Ideas for appropriately engaging children during Hanukkah – activities and programs

First of all, it is important to know that you, as parents and educators, have the right and full authority to decide that children should not engage in strange activities; just as, if children asked to engage in activities dangerous to the body, you would prevent them without thinking twice, in the same way regarding spiritual dangers. One should not reach the point where parents feel powerless in front of their children, forced to seek an alternative occupation to feel entitled to prevent their children from an unwanted activity. But, after you decide that it is not acceptable for you that they watch movies, it is also possible, as a consideration for the children and not from a place of powerlessness, to offer them ideas for other activities.

Regarding the matter at hand, in principle, the “Meshiv CaHalacha” project is a project to provide halachic answers, and it also extends to issues of children’s education, but it is not within the project’s competence to offer ideas for activities. But, even so, the wives of the responding rabbis complied with the team’s request to suggest a variety of activity ideas for children during the days of Chanukah, which can be suitable for all ages and also incorporate educational values, creativity, and fun. And here they are:

1. Torah Quiz on Hanukkah

Quizzes are a fun way to encourage religious learning:

• Knowledge