cornstarch and food coloring – You’ll need a few large containers of cornstarch and food coloring. Mix a few drops of coloring into 2 cups of cornstarch. If you mix this with water, you get “paint” which the kids can do on the sidewalk or driveway.
Fair warning, this mixture may not come out easily from concrete pavers because of their porous surface. Test it out first before letting the kids go wild.
2. Smashed Chalk – Grab a few crayola chalk boxes (I recommend at least 4 color boxes), smash them up, and the let the kids go wild. Since these chalks have already been tested on just about every surface a small child can find, they will wash out easily.
To make it more, give you kids small mallets and let them smash the chalk. Then move the powder to bowls. To make it easy to transfer, lay down paper on the ground (do it outside!), then let the kids smash the chalk on the paper. You can then lift the paper and easily transfer to a bowl.
Again, if you add water to the chalk powder, you get “paint”, a second win for the little ones to go wild.
Books
Let’s Celebrate Holi! Book 3 of the series, Let’s Celebrate Holi is a fun introduction to the holiday.
Festival of Colors – Created by mother/son duo Surishtha Sehgal and Kabir Sehgal.
Amma Tell Me About Holi! – Also available in Hindi, this illustrious book is another good read for young children. The rhyming is a bit forced, and sometimes awkward in places, so you may need to find your own substitutions.
Holi Hai!
7 Tips to Survive Solo Parenting
First off, to all the single moms and single dads out there, I bow to you. You don’t have a choice to parent alone, but you deserve a peace prize for doing it.
Every time I parent alone for the week, I am tired, and a little nutty by the end. And it is not the parenting part that drives me crazy, it is the lack of conversation and interaction with another person, an adult person.
This is my first round of solo parenting while having two kids AND being pregnant. Last time I solo parented, I technically was pregnant, but had no idea. Hahaha. That doesn’t count.
Since I have 45 minutes right now of continued silence before the evening chaos begins, I put together a survival guide for solo parenting.
Make simple dinners – The odd part when my spouse is out of town, there is less pressure to make more meaty, adult meals. Listen, I am content to eat cereal or oatmeal or bagels for dinner. For at least one meal in the week is one of those things (the kids think it is amazing). Another night we do quesadillas (cheese+beans+tortillas and avocados – done!). We will also eat rice, yogurt, and dal (lentil curry) as the classic Indian dahi bath dal. To be honest, there will be an anti-pasta night full of fruit, nuts, cheeses, meats, and bread and a repeat night.
Whatever it is, it has to be fast. As soon as we get home, the kids are hungry. So I make sure to have dinner within 15 minutes. And all these meals can be prepped in 15 min or less. With the exception of dal, that takes 25 minutes in the Instant Pot.
Rotate toys – Bring out the “new” old toys! The kids will have a blast they get something new to play with and you’ll kill 25 seconds. Just kidding, 25 minutes. Or am I?
Pray for good weather – Since I cannot control the weather, I’ll pray that the weather gods shine down sun and reasonably warm temperatures. This way, as soon as we get home, I can kick the kids out of the house to play in the backyard while dinner is made.
Plan an activity – If you have time, and ONLY if you have time, plan an activity. By plan an activity, I mean going to the park, or visiting the farmers market. Nothing fancy, just something to get out of the house.
Allow for a movie night – We do a movie night on Friday, especially when the weather is terrible. The kiddos are still little so a movie for them is some sort of BBC nature documentary. Toddlers love animals. BAM. Here is a whole movie on turtles. If they want to watch something, they see The Great British Baking Show (quality programming) or Grand Designs with me.
Keep a glass of wine handy – How I would love a glass of wine right now! And by glass, I mean teaspoon because my tolerance has gone down ever since having kids. If wine is not your thing, then pull out your teacup and favorite tea, and drink in peace. You only get to do this after bedtime.
Take a long bath – Not you. Sorry! Them. The small things. If your kids love baths, let them take the longest bath possible without them turning into raisins. You kill 30 minutes.
Lots of books and hugs – Snuggle all together and read books before bedtime. Read lots of books. Fall asleep together even. If you are like me, you’ll be asleep by 9PM too.
And come the day your spouse returns, plan a massage and retreat for yourself. You did it!
