The holiday season is made up of several major holidays, of which Hanukkah is first. If you follow the Jewish faith, this is a great time to commemorate the holiday with children through creative play, while allowing them to take part in important family and religious traditions. Even if you don’t traditionally celebrate Hanukkah, but are interested in exposing kids to religious diversity, there are plenty of ways to do that, too.
One way to get kids involved in celebrating and understanding Hanukkah is by grabbing your prop box and encouraging them to act out the Hanukkah story.
For the less theatrical group, crafting may be more your thing. There are a variety of different ways to use creative crafts to celebrate Hanukkah. Anything from the traditional menorah to a fun dreidel can be crafted easily and inexpensively out of things you have on hand or even in your own backyard!
Another fun (and yummy!) way to celebrate Hanukkah is by making specific traditional foods. Delicious Hanukkah recipes for dishes such as potato latkes, kugel, and apple fritters are widely available, and often simple to make. Just be sure that an adult is on hand to help supervise the cooking! If you sit down for a special meal of Hanukkah favorites, you may want to include a special holiday blessing.
Lastly, there are many games and activities which can make what is often known as the “Festival of Lights” into an educational but fun time for the whole family. From coloring pages, to puzzles, to the traditional dreidel game, there are many ways to celebrate Hanukkah, while honoring the ancient traditions of the holiday.