Crazy Eights
Christmas may have Santa Claus, but everyone knows he only comes one night a year. Hanukkah, on the other hand, is spread out over eight nights, allowing for more than a week of celebration. Parents of toddlers have multiple opportunities to introduce the beloved holiday through games, crafts and cooking projects. We asked moms and teachers about their favorites for preschoolers and kids in day care.
Dreidel Games
Dreidel is by far the most popular Hanukkah pastime, and for good reason. According to legend, Jewish children who were hiding from the Greeks in caves would put away their Torah scrolls and pull out their spinning tops whenever a teacher heard soldiers approaching. Though dreidel is really a gambling game and each top is marked with letters from the Hebrew alphabet (nun, gimel, hei and shin), young children typically ignore the rules. At that age, they simply enjoy spinning their dreidels to see whose lasts longest without falling down.
Latkes, Sufganiyot and Other Food
Michigan mom Erin Rosenberg recommends cooking with your kids during Hanukkah. “We make latkes every year, and there's a job for everyone,” she says. “Little kids can break eggs, scoop and pour matzah meal, shake in salt and stir; bigger kids can help peel and grate potatoes and onions; an adult does the frying. We also make applesauce to serve with them, which is fun because we don't measure anything, and just taste as we go.” Last year, the Rosenbergs also made sufganiyah, jam-filled raised doughnuts. “The kids thought the best part was rolling the warm, fresh [doughnuts] in sugar,” she recalls.
MORE: The Best Hanukkah Dinner
Hanukkah Memory Games
For kids 3 and up, memory games are a fantastic way to learn focus. Each player turns over two cards in the hope of finding a pair with the same illustration. If you don’t make a match, you try to remember where the cards are located as play continues. The Hanukkah version of this game contains 36 pairs. Kids begin by mixing up the cards and turning them all face down. During the game, children try to remember where they saw the illustrated menorah, dreidel or finger puppets. The player with the most matching pairs wins.
To buy: Amazon, $10
Star of David Crafts
The Star of David is easily the most recognizable symbol of the Jewish faith. Parents can teach kids about its significance by making a hexagram out of popsicle or craft sticks. Begin by forming two triangles: Simply glue together three sticks into the shape of a triangle, and then do the same with the other three. Next lay one triangle over the other to create a star with six points. Once the glue has dried, little ones can decorate their stars with paint, markers, stickers or glitter. Your kid can also insert a picture of herself in the center for a grandparent or friend.
Latke Bingo
Bingo is another game that young kids love. In the Hanukkah rendition, each child receives a laminated paper board and chips shaped like dreidels. In lieu of the word BINGO, LATKE is printed across the top, and all different holiday-related pictures are used in place of numbers. Players get to put a dreidel chip over a square when the caller picks a letter and picture that correspond to whatever is on that square. First one to cover up a whole row or column wins!
To buy: Amazon, $11
MORE: 10 Best Hanukkah Books
Night Off
For many parents, the idea of buying, wrapping and giving gifts eight days in a row is overwhelming. That’s why event planner Heather Lowenthal of Posh Parties in Palm Beach, Fla., says, “One of my favorite Hanukkah traditions is to choose one night and designate it as charity night. We bring toys to children in need instead of getting gifts ourselves. I think it is important to teach children charity at a young age, which in turn makes them appreciate the gifts they do get for themselves.”
Hanukkah Dominoes
Hanukkah Dominoes is played with cards containing drawings of various Jewish symbols instead of the dots on traditional tiles. Each player starts with five dominoes and tries to match up pictures with the cards that have already been laid. The game ends either when one player finishes all of his dominoes and wins, or when there are no dominoes left in the pile. No reading is required, which is why young children are able to join in on the fun.
To buy: Amazon, $11
Homemade Menorah
Tracy Schatz, Director of Sinai Temple Preschool in Los Angeles says, “Since children are always wondering, ‘How many days to Hanukkah?’ using clothespins as a way of counting is a nice ritual. And, since candles burn down, it's not always clear to children what day of Hanukkah it is. So, clothespins work as a nice, concrete example.” One option is to cut nine small holes inside an old spaghetti box so that each clothespin has a spot. Wrap each clothespin with aluminum foil to steady the base. Then, to “light” each flame, wrap half a yellow pipe cleaner around the top of the pin or pins.
Hanukkah Cookies
“There is nothing kids enjoy more than playing with their food,” says party planner Beth Bernstein of SQN Events in Chicago. Baking traditional sugar cookies with them is a great activity, especially if you have Hanukkah-shaped cutters at the ready. Once the cookies have cooled, children can decorate the sugary Stars of David, dreidels and menorahs. “Have the kids frost them and add their own touch with blue, white and silver sprinkles,” says Bernstein. And remember: At that age, there shouldn’t be any pressure to make a beautiful cookie—just a yummy one!