Hinduism, Swastikas, and Children
It’s a symbol that we find daily in our lives as Hindus, Jains, and even secular Indians. Thousands of years old, spanning cultures and continents, the swastika has been a symbol of goodness, wishing evil away, and inviting the good spirits.
The irony then, one of our most auspicious and defining symbols as a Hindu was STOLEN, PILLAGED, and RAPED by a group of people bent on waging total war to eradicate an entire religion, groups of people, and anyone in their way.
I don’t remember when I first learned about the swastika, but I remember when I mentioned in grade school that it was a holy symbol, I was a called “Nazi”, an anti-Semite, and was nearly outcasted by classmates. It was the 1990s when the first generation of Indians in America were growing and attending public schools and learning to balance their lives as American Desis.
For a community of people that stays relativity out of the limelight in the US, and being known as doctors and engineers, we were on the front lines. We were targeted, we were screamed at and we were confused. How could an entire country not even know that while the swastika was used by the Nazis, it is also the defining symbol of Hinduism? As it turned out, Americans possessed zero education on world religions, let alone poor education on the geographic location of India itself.
My son is only three years old and his religious awareness is limited because both my husband and I are secular. However, we have a toran on our door where swastikas can be found, occasionally attend temple, and read books on the Hindu gods (cute stories) that all have the swastika. He hasn’t asked me yet, but when he does, what do I say? When he does he become old enough to learn of the evils in the world that stole our precious symbol and attempted to destroy another civilization at the same time?
It’s all rhetorical right now, but I would love to hear your thoughts on how you educated your children on the swastika and how they can effectively deal with ignorance and anger around them.
B&B’s Favorite Toys for One Year Old Babies
Finding toys for your one year old is a daunting task. Their personality is just blooming and you don’t quite know what their likes and dislikes; although clearly from their tantrums, they HAVE opinions.
With two children in tow and speaking to a lot of moms, here are my favorite toys. They are non battery operated (except for the piano) and foster creativity, innovation and independent play.
Cheer’s to baby’s first birthday and hoping they love these gifts!
PS: These are affiliate links. I may make a small commission (that doesn’t affect your cost) that keeps this site alive. Thank you! <3
Melissa and Doug Pounding Bench
Nothing beats pounding the daylights out of something. And you know your young toddler will go nuts for beating something – legitimately!
Push Prams
Several brands make push carts and strollers. Pick the one that fits your budget. On the easy wallet side, there is IKEA (though the cart itself is small) and Brio. For wood based strollers/prams, there is Moover ($177) and HABA ($149), both on the more expensive side.
You should also stop a Home Goods store and see what is in store in the toy section. I found several wooden push carts/prams for under $50; what a steal!
Baby Piano
If you have space for a small Yamama type keyboard, go for it. We have the Fisher Price Baby Grand Piano – it is absolutely silly but a LOT of fun. The music it plays isn’t annoying and you can flip the switch to play pre-recorded music or music notes. For something a bit more mature and more minimalist, the Melissa and Doug 25 key set is nice.
Tupperware
There, I said it. Find the tupperware or yogurt containers that you don’t want anymore and create a space in YOUR kitchen for them. This is the key, you need to sacrifice a cupboard to your toddler. They feel they get to be part of the kitchen while you get to interact with them. It’s a win win. I store unloved tupperware, a few old pans and spatulas we don’t use anymore in our shelf space.
Dresser Drawers
Again, it doesn’t take much to entertain a young toddler. They are on their feet for the *first time ever* and using those feet mean exploring! We have several dressers in the house (ALWAYS bolt them to the wall) and we keep two drawers available for the little one. Each drawer is in a dresser in a different room. This provides ample opportunity to move things from drawer to another, while working on gross and fine motor skills (opening, closing, picking up, walking, placing/throwing items).
I think my baby spent three months walking back and forth between the rooms just opening and closing the drawers. Be sure to keep an eye for safety reasons (climbing in) and for when your phone disappears (true story).
Grimm’s Large 12-Piece Rainbow Stacker
This unassuming rainbow wood stacking blocks is magical. At first, we didn’t know what to do with it. Soon, we figured out how to stack them, mix them with other toys, and create art pieces. Made in Germany of solid wood, this is a present that will last years.
