Many thanks to Rajiv and his daughter, Disha, who live in a suburb of New Delhi, for their help developing this page.
India for kids – an amazing and quick guide to India
Geography
Indus River
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The Indusis the principal river of Pakistan. It originates in Tibet, flowing from the Himalayas in a north-westerly direction through Kashmir, and then turning south for nearly the entire length of Pakistan. The Indus Valley Civilization had some of the earliest urban settlements in the world.
Maps of India
18 maps of India showing states and major cities. From the Global Security website.
History
The Ancient Indus Valley Slideshows
South Asia’s first cities were established around 2600 B.C. in what is now Pakistan and western India. The peoples who built and ruled these cities belong to what archaeologists refer to as the Harappan Culture or Indus Civilization. This civilization developed at approximately the same time as the early city states of Egypt and Mesopotamia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8iGSeTjjY4
Armoured Elephants
Ancient Indians used elephants as “tanks” armed with heavy canons. They were used this way since 1100 B.C.
Daily Life in Ancient India
What did the ancient Indians wear? What did they eat? Did kids play with toys? Did they go to school? This site shares daily life in three major time periods of ancient India history; the mysterious and so cool Indus Valley Civilization, the Vedic & Epics Periods, and the Age of Empires.
Harappa: The Indus Valley and the Raj in India and Pakistan
Glimpses of India and Pakistan before 1947 and the story of the ancient Indus Valley. Old photographs, rare film footage and long unseen media from before independence in India and Pakistan.
Was Indus Valley script like emojis?
Despite a mountain of research, the Indus script remains shrouded in mystery. Recent research by an independent Kolkata researcher looks at the structure of texts, and finds the symbols may have more in common with your favourite emoji than you might think.
Itihaas: The History of India
50 years of Independence. 5,000 years of history. This is India’s story.
Women In India
Commercial Unit Study. The unit ensures that the perspectives of women are included in the study of India’s religious, aesthetic, intellectual, political and social traditions. Outline to help you create your own unit study.
India For Kids
India Facts and Pictures
National Geographic Kids site. India’s earliest known civilization arose about 5,000 years ago on the Indus River in what is now Pakistan. Archaeologists uncovered the remains of two huge cities with brick houses, piped water, and sewer systems. Nobody knows why, but these cities, called Harappa and Mohenjo Daro, were abandoned in 1700 B.C.
India For Kids
This section is for children aged 7-9, to give them an insight into the diverse culture and landscape of India. For each part there is a ‘slide show’ … a bedtime story … somewhere to keep ‘notes’ and suggestions for other web sites to explore.
Pitara Kids Network
A huge kids network with news, activities, stories and things to discover.
Mocomag
Packed with great visual experience, games, educational content, interactive stories and activities, Mocomi provides a safe and complete online experience for kids and families.
Travel For Kids: India
Fun places to go and things to see and do in India.
Language
The Indus Script
There is no such thing as an accepted Indus dictionary; if at all possible, one is probably decades away. Nonetheless, below are summarized some of Parpola1 and Mahadevan’s2 speculations on various signs.
Sanskrit Documents
You will find here various tools for learning Sanskrit such as the Online Sanskrit Dictionary, Sanskrit Tutorials, Sanskrit Pronunciation guides, and software for learning Sanskrit and producing documents in Devanagari & Roman formats, and much more.
Literature and Arts
India: The Living Arts
Our people have inherited great talents. Our way of life is imbued with the sense of beauty. Our women paint on the walls naturally. Our craftsmen know how to make . . . with their hands everything that we have in India. If we have faith in them, they can perform miracles. – Ghandi
Chapter Books by South Asian Authors for Children
All titles on this list are written by authors within the South Asian community! Reading books about and by people from other cultures and communities is one of many ways to encourage empathy and understanding within children.
Religion
Buddha Net’s Kids Page
(563?-483? BC) Buddha was an Indian philosopher and the founder of Buddhism, who was born in Kapilavastu, India, just inside present-day Nepal. He was the son of the head of the Sakya warrior caste, with the private name of Siddhartha; in later life he was known also as Sakyamuni (Sage of the Sakyas).
Religions in India
In India, religion is a way of life. It is an integral part of the entire Indian tradition. Secular India is home to Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and other innumerable religious traditions, Hinduism is the dominant faith, practiced by over 80% of the population.
Sports
How football is changing lives of Indian slum girls
An American, Franz Gastler, is teaching young Indian slum girls how to improve their lives through the game of football. Monica Sarkar reports from Mumbai.
