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You need:
– Mud or garden soil (a bucket or two), or clay
– Stones and bricks for the base
– Water in a mug
– Small branches, grass, mustard or methi seeds (to grow “grass” on the fort)
– Toy soldiers, animals and a Shivaji Maharaj figure (sold in Pune markets before Diwali)
– Paper flags, a small diya (unlit, or battery) and coloured paper

Steps:
1. Pick a spot: a corner of the balcony, terrace or society compound. Lay an old sheet or a tray if you’re on a balcony.
2. Build the base: pile stones and bricks into a hill shape. This is the hill your fort will sit on. (Adult job for heavy stones.)
3. Cover with mud: your child mixes mud with a little water until it’s like thick dough, then pats it over the stones. Little hands love this part.
4. Shape the fort: press walls along the top, a gate at the front, a winding path up the hill and a flat top for the king.
5. Add details: a “lake” from a small steel bowl of water, steps cut with a spoon, towers made from paper cups covered in mud.
6. Sprinkle seeds on the slopes and water them gently each day. In 4–5 days, green shoots appear: your fort is “growing a forest.”
7. Decorate: place the soldiers, animals, flags and Shivaji Maharaj figure. Add a battery diya at the gate.
8. Show it off: invite neighbours and grandparents for a “fort tour” led by your child.

Age guide:
– 2–3 years: patting mud, placing stones and toys, watering seeds
– 3–4 years: shaping walls and the path, placing soldiers
– 4–6 years: planning the layout, building towers, naming the fort, giving the tour

What your child learns: building a killa is a real STEM activity: balance, structure, cause and effect (what happens if the mud is too wet?), and patience as the seeds grow. It’s also wonderful gross and fine motor play. Carrying buckets, patting and shaping all count (see why fitness matters for preschoolers).

Hygiene: wash hands well afterwards, and keep mud away from mouths.

Akash kandil DIY: a simple version for small hands

The akash kandil (sky lantern) is the big star-shaped or box-shaped lantern hung outside Maharashtrian homes at Diwali. Traditional ones are bamboo and paper. Here’s an easy version for preschoolers.

Easy box kandil (age 3–6)

You need: an empty cereal or tissue box, coloured paper or old greeting cards, glue, child-safe scissors, crepe paper strips, string, an LED bulb or battery tealight.

1.         Cut windows on all four sides of the box (adult job).
2.         Your child covers the box with coloured paper and glues tissue or butter paper over the windows.
3.         Decorate with stickers, paper flowers or thumbprint patterns.
4.         Glue crepe paper strips along the bottom edge as the tail.
5.         Make a hole on top for the string.
6.         Place an LED light inside, never a candle or diya.
7.         Hang it at the balcony.

Star kandil (age 5–6, with lots of help): two paper stars joined with paper strips. Your child decorates; you assemble.

More lantern and paper craft ideas are in easy Diwali crafts and rangoli for preschoolers.

Diwali faral with kids: what little hands can safely do

Faral is the tray of Diwali snacks every Maharashtrian home makes and shares: chakli, karanji, shankarpali, chivda, besan ladoo, rava ladoo, anarse and shev.

Kitchen safety: children stay well away from the stove and hot oil, always. Give them their own station at the dining table.

Sharing faral: let your child carry a faral plate to a neighbour. It’s one of the best ways to teach sharing. For healthier, lower-sugar ideas, see a safe, eco-friendly Diwali with small children.

The days of Maharashtrian Diwali for kids

Vasu Baras (Thu 5 Nov, confirm): we thank the cow and her calf for giving us milk. Draw a cow and calf, or feed a cow with an adult.

Dhanteras (Fri 6 Nov): a day for health and good fortune. Help polish the family’s brass or steel vessels.

Narak Chaturdashi (Sun 8 Nov): an early abhyanga snan (oil bath) with utane (a fragrant herbal paste), new clothes, and the first faral of the day. Many families crush a small bitter fruit (karit) under the foot, a symbol of Krishna defeating Narakasura.

Lakshmi Puja (Sun 8 Nov): diyas, rangoli and prayers to Goddess Lakshmi in the evening. The main story is in Diwali for kids.

Diwali Padwa (Tue 10 Nov): a day for husbands and wives, and in many families the start of the new business year. It’s also Govardhan Puja; see Govardhan Puja story for kids.

Bhau Beej (Wed 11 Nov): sisters do aukshan (an aarti) for their brothers and pray for them; brothers give a gift. Ideas for only children and cousins are in Bhai Dooj story for kids.

Diwali at Shanti Juniors in Pune

Shanti Juniors centres in Pune celebrate the Maharashtrian Diwali season with stories, crafts and hands-on activities like mini forts and lanterns, which fit naturally with our I-Cube approach of imagining, investigating and creating. See more in our culture and celebrations. [CONFIRM: number of Shanti Juniors centres in Pune and Diwali break dates]