Ganesh Chaturthi, also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi, is one of India’s most joyful and widely celebrated festivals. It honors Lord Ganesha, the beloved elephant-headed god of wisdom, prosperity, and new beginnings. Every year, homes and streets come alive with colors, music, lights, and devotion as families welcome Lord Ganesha into their homes.
For children, this festival offers a wonderful opportunity to learn about tradition while expressing creativity through art, crafts, and fun family activities. From making eco-friendly idols to decorating pandals and preparing sweets, there are endless ways to involve kids in the celebration.
So, let’s make this festival even more special with 21 Ganesh Chaturthi crafts and activities for kids, designed to spark creativity, joy, and devotion.
📅 When is Ganesh Chaturthi in 2025?
In 2025, Ganesh Chaturthi will be celebrated on Wednesday, 27th August 2025, and the grand Ganesh Visarjan (immersion ceremony) will take place on Saturday, 6th September 2025.
These ten days are filled with devotion, prayer, and celebration — a perfect time to teach kids about faith, family values, and the importance of sustainable celebration.
🌸 1. Make Your Own Clay Ganesha Idol
Encourage your kids to sculpt their own eco-friendly Ganesha idol using clay, mud, or natural materials like turmeric and multani mitti (Fuller’s earth). Avoid plaster of Paris idols and teach the value of protecting nature.
Add details like a crown, trunk decorations, and ornaments using rice grains, beads, or flowers. It’s a meaningful craft that connects creativity with spirituality.
🪷 2. Ganesha Mask Craft
Create fun Lord Ganesha masks using paper plates or cardboard. Cut out the trunk and big ears, color them with orange and gold, and add sequins or bindis. Kids can wear these during prayers or a mini “Ganesh aarti” play at home.
🕉️ 3. Decorate the Ganesha Pandal (Platform)
The pandal or platform where the idol is placed is central to the festival. Kids can help by decorating it with flowers, fairy lights, paper garlands, or hand-painted rangoli designs. Encourage them to use recycled materials and natural elements like leaves and coconut shells for a green Ganesh Chaturthi.
🌼 4. Flower Garland Making
Teach children how to make simple flower garlands (mala) using marigolds, jasmine, or even paper flowers. These can be offered to Lord Ganesha every morning during the puja. It’s a soothing and creative bonding activity.
🎨 5. Ganesha Coloring Pages
Print out Ganesha-themed coloring pages and let kids fill them with bright shades of red, orange, yellow, and gold. It’s a calm, meditative activity that keeps younger children engaged while adults prepare for the puja.
🪔 6. DIY Modak Craft with Clay
Since Modak is Lord Ganesha’s favorite sweet, kids can make pretend modaks from clay or playdough. Paint them gold or silver and arrange them in a small thali (plate). Along with real modaks later, this adds a decorative touch to your festive setup.
🍬 7. Cook Real Modaks Together
Turn the kitchen into a joyful classroom! Teach your kids how to make traditional steamed modaks or simple chocolate modaks. Let them mix ingredients, shape the modaks, and offer them to Ganesha before enjoying the treat together
🌿 8. Eco-Friendly Ganesha Immersion
If you make a clay Ganesha at home, plan a small eco-friendly immersion ceremony. Fill a large pot or bucket with water, chant prayers, and immerse the idol respectfully. Afterward, use the dissolved clay to plant a tree or flowers — a symbolic act of renewal.
🪶 9. Make Ganesha’s Throne
Help your kids create a mini throne (sinhasan) for Lord Ganesha using cardboard, cloth, or small boxes. Paint it gold or silver, add paper jewels, and make it look royal. Place your clay idol on this homemade throne to add a personal touch to your decor.
☂️ 10. Ganesha’s Umbrella Craft
Make a cute umbrella (chatra) for your idol using colored paper or fabric. Use straws or sticks for handles and decorate with small bells or beads. Kids will love making this mini accessory to shield Lord Ganesha in style!