Montessori Infant Coin Box
This teaches a baby about object permanence. Your little one is well on the way of understanding object permanence, this coin box helps reinforce that idea. If you want to be very budget friendly, grab a shoe box, cut a hole and use a few blocks. Baby will go nuts! If you are feeling inspired by Montessori education, check out my post on Montessori toys for 0-4 years old.
Ball Run
Dropping a ball and watching it go down tracks doesn’t sound like the most exciting thing, unless you are a baby, then it is THE MOST EXCITING THING EVER. When looking for ball runs, make sure you find one that is age appropriate for age 1+. Most ball runs are in fact marble runs, and they are not safe for babies. My favorite ball runs that are for one year and up (but please double check before buying) are the Hape Derby Track, HABA build your ball run, Battat – Pound & Roll tower, and the Hape Switchback Racer (age: 18 months+).
Magna-Tiles Clear Colors 74 Piece Set
On the pricey side, magna tiles are awesome. Build in three dimension with triangles, rectangles, square, and trapezoids. A classic STEM/STEAM toy, your toddler, and their friends, will love these. For a budget friendly version, you can buy the off-brand tiles.
Knob Puzzles
Large and easy for small hands, the Melissa and Doug knob puzzles are a great way to get your little one started on the world of puzzles. Teach them about matching, animals, and shapes. My kids got into them around 15 months even though they were introduced them at 10 months, it was mostly throwing at that age.
Books:
Flip books
Any book that has flaps or lift up features will be a hit. Something about them enthralls young toddlers. Matthew Van Fleet books are always a hit, Moo, Dog, Cat, and Fuzzy Yellow Ducklings (so loved by my children it is in pieces, hehehe!) are just a few of his most popular.
Richard Scarry’s Cars and Trucks and Things That Go
by Richard Scarry
A classic paper book with all sorts of crazy cars, trucks, buses, and boats. For a baby, you can get the
Cars and Trucks, from A-Z.
I will keep updating this list as time goes. For now, I hope you enjoy! If you have a favorite toy (rather your baby does), post below.
Essential International Packing Travel List: 3.5 Year Old Toddler 1 Year Old Baby
This is THE list if you are packing for small creatures. I’m still working on packing lists for different ages, though for you, I got you covered for a one year old baby and a 3.5 year old toddler.
The list is long, but it covers everything I could think of when packing. Everything. There are definitely items that are annoying to carry (extra medicine mainly) but you never know when you’ll need them. And of course if you don’t pack them, you’ll absolutely need them!
I included my favorite toys, essentials like diapers and wipes, medicine, extras, clothes and safety. You will need to think of the type of weather and location to make final decisions. Rainy weather = rain boots and raincoats. Winter weather = legging layers, snow boots, gloves, hat. You get the idea.
I use this packing list as my guide when traveling internationally to India and Sweden, but you can apply it anywhere for young children.
DOWNLOAD THE CHECKLIST PDF! Easy to print checklist for you.
HAND LUGGAGE:
Toddler:
Headphones
2-3 emergency diapers (even if your child is potty train you never know when you might them)
2 undies
1 pair pants
1 top
1 sweater
Toddler backpack
Toddler rolling back – optional but can be fun. Be prepared when toddler is tired, you will have to carry the bag.
1 blanket
1 neck pillow
2 packs stickers
1 plain notebook
Crayons
Markers
Favorite stuffed toy – if your kid has one, take it!
Water ink set from Melissa and Doug
Reusable water bottle
Duplos – a car, couple people or animals, few blocks
OR
Few wooden animal toys – always a success
Snacks – see below
Baby:
5 hours per diaper x trip length + 4 extra =
2 wipes packages (75 count) = I prefer two packages instead of giant package because if I lose the giant package, I have no more wipes!
1 warm outfit
2 pairs socks
Favorite stuffed toy
Duplo car and some people or animals
Reusable water bottle
Parental unit – Mom or Dad
Extra top
Headphones
Adult tylenol
Hairbrush
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Mouthwash
Hand sanitizer
Lotion/hand cream
Snacks:
Puffs – Cheerios or the like
Saltine crackers – Seriously, your life will thank you
Fresh fruit – this will help you on the first leg of the journey when fresh fruit is at a premium at 38,000 feet. Blueberries, bananas, and mandarin/clementine oranges are the least messy.
