Dhobi Aaya is a beloved Urdu poem for little children. Many learning concepts can be combined in this poem and we have added a fun activity to the song to reinforce the learning. Here is a video of my kids singing Dhobi Aaya together from our YouTube Channel:
Here are the lyrics of Dhobi Aaya:
“Dhobi Aaya, Dhoba Laya,
Kapray Saaf, Kapray Saaf,
Kitnay Kapray Laya,
Kitnay Kapray Laya,
Eik Do Teen, Chaar Paanch Cheh,
Saath, Aath, No, Dus, Bus”
Dhobi Aaya: Craft Idea
We decided to make Dhobi Aaya more fun by combining a craft with it.
Things You Need:
Wooden sticks, glue, pencil, colorful paper pieces, card stock, felt cloth, googly eyes, pipe cleaner, tape.
How to:
- Create a Dhobi by adding a face on the wooden stick. We found a stick already in a human shape at Michaels but you can add a round cardboard piece at the top to create a face.
- Give the Dhobi googly eyes and draw a friendly face.
- We made this pagri by using a silver pipe cleaner. Twist it and stick with a tape at the back.
- Give the Dhobi arms by adding arms made with cardboard.
- Cut out the shapes of his clothes on the felt cloth and stick on with the glue. We gave our Dhobi a Kameez and Shalwar.
- To make the pile of clothes cut lots of shapes with felt cloth and different materials. Make sure there are ten in all! We used straight lines to show the pile and then some fun cloth shapes. Glue them all on the stick.
- Now you can role play with these as you sing Dhobi Aaya with your children!
- Make Dhobis for every child so that they personalize it for themselves.
Dhobi Aaya: Learning Objectives
- Have fun as you sing the song and increase your child’s Urdu vocabulary.
- Learning Urdu counting as you count the clothes.
- Encourage creativity in your children as they make their own Dhobi.
More Urdu Resources:
Do check out www.urdumom.com/urdu for lots of fun resources and ideas on how to pass on Urdu to your children in fun ways!