Things for Children to Do on Republic Day

Use games, crafts and activities to celebrate India's Republic Day with your children. India became a republic in 1950 on Jan. 26 and celebrates Republic Day annually on that date with a national holiday, flag-flying and events. It is a great opportunity to educate kids about India's proud history, and learning is easy when it's fun. Have the children make crafts to display at a Republic Day food-and-drinks party where patriotically themed games will round off the day.

Patriotic Windmill

Cut a 7-inch square out of printer paper. Give the kids orange (saffron) and dark green poster paint and have them decorate the paper square on both sides, leaving white gaps. When the square is dry, cut from each corner to within 1/2-inch of the center. Fold alternating corners to the center of the square so that they overlap and glue them in place. Push a thumb tack through the center of the windmill and thread a tiny bead or washer on it before pushing it on into the end of a 1-foot length of 1/2-inch dowel.

Flag-making

Draw 3-inch-high Indian flag outlines on white construction paper. Have the children color in the flags and cut them out with paper scissors. Glue on orange, green or white drinking straws for flag poles. Cut the straws to size and display the flags in plastic cups, which the kids can also decorate with national colors.

Orange, Green and White Streamers

Draw 7-inch by 7-inch by 6-inch triangles on cardboard and cut them out. Give each child a cardboard triangle and some paper scissors. Hand out orange, dark green and white construction paper. Show the kids how to draw around the cardboard template and cut out the new construction paper triangle. Fold the 6-inch-wide end of the construction paper triangles over a length of string and staple the paper together to create a festive streamer.

Coin Game

Liven up a Children's quiz by throwing a coin to the first person to shout out the answer to each question. Ask what the national animal, flower, fruit and tree of India are, as well as other simple nation-specific questions. Increase the difficulty of the questions and the monetary value of the coins as you progress. If the ages of the children varies widely, have two or three quizzes to cover different age groups.

Themed Party Games

Throw a children's food-and-drinks party. Serve some tricolored food like tomato and cucumber sandwiches on white bread or pulao or biryani using carrots and peas. Decorate with orange, green and white balloons, tablecloths and napkins. Display the children's crafts and have them dress in national colors. Play the coin game, sing patriotic songs and use the balloons for games. Have an orange, green and white team line up and race to move their balloon along the line hands-free. Toward the end of the party, gather the balloons, clear the room and place each color against a wall. The three teams should wait against the fourth wall. On your starting order, they run to their balloons and race to burst them all only by sitting on them. Give a five-second nonparticipation penalty to cheaters.