Celebrating the Winter Solstice with Kids

I have to admit that winter makes my grumpy. I’m cold all the time (despite being covered in handknits most of the time) and the fact that it gets dark so early annoys me. I feel like there’s no evening, even though it’s the same length it always was, it’s just dark.

The good news is that the winter solstice is coming on Dec. 21. That day marks the shortest day and longest night of the year, meaning that starting after that we start, ever so slowly, to get our light back.

That’s something worth celebrating, right?

Check out this list of children’s books about the solstice from Rhythms of Play, as well as her great collection of winter solstice activities. I love the idea of having a special feast by candlelight to celebrate the impending return of the sun.

That second post also has some information about what the solstice is; if you want more information Wikipedia has a surprisingly good page on the winter solstice.

And if you happen to be in the Southern Hemisphere, looking to celebrate the summer solstice instead, Nell has got you covered there, too.

[Photo via Rhythms of Play.]

As if Diwali weren’t colorful and fun enough, The Festival of Lights: A Lift-the-flap Diwali Celebration by Namita Moolani Mehra, illustrated by Darshika Varm, makes it even more fun to read about with flaps and things to lift and pull to see more information or details in the illustrations.

The book is a story about a family getting ready for Diwali and what happens on the different days of the five-day celebration. There’s cleaning, shopping, crafting, food preparation and getting the home altar ready for the big day.

It covers decorating the outside of the house with rangoli, diyas and lanterns, buying sweets to share with family and friends, the sights and scents of the mandir (home temple), getting dressed up in new fancy clothes, the story of Diwali and celebrations with relatives.

Flaps (there are more than 140 in all) give you vocabulary words for different foods and definitions, as well as fun things like what’s inside the shopping basket or where the cat is hanging out. They also help illuminate the story of Diwali, which is the triumph of good over evil as Lord Ram defeated the demon Ravana to save his wife, Sita.

This pretty and colorful book helps kids understand what Diwali is and how it is celebrated, regardless of whether they practice it at home. This would be a nice book to keep in a classroom (it’s rated for kids ages 3-7) or to have at home to teach kids about Diwali even if it’s not something you celebrate. Where I live there are a lot of people from India so we are probably exposed to Diwali more than some other regions of America, but it’s a nice holiday to know about wherever you live.

Combine with the book Diwali and check out some fun lantern crafts and printables for kids to round out your experience.

About the book: 24 pages, hardcover, published 2025 by Wide Eyed Editions. Suggested retail prices $22.99.

Have you read?

Leave a Reply