Bars – Larabar, granola bar, nature’s bar…whatever your children love.
Animal crackers – this is treat and a BIG hit for both kids.
Baby food pouches – even if your kids are no longer into those fruit, veggie pouches, take some! You never know when you will need them and you never know when there is a dearth of food options. I pack 6 pouches for a 36 hour door-to-door trip (three pouches/kid).
Candy – no, stop it. I know you and the children are going on a special trip but the last thing you need to do is offer sugar to them. There is nothing worse then giving young children a sugar high and no where to run it off! If you must, pack the candy for yourself in your purse.
Medicine:
The list below is a total hit or miss. If your children are not sick, then all is well and you do not need anything from below. If they get sick while traveling or are already sick, well, best to have everything with you! Remember, once you are on the plane, no one is giving you baby medicine to deal with fevers, coughing, etc.
Gripe water
Petroleum jelly
Ibuprofen
Baby Benadryl
Baby Tylenol/
CHECKED LUGGAGE
I am excluding all parent packing here and focusing on the kids only. Consider how many days your trip is (including travel time) and whether you will have access to laundry.
Baby potty – a Potette or something similar
Baby seat – if your younger one needs assistance at sitting at the table. I love the Fisher Price portable one. It does take up space in the suitcase though!
1 pack new crayons
1 pack new markers
3-5 small, favorite books – pick books your kids love and ones that you will tolerate for the entire duration of the trip. Seriously.
Moving vehicles – one per child
Extra Duplo – so they can keep building!
3-4 sticker sets – the dollar bin at Target or Michael’s is your best friend
Inflatable balls – compact and will endlessly entertain your younger one.
Baby diapers – Count 5 diapers/day x days of the trip. Add 3 days extra of diapers in case of delays or heaven forbid, illness!
Wipes – We average 15 wipes/day (yes, I have counted), but it depends on your usage. Wipes are usually easy to find and if you do not have any, wet paper towels work just as well.
Extra medicine
Extra snacks – for the trip home and back up on your travels.
Baby thermometer
Baby nail cutter
Sunblock
N95 masks – especially useful if you are going somewhere with higher pollution levels
Pedialyte – In case the kids get very sick and you need to give them electrolyes
Clothes:
Clothing is highly dependent on the weather of your destination. Cold weather means more clothes because of layering and gear. Gloves, snow shoes, hats, and even snow suits maybe needed. On the flip side, if the destination is rainy or in the rainy season, pack rain jackets and rain boots – they are impossible to find at any store last minute (yea, I’ve looked!)
For your toddler, let him/her help with choosing clothes. You will of course finalize the items, but let them pick their favorite tops, bottoms, undies and socks. They will be thrilled and they get to be part of the process. This is also a great learning and development opportunity for them (very Montessori friendly), don’t miss out on it.
Where Have I Been?
Where have I been? You must be wondering. It’s been a few months since I last posted and while I had no shortage of things to write, I was uninspired to write. Blogger’s block you could say.
I also have been struggling with how much to share of my children’s faces. In the age of data mining and selling, I don’t know if I want to share their most adorable faces with the internet. Maybe I am being over paranoid, or maybe not (are you listening Alexa?). For now, I will keep their faces to a minimum, but will still share photos of their fabulous hair.
I have also been struggling on what direction to take this blog. Do I want to focus on finding my Indian identity as an American woman raising Indo-Swedish children? Or do I want to talk about international travel? Or toys? (dammit why do I love toys so much! And why do they always make such a mess!). Or food? (I bought an Instant Pot – it is the BEST SHIT EVER).
Anyway, I made a poll below. It takes 2 seconds to fill it out, so fill it out! Pick your favorite two from the list.
Loading ...Toodles for now, let’s see where we go.
The Ultimate Resource List of South Asian Toys, Books & Inspiration for Children
Sneak peek draft! Looking for books or toys that celebrate being South Asian? Whether you are Indian or Pakistani or Sri Lankan, the market for high quality products for our children is exploding.