🪔 11. Rangoli with Flowers and Grains
Instead of traditional powdered rangoli, let children create rangoli designs using flower petals, rice, and lentils. The bright colors of marigold, rose, and turmeric make the patterns come alive. This also teaches kids about symmetry and design.
🎉 12. Ganesha Banner Decoration
Make a Happy Ganesh Chaturthi banner with colorful paper flags, glitter, and stickers. Hang it above your altar or doorway. Each family member can decorate one flag, symbolizing unity and devotion.
📿 13. Recycled Bottle Ganesha Art
Turn old plastic bottles into Ganesha figures by cutting and painting them. Add ears, trunk, and a crown using paper. It’s an engaging recycling craft that helps kids understand sustainability and creativity.
📖 14. Story Time: The Birth of Lord Ganesha
Gather the kids and narrate the story of Lord Ganesha’s birth — how he was created by Goddess Parvati, his elephant head, and his wisdom in racing around the world. Use puppets or drawings to make the storytelling interactive and fun.
🎵 15. Learn a Ganesha Bhajan or Song
Introduce your children to devotional songs or bhajans dedicated to Lord Ganesha, like “Ganpati Bappa Morya.” Learning and singing these hymns together adds spiritual warmth to the festival.
🎭 16. Ganesha Role-Play
Organize a small home play featuring Lord Ganesha, Goddess Parvati, and Lord Shiva. Kids can make costumes from dupattas, paper crowns, and scarves. This helps them understand mythology through performance and fun.
🧧 17. Paper Ganesha Greeting Cards
Encourage kids to design handmade Ganesh Chaturthi greeting cards using paper, colors, and decorative stickers. Write messages like “May Lord Ganesha bless your home with happiness!” and gift them to neighbors or family friends.
🌺 18. Leaf Art Ganesha
Use different leaves to form a Ganesha silhouette on paper — banana leaf for the trunk, neem leaves for ears, and smaller leaves for arms and ornaments. It’s a beautiful, nature-inspired craft that honors Ganesha’s connection with the environment.
🧵 19. Paper Quilling Ganesha Wall Art
Older kids can try quilling — rolling thin strips of colored paper to create a detailed Ganesha image. Frame it as festive décor or a keepsake. This fine art project enhances patience and focus.
🕯️ 20. Candle and Diya Decoration
Let kids paint diyas or glass jars with orange, red, and gold colors. Decorate them with beads and sequins, and light them each evening during the 10 days. This adds warmth and divinity to your daily prayers.
🎁 21. Donation and Sharing Activity
Teach your children the value of daan (giving). Ask them to pack sweets, fruits, or stationery and distribute them to underprivileged kids or local shelters. This simple act reflects Lord Ganesha’s teachings of kindness and generosity.
🌿 Importance of a Green Ganesh Chaturthi
Remind children that Lord Ganesha is also known as Vighnaharta — the remover of obstacles — and a protector of nature. Choosing clay idols, natural decorations, and biodegradable materials is a way of showing respect to the environment while celebrating devotion.
🌺 How Ganesh Chaturthi is Celebrated in India
Across India, especially in Maharashtra, Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated with unmatched enthusiasm. Huge idols are installed in decorated pandals, prayers are offered daily, and sweets like modak, laddoo, and karanji fill every home.
The final day, Anant Chaturdashi, is when devotees bid farewell to Lord Ganesha, chanting “Ganpati Bappa Morya!” as idols are immersed in rivers or the sea — symbolizing the cycle of creation and dissolution.
🕉️ Final Thoughts
Ganesh Chaturthi is more than a festival — it’s a celebration of creativity, unity, and gratitude. By involving kids in these 21 crafts and activities, we pass down traditions in a joyful, modern way that connects devotion with imagination.
So, this year, let’s shape our Ganesha idols with love, decorate with care, and celebrate with eco-friendly joy. May Lord Ganesha bless your home with wisdom, happiness, and prosperity.
Ganpati Bappa Morya! 🙏✨