Nowruz is just around the corner. Here are a few ideas for ways to pump up the excitement level at home and get your children involved in festivities geared towards the ancient holiday of Nowruz.

 

Grow Sabzeh

Nowruz sabzeh are sprouts grown from wheat grass, lentils or mung beans. They represent growth and rebirth and are often the centerpiece of a haft-sin. Check out Saffron and Cyrus for directions on growing mung beans with children or this in-depth tutorial from Quince and Fig. You can order your own wheat grass seeds or find a kit included in the Nowruz Family Fun Pack from Little Persian.

 

 

 

photo via theresourcefulmama.com

Nowruz Craft

Paper roll hyacinths are a great craft for almost any age because you can vary the prep work for different aged groups. If you use a glue stick and pre-cut pieces of paper even two year olds can try it with success. Older children can cut the paper pieces and themselves. Find directions for paper roll hyacinths, painted hyacinths, egg carton goldfish (so cute!) and more on this Nowruz for kids Pinterest board.

 

 

Set up a Haft-Sin

The Hands-On Haft-Sin by Little Persian invites children to touch everything on the sofreh. Children learn the Persian words and significance of each item with an included display. A kid-friendly haft-sin is a wonderful way to help your child connect to the items on a haft-sin that otherwise may be out of reach and sight on your family's primary haft-sin. An included digital download provides resources to use if your family would like to share the Hands-On Haft-Sin in your child's classroom. 

 

 

photo via barnesandnoble.com

Cook

Happy Nowruz is a Nowruz cookbook for children, which would make a wonderful gift for older children. Memories from the kitchen are almost always some of the greatest. The smells, colors and of course tastes will stick with children for a lifetime. Check out Persian Mama's blog for tried and true Persian dishes with recipes that you can follow to a T. Perhaps the easiest Nowruz recipe is tut - a sweet made of almond flour and sugar then rolled into the shape of a mulberry. 

 

 

Nowruz Music

This Nowruz song and video from Pardis for Children is so sweet and catchy. Everyone will be singing along. You can check out the entire Nowruz album and more at Pardis for Children or on Spotify.

 

 

 

photo via irantours24.com

Learn About the Iranian Calendar and Spring Equinox

Nowruz marks the first day of the new year on the Iranian calendar and of course is also the first day of spring. Learning about the Persian calendar or solar hijri calendar and spring equinox will help children to understand the context of the traditional ways Persians welcome the new year and season.

 

 

photo via goodhousekeeping.com

Color Eggs

Eggs are often added to a haft-sin to symbolize fertility. There are natural methods to dye eggs or if you're feeling really inspired, use this guide to make floral eggs. You can decorate hard boiled eggs (be sure to refrigerate them if you intend to eat them) or hollow them to decorate just the shell if you intend to leave them set on your haft-sin. Note: Hollowing eggs is not a kid-friendly activity.

 

 

 

Send Nowruz Cards

Something special happens when children see others around them acknowledging and celebrating the things that are important to them - it brings relevance! Little Persian bilingual Nowruz cards are the perfect way to involve children in sharing the joy of Nowruz with family and friends - even if they don't read Persian yet. Every card includes Persian pronunciation and English on the back side. 

 

 

 

photo via amazon.com

Read a Nowruz Book

There are several Nowruz themed books widely available. It is so important to have materials around the home that make Persian traditions interesting and relevant for children. Soraya's Nowruz Dance is a great book with a wonderful lesson themed around Nowruz written in both Persian and English. Other Nowruz books provide information about the holiday itself such as Hooray! Hooray! Nowruz is Here!, Grace Learns About Nowruz (geared towards younger children) and Our Haft-Sin which introduces all of the parts of a haft-sin through a story.

 

 

photo via pinterest.com

Set up a Chaharshanbe Suri Festival

This seems like an obvious "don't try this at home" activity, but with a little imagination you can make a safe kid-friendly row of faux fires that will be the source of great fun on Chaharshanbe Suri. The fire pictured was made with LED lights under the tissue paper to give it a glowing effect. You don't have to get too fancy: paper towel rolls will do as logs, a little tissue paper and you've got it! Not feeling crafty? You can buy a reusable felt fire from Etsy or Maisonette and use it year after year or find a ready-made fire making kit in the Nowruz Family Fun Pack.