Makar Sankranti, Lohri & Pongal activities for kids (with simple facts)
Mid-January brings a cluster of harvest festivals across India — kites in the sky, bonfires, and pots of rice boiling over. They are a wonderful chance to teach children about seasons, harvests and how different parts of India celebrate.
On this page
1. Simple facts for children
| Festival | Where | When | How it is celebrated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Makar Sankranti (Uttarayan in Gujarat) | Across India | Usually 14 January | Kite flying, til-gud, the Sun entering Makar rashi |
| Lohri | Punjab and nearby | Usually 13 January | Bonfire, songs, rewri, peanuts and popcorn |
| Pongal | Tamil Nadu | Four days in mid-January | Rice cooked with milk and jaggery until it boils over |
| Magh Bihu | Assam | Mid-January | Feasts and community bonfires |
All of them celebrate the harvest and the end of the coldest part of winter. Ask your child: “Why do farmers celebrate now?”
2. Kite activities
- Design a kite on paper with patterns and your name
- Make a mini kite from coloured paper and two broom sticks
- Kite maths: count, add and compare kites
- Kite maze: help the kite reach the sun
- Wind experiment: which paper shape flies best?
Kite design, a kite maze, kite maths and a festival match-up are part of the Winter Vacation Fun Pack. See the Winter Vacation Fun Pack →3. Festival food children can help with
- Rolling til-gud laddoos (a grown-up handles the hot jaggery)
- Mixing a peanut-and-popcorn Lohri snack
- Washing rice and adding jaggery to the Pongal pot (with supervision)
- Making no-cook date and nut laddoos
4. Lohri and Pongal activities
- Lohri story time around a (safe, distant) bonfire — tell the folk story of Dulla Bhatti
- Draw a kolam or rangoli with chalk or rice flour for Pongal
- Sugarcane art: draw and colour a sugarcane and Pongal pot
- Thank-you cards for farmers — talk about where food comes from
5. Kite safety
6. How to make a simple paper kite
- Cut a square of thin paper (about 30 cm) and turn it into a diamond.
- Tape a thin straight stick (or a broom stick) from the top corner to the bottom corner.
- Tape a second, slightly bent stick across from the left corner to the right corner.
- Make two small holes on the vertical stick, tie a short thread between them (the bridle) and attach the long string.
- Add a paper tail at the bottom for balance, then decorate it.
Small homemade kites fly best in a light, steady breeze — perfect for an open terrace with an adult.
7. Til-gud laddoo with children
A grown-up roasts the sesame (til) and melts the jaggery; children help with everything else.
- Dry-roast 1 cup of sesame seeds until they smell nutty. Let them cool.
- A grown-up melts ¾ cup jaggery with a spoon of ghee until it bubbles. (Hot jaggery burns — children stay back.)
- Mix in the sesame and roasted peanuts, then let it cool until it is just warm.
- With greased palms, children roll small laddoos.
In Maharashtra, people share til-gud saying “Til-gul ghya, god god bola” — take sweets and speak sweetly. A lovely message to talk about with children.
8. One festival, many names
| Region | Name |
|---|---|
| Gujarat | Uttarayan |
| Punjab | Maghi (after Lohri) |
| Uttar Pradesh & Bihar | Khichdi |
| Tamil Nadu | Pongal |
| Assam | Magh Bihu |
| Andhra Pradesh & Telangana | Sankranti (with Bhogi the day before) |
Make a “festival map”: draw India, mark each state and stick a small drawing of how it celebrates.
Questions parents ask
When is Makar Sankranti?
Usually on 14 January (occasionally 15 January), when the Sun enters Makar rashi (Capricorn).
What is the difference between Lohri and Makar Sankranti?
Lohri is celebrated the evening before, mainly in Punjab, with a bonfire. Makar Sankranti is celebrated across India the next day, often with kites and til-gud.
How is Pongal celebrated?
Pongal is a four-day harvest festival in Tamil Nadu. Rice is cooked with milk and jaggery until it boils over, and families draw kolams.
Is manja dangerous?
Glass-coated and nylon manja is banned because it injures people and birds. Use plain cotton thread and fly kites with an adult.
Winter Vacation Fun Pack — with Sankranti, Lohri & Pongal pages
74 printable pages · ages 4 to 9
- Christmas, New Year, Sankranti & Lohri pages
- Colouring, mazes, puzzles, maths and 3 kitchen experiments
- Crafts, games and 40 screen-free ideas
Print as many times as you like · Buy any 2 packs together and get 10% off