It’s beautiful to spend the day reminiscing about your youth with your siblings and cousins. And how wonderful it is to watch your children laugh, weep, play, and grow together. Siblings and their relationships are always a combination of chaos, crazy, and eternal happiness. There are biological siblings and those who choose to have an unbreakable tie and become brothers and sisters. Raksha Bandhan is a Hindu festival celebrating brothers and sisters’ love, friendship, and bond.

The festival of Raksha Bandhan is an excellent reminder of the value of solid sibling relationships. A sister tying a thread of love around the brother’s wrist and the brother promising to protect her always is a lovely celebration of this unique bond. These days, of course, as we move away from stereotypes, both brothers and sisters vow to stand by each other. If you have young children at home, the odds are that you want them to perform the rituals of Raksha Bandhan and imbibe its spirit. Here are some activities that you can involve the children in:

The legend behind Raksha Bandhan

Begin by sharing the stories behind Raksha Bandhan with them. One of the stories goes like this:

Legend has it that Yama, the Lord of Death, and Yamuna, the river that flows in India, followed the ritual of Raksha Bandhan. The story goes that when Yamuna tied a rakhi to Yama, the Lord of Death granted her immortality. He is also said to have declared that any brother who has tied a Rakhi and offered to protect his sister would also become immortal.

Involve them in the making of Rakhi

While several kinds of rakhis are available in the market today, there is nothing quite like a handmade rakhi, each thread filled with love. On an age-appropriate basis, let the child create a rakhi. It can mean giving them some threads and asking them to braid them together. You could also ask them to create and paste a beautiful cut-out on the thread. For older children, options such as making a rakhi out of crochet can also work well. Reminding the child to keep things such as the sibling’s favorite color in mind when creating the Rakhi, for instance, can help instill the lesson of caring.

Decorating the Thali for Puja

Get the children to decorate the puja thali using flowers of various colors. You will be amazed at their creativity. On the day of Raksha Bandhan, let the entire family gather as the sister performs aarti using this beautiful thali.

Gifts

It will also work well to involve the children in buying gifts for each other, keeping their interests in mind. On an age-appropriate basis, you could also introduce the concept of a budget and let them choose gifts within the budget. Gift wrapping and writing a small message on it can be yet another meaningful activity.

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Recite a poem

It would be a great idea to get children to write a short poem for each other, which they can recite once they have tied the rakhi. No matter how many years go by, the lines will still warm the heart’s cockles.

Sweets

A family that eats together stays together. How about first cooking what you will eat on Rakhi? Go ahead and involve the children in making those delicious sweets. Here is a handy recipe:

Milkmaid Coconut Ladoo

Ingredients:

200 gm Milkmaid Condensed Milk
3/4 cup Grated coconut
1/2 tsp Cardamom powder

Method:

Combine the condensed milk and grated coconut in a pan. Stir the mixture continuously over low heat until it starts to thicken. Now add cardamom powder. Stir it over low heat until the mixture thickens.

Once the mixture cools, there are enough fun opportunities for the children to help you. Get them to shape the mixture into round ladoos. Next, allow them to roll the ladoos in grated coconut until they are evenly coated. The giggles that will accompany ladoo-making will add to its taste!

Sibling Bonding Activities

After the Rakhi and Puja are tied, it will be a good idea to plan activities such as treasure hunts or even board games that ensure the siblings spend some quality time with each other. This will not only go a long way in building camaraderie, but this new ritual that you would have started will last well into adulthood. Every Rakhi, even as an adult, will be devoted to spending quality time with each other and bonding.

Raksha Bandhan Charity

It is essential to teach children to give back to society, and what better time than Raksha Bandhan to speak joy in other people’s lives? Teach them to participate in donation drives where they can give toys, books, and clothes to less privileged children. The spirit of sharing and compassion they build early will become an intrinsic part of their being.

To Sum up

There you go. With some effort, Raksha Bandhan will not just be a five-minute ritual but a festival of bonding, the fragrance of which will spread in their lives.

At Footprints, a chain of playschools and daycares, we ensure that we celebrate all festivals, that the children imbibe the spirit of these festivals, and that they spread happiness.