8 Passover Activities for Kids of All Ages

Engage children in the story and traditions of Passover with these fun crafts and activities! From helping to decorate the seder table to learning about the ten plagues with hand-made puppets, these activities will help children feel like a part of the holiday.

A Playful Passover Seder Kit

This eBook from TCJewfolk is full of crafts and activities for toddlers and preschoolers, from building a matzah house to coloring pages featuring seder plate items. The activities here will both entertain and educate this Passover!

A Passover Lesson Plan for 3rd & 4th Grade
These lesson plans, written by A Family Haggadah author Shoshana Silberman, focus on slavery in ancient Egypt and draw connections between ancient and modern slavery. An informative unit for older students.

Create a Beautiful Elijah's Cup
Elijah's cup is an important part of the Passover seder. This craft from The Shiksa in the Kitchen is great for older children, or young children with some adult assistance. Instructions here.

A Handmade Matzah Cover
Matzah is a ubiquitous part of every seder - and now it can have its very own unique cover! We like this matzah cover because it holds three pieces of matzah, each one in its own pocket. This craft is perfect for classrooms or at home. Instructions here.

From Highlights Kids.

 

Passover Puppets
Tell the story of Passover in a fun and interactive way using these Passover finger puppets! Kids can color and cut out these finger puppets to put their own unique touch on the Passover tale. Template here.

From Ann D. Koffsky.

A Plague of Frogs
It has been decided - the plague of frogs is certainly the one to illustrate through crafts. Over at Creative Jewish Mom you can fold origami frogs (great for classrooms of older students) or make these little critters from pom-poms and pipe cleaners.

Make Your Own Seder Placemat
These seder placemats are a sweet handmade touch to a seder table, and reinforce the significance of each item on the seder plate. Instructions here.

From InCultureParent.

 

Create a 3-D Moses
With a template and a toilet paper roll, make a 3-D figure of Moses for storytelling or as a decoration for the classroom or seder table.

From DLTK.

Crafts and Activities for Celebrating Tu B'Shevat!

Tu B'Shevat, the New Year or birthday for trees, is a great day to celebrate nature and introduce children to different ways to help out the environment. For over 100 years, many Israeli institutions have planted trees on Tu B'Shevat, and today over a million people participate in the Jewish National Fund's Tu B'Shevat tree-planting activities. This has led to the day often being called "Israeli Arbor Day" internationally.

Below are crafts and activities for celebrating and teaching children the importance of Tu B'Shevat:

A Craft for Learning About Trees
This sweet craft from Joyful Jewish teaches kids about the many things that we get from trees. It's a great activity for showing the many reasons we have to appreciate trees. For younger children, you can make the tree yourself and then let them enjoy discovering the flaps, for older children, have them create the tree and perhaps share it with someone younger! Find the directions here.

An Edible Craft!
This tasty craft from The Jewish Woman lets children decorate edible trees with a variety of the fruits that grow on them! A fun and (kind-of) healthy snack that also teaches children about one of the many delicious reasons we're thankful for trees. Find the directions here.

Have a Tu B'Shevat Seder (or just bake something tasty!)
Tu B'Shevat seders have become a popular and delicious way to celebrate the holiday. Plan a seder meal, or just enjoy making a simple kid-friendly recipe with your child. In keeping with celebrating trees and the many things they provide, many Tu B'Shevat recipes include fruit. This Banana Bread recipe from Leah Cooks Kosher is full of tasty ingredients like figs and almonds.

Take a Trip to a Plant Nursery

Nurseries can be fascinating for children because there's a wide array of plants, including many that aren't seen everyday. It's a great place to introduce your child to the diversity of the plant kingdom and talk about the different uses of different kinds of plants.

Teach Your Child How to Care for a PlantWhile much of the US is too cold to plant outdoors, that doesn't mean you can't teach your child how to care for a plant. Start with a small, hearty, indoor potted plant. Teach your child how to care for the plant with daily water and sunlight, and gradually release responsibility until they are responsible for caring for the plant on their own. They'll learn an important lesson about responsibility, as well as about environmental stewardship.

Find Out How Other Nations and Cultures Honor Trees
Have you heard of Arbor Day and Earth Day? How about Shikmokil in Korea or Chih Shu Chieh in China? Many cultures understand and appreciate the importance of trees - what is similar or different about their celebrations?


Learn More About Tu B'Shevat with a Good Book
Children's books about Tu B'Shevat show the close relationship between people and trees. They celebrate the many reasons we have to be thankful for trees, and provide youngsters with a great introduction to the holiday. Some Kar-Ben Tu B'Shevat favorites include:

Netta and Her PlantOne Tu B'Shevat day in Israel, little Netta brings a plant home from preschool. Over time, Netta grows, and the plant grows too. Soon it is time for both of them to find new homes and new friends.

Thank You, Trees!
Rhyming story giving thanks for the gifts trees provide on the occasion of Tu B’Shevat, Jewish Arbor Day.

        

Sammy Spider's First Tu B'ShevatSpring is in the air and Sammy Spider watches as Josh Shapiro lowers the roots of a small tree into the ground. As spring turns to summer and summer to fall, Sammy watches Josh nurture the small tree as it sprouts tiny buds, then full blossoms, then colorful autumn leaves.

The Apple Tree's Discovery

A little apple tree in a forest of oaks begs God for stars like those glimmering on the branches of the great oak trees beside her. As the seasons pass, she learns to appreciate her own gifts and realizes that it’s possible to find a star in each of us.



Find these and other Tu B'Shevat books here!

Need Activities to Entertain the Kids?

In the picture book Picnic at Camp Shalom by Jacqueline Jules, the two main characters learn that they have something in common. They share slightly unusual last names: Hamburger and Frankfurter.

If you are planning activities for camp (or are making your own camp at home), try these:

·         Read Picnic at Camp Shalom and then turn it into a play.

·         Learn the history of your last name by doing a little research.

o   Does it have a meaning?

o   What language is it from?

o   Does it connect to a particular ethnicity?

·        Write an acrostic poem using your last name. Each letter of your last name will begin a new line of your poem.

·        Explain a little about heraldry and family coats of arms. Have everyone imagine what their family’s should be, then draw them with crayons on newsprint or with chalk on the sidewalk.