Introduction:
Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights, is a special time that brings families together around the menorah to celebrate their shared heritage. Engage your young children in this rich tradition by introducing them to creative, age-appropriate activities, which will boost their understanding and enjoyment of Hanukkah. Here are 20 handmade Hanukkah activities perfect for preschoolers:
1. DIY Menorah: Encourage your preschooler to create their own menorah using empty toilet paper rolls and colored paper.
2. Star of David Stamping: Create a star-shaped stamp from foam or sponge, and let your child explore with paint on a large paper canvas.
3. Dreidel Spin Art: Set up multiple dreidel-shaped cutouts and have your preschooler spin each one on a dollop of paint placed on a paper plate.
4. Hanukkah Storytime: Read a children’s book explaining Hanukkah traditions and engage in related crafts and storytelling activities.
5. Edible Dreidels: Construct edible dreidels using marshmallows, pretzel sticks, chocolate kisses, and frosting to hold everything together.
6. Maccabee Shield Design: Design bas-relief shields representing the brave Maccabees using modeling clay or paper plates.
7. Hanukkah-themed Playdough Fun: Mold playdough into menorahs, dreidels, or candles for your preschoolers to enjoy.
8. Make Your Own Gelt Bags: Have your child decorate small fabric pouches with fabric markers or embellishments for gelt (chocolate coins) bags.
9. Family Photo Menorah Puzzle: Create a personalized photo puzzle by gluing pictures onto cardboard and cutting out individual candle shapes for each family member.
10. Paper Plate Menorah Craft: Grab some paper plates and have your preschooler paint the flames on a paper plate menorah.
11. Menorah Candle Finger Painting: Let your child explore color and texture by finger-painting a menorah with candles on large sheets of paper.
12. Hanukkah Coloring Pages: Print out Hanukkah-themed coloring pages for your child to express their creativity with crayons or colored pencils.
13. Dreidel Game with Counting Blocks: Teach your preschooler about numbers and counting using dreidels and counting blocks.
14. Clothespin Menorah: Craft a unique clothespin menorah by painting the pins in various patterns before attaching candles to them.
15. Latkes Decorating Party: Organize a latkes decorating party, serving latkes with various toppings for your little ones to enjoy.
16. Judah Maccabee Puppet Show: Assist your child in creating paper Maccabee puppets and encourage them to act out their adventures during the Hanukkah rebellion.
17. Sock Puppet Gelt Toss: Set up a simple tossing game using homemade sock puppets and chocolate coins wrapped in foil as gelt.
18. Handprint Menorah Painting: Create lasting memories by having your preschooler dip their hands into paint and create a handprint menorah, imprinting their handprints onto paper as candles for each night of Hanukkah.
19. Hanukkah Songs and Dance Party: Introduce your preschoolers to Hanukkah songs like “Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel” and “Oh, Chanukah” through singing and dancing.
20. Oil-drenched Tissue Paper Candles: Explore the story of the miracle of the oil by filling candle-shaped tissue paper pieces with droplets of colored water using pipettes or droppers.
