The story of Rama and Sita for children

Use these resources to learn about the story of Rama and Sita and invite your children to enjoy all our Diwali crafts and activities.

The story of Rama and Sita for children

Use our guide to the story of Rama and Sita to introduce your children to the epic adventure at the centre of the Hindu festival of Diwali.

This article is one of our Diwali activities and crafts for children resources.

In this article you can:

:: learn about the Indian festival of Diwali

:: learn about the Hindu epic, the Rāmāyaṇa

:: meet the main characters of the Diwali story: Rama, Sita, Ravana, and Hanuman

:: watch a re-telling of the Diwali story for children using puppets

:: print free set of Diwali puppets

:: find links to more Rama and Sita story activities

:: find more links to Diwali crafts and activities, including diya lamps and rangoli art

Ready-made Diwali Unit

If you’re a member of our Play Academy you can download a ready-made five day Diwali Unit and you’ll be ready to lead a week of fun and educational Diwali activities with your children.

This Unit is part of our Festivals specialist curriculum pathway, and is a part of a set of ready-made units you can use to teach your children about the festivals of the world all through the year. Based on the teaching philosophy of hands-on learning, the Play Academy festivals curriculum is engaging, effective and loved by children.

See more details of this Diwali Unit, and all the other specialist curriculum pathways and ready-made units you can choose from, in the Play Academy here.

Who are Rama and Sita?

Rama and Sita are the central characters in the Diwali story.

Rama is a king and is married to Sita.

Their story is told in the epic Hindu tale, the Rāmāyaṇa.

What is the Diwali story?

Rama is a king and is married to Sita. Sita is kidnapped by the demon king, Ravana. Rama, with the help of his friend and leader of the monkey army, Hanuman, go on a long journey to rescue Sita. In the final battle, Rama defeats Ravana with the help of his magic bow and arrow. All the people help Rama and Sita find their way home by lighting their way with oil lamps called diya.

You can listen to a re-telling of the story of Rama and Sita here.

Lighting a Lamp, written by Jonny Zucker and illustrated by Jan Barger, is a good book to introduce the story to young children.

You can also watch this shadow puppet show for the story made by the children from Wolvecote Primary School.

Who are the main characters in the Diwali story?

The four main characters of this Diwali story are Rama, Sita, Ravana, and Hanuman. Each character has a special appearance and represents certain character traits.

Rama

Rama is a king and is married to Sita. He is shown with blue skin and often carrying his sacred bow and arrows. Rama represents the god Vishnu, clear thinking, and doing the right thing.

Sita

Sita is Rama’s wife. She is often shown with golden skin and wearing yellow. She is a devoted wife, daughter, and mother and represents courage, devotion, and loyalty.

Ravana

Ravana is the demon king. He has ten heads and twenty arms. He is shown with a thick moustache and an angry face. He represents evil in the story, and he kidnaps Sita.

Hanuman

Hanuman is the leader of the monkey army and a great friend to Rama. He has the face and tail of a monkey and is often shown carrying a hammer. He represents strength, energy, and loyalty.

Rama and Sita activities and crafts

Now you have been introduced to the Diwali story and met the four main characters, you can explore more Rama and Sita crafts and activities:

:: Print a free set of Diwali puppets that you can colour in, cut out and play with.

:: See how to make a Diwali small world activity using our Rama and Sita puppets.

:: Try these math activities using Hanuman’s monkey army counting cards.

More Diwali crafts and activities

For more great ideas to learn about and celebrate Diwali with your children, including rangoli and diya crafts, see our full index of Diwali crafts and activities for children.