This is my resource list of books, publishers, and educational toys for the desi baby. If you have a recommendation or a brand, comment or email me.
FTC Disclosure: These are some affiliate links and I make a small commission if you buy through them (and it does not affect your price!). Buying through them means you help support this blog to continue to produce fabulous content. Namaskar.
Books & Publishers:
Twinkle Twinkle, Diwali Lights
Meet My Hindu Gods
My First Indian Coloring book
Krishna & Friends puzzle
10 Noisy Rickshaws
Indian truck and rickshaw stickers
Desi Babies
Twinkle Twinkle, Diwali Lights
Meet My Hindu Gods
My First Indian Coloring book
Krishna & Friends puzzle
10 Noisy Rickshaws
Indian truck and rickshaw stickers
Bharat Books
Always Anjali
Sarla in the Sky
Ganesh and the Little Mouse
Indian Alphabet
Studio Yali
A Puzzling Tour of India – Studio Yali
Take a bewildering trip through India that will have you winding your way through Assam’s tea estates, putting together a snake boat race in Kerala, and hunting for antiques at Mumbai’s Chor Bazaar. Just don’t get lost along the way!
Auge: 6 years+
Wanderlust: A Coloring Journal – Studio Yali
A Coloring Journal features 25 gorgeous scenes from lesser-known regions in India with travel notes by the artist, making this book an unforgettable tour of one of the most colorful places in the world.
Age: 10 years+
Hena Khan
Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns, I had no idea how big she was, I was just fueling my desi obsession. She has a new book on shapes, Crescent Moons and Pointed Minarets, as well as books on Ramadan and holidays, Night of the Moon, It’s Ramadan, Curious George
Meenal Patel Studio – Illustrator and author Meenal does prints and books. Local to San Francisco Bay Area.
Neela Goes to San Francisco.
Diwali, Celebrate the World Series – Board Book
My Diwali Coloring Book
Age: 4+, 24 pages
Education & Toys:
Toka Box – Curated education boxes for older toddlers and young children.
Age: 3-5 years old, 5-7 years old
Language learning:
Sanskar Teaching – Learn Gujarati online with live and recorded classes. For children to adults.
Bolo Bolo Baby – Gujarati and Hindi Montessori inspired learning for children three years and up.
Hindi alphabet blocks – Uncle Goose
Gnaana alphabet blocks – Gnaana
A is for Anaar: My First Hindi Alphabet Book – Gnaana
More to come!
Best Ways to Learn Gujarati For Parents & Children
My life has always been a linguistic mess. My parents spoke English to me, to each other they spoke Marathi and my mother spoke Gujarati, English, Marathi, and Hindi.
Not to mention my years of learning French and living in Sweden speaking Swedish, it’s a giant language mess!
Flash forward to today where we speak Swedish and English at home. I have never been a fluent, or even high level speaker of my native Indian language (regrets abound there), which means my children have limited exposure.
The last few months though I have been looking around for ways to improve my Gujarati, my mother’s language. Googling didn’t get me anywhere and the few books I have on hand are boring, pedantic, and literally not-colorful. I began searching on Instagram. Not by hashtags, but by following friends of friends.
Yes, that’s how desperate I was to find a way to learn Gujarati as a foreigner.
And this led me to the jackpot. First, I found Sanskar Teaching. Vaishali is India born and moved to the US while in high school. This is important because she understands how we learn in the US (not by route memorization) and can pull from creative teaching styles.
She offers live online classes for children (and adults!) as well as, go at your pace Gujarati classes. To supplement there are flash cards and games (see my review on them) and digital downloads. You can also join the email newsletter and receive loads of freebies. Currently available are bhajans for children!
The second person I met on Instagram, whom I don’t know personally but am in complete awe of her, is Sage_ness. Sejal is a Indian American Gujarati mom of four children and raises them in a fully immersed Montessori Gujarati life.
Yes, Montessori teaching in Gujarati. She focuses on how have a Montessori home through the eyes of an Indian family. You can find Hindi and Gujarati sandpaper letters, color wheel, and even a make your own Diwali rangoli.
Both Sanskar Teaching and Sage-Ness are a great place to start your language immersion into Gujarati. Find them on Instagram and their websites to get started on your Gujarati language journey.