Kidsby CodingMarble

Week 9: Festivals and the world त्योहार और दुनिया

By four, children notice that people look, speak, eat and celebrate differently, and they take their attitude to those differences from the adults around them. Festivals, greetings, music and flags are the friendliest door into "different is interesting, not strange."

For grown-ups बड़ों के लिए

Ten words to use this week

festival lamp drum flag country hello dance sweet world friend

Use them in your home language first. A word heard twenty times in real moments — at the sink, on the road, at dinner — sticks far better than a word drilled twenty times in a row. You do not need to teach; you only need to talk.

Three things to say

  • "They say hello a different way. Shall we try it?"
  • "What do we do at our festival? What do you think they do at theirs?"
  • "Which instrument makes this sound?" Tap a pan, shake some rice.

This week on the site

Golu's Day picks from these automatically, one short session a day. If you would rather choose yourself, here is everything for the week.

Picture books (7)

Songs to sing (6)

Games (7)

Off the screen (6)

The part that matters most. One of these in the week is plenty.

The same theme at different ages

A two-year-old is collecting names: point, say the word, wait, and celebrate any attempt to say it back. A three- to four-year-old is ready to sort and compare — which is bigger, which go together, which one does not belong. A five- to six-year-old wants reasons: ask "why do you think…?" and "what would happen if…?", and let them explain it to a younger child or a grandparent. If you have two children at different ages, the older one teaching the younger is the best lesson either will get this week.

A simple rhythm for the week

You do not need a timetable, but a loose shape helps on tired days. Here is one that fits around school and work; move anything anywhere.

  • Day 1 — open the theme. Read Diwali lights together, twice. The second reading is where the words go in.
  • Day 2 and 3 — play. Let Golu's Day choose, or pick a game from the list above. Fifteen minutes, then stop while it is still fun.
  • Day 4 — sing and move. Learn Lights Everywhere well enough to sing it without the screen — in the bath, on the stairs, in the car.
  • Day 5 — hands. Try guess what is inside. Expect mess; mess is the lesson working.
  • Weekend — the real world. Try cooking or tasting one dish from another region or country, and finding that place on a map. This is the day the week's words stop being screen words.
  • Last day — tell it back. Ask your child to tell someone what they did this week. Retelling is how short-term memory becomes long-term, and it costs nothing.

Missed three days? Nothing is lost. The themes come round again, and a relaxed week with two good conversations beats a full one done through gritted teeth.

What to notice

Does your child talk about a festival they remember? Join in music with their body? Ask questions about people who look or speak differently — which is healthy curiosity, not rudeness?

These are things to notice, not things to test. Children develop in bursts and at very different speeds, and a skill that is missing this month often appears overnight the next. If a worry stays with you for a few months, that is reason enough to mention it to your child's doctor or teacher.

If this week is hard

When a child says something blunt about someone's skin, clothes or language in public, do not hush them in embarrassment. Answer plainly and warmly: "Yes, people are lots of different colours. Isn't that nice?" Shushing teaches that difference is shameful.

The other weeks

This is week 9 of twelve in the weekly plan for parents. The weeks run in a loop and each age band meets different games inside the same theme, so the second time round — three months later — your child is doing harder things with familiar words. Next week: Plants and little science.

Now do it for real

When the screen goes off, do something with your hands. Try 🧼 Why we wash with soap — an easy science experiment for ages 3-6, with every step read aloud in your language. You will need a plate of water, a pinch of black pepper or haldi, soap on one finger; nothing that needs a trip to a shop.

There are 56 more on the things to do at home page, and free printable worksheets if you would rather have something on paper. Ten minutes on a screen and twenty minutes off it is a good shape for a day at this age.

Week 9: Festivals and the world: questions parents ask

What should my child learn about festivals and the world?
Does your child talk about a festival they remember? Join in music with their body? Ask questions about people who look or speak differently — which is healthy curiosity, not rudeness?
How much time should we spend each day?
About fifteen minutes on the screen with Golu's Day, and as much real-world talk and play as your day allows. For children aged 2 to 5 the WHO suggests no more than an hour of screen time a day, with a grown-up alongside.
Do we have to follow the weeks in order?
No. The order is a suggestion. If your child is mad about vehicles this month, start there; interest is the best teacher there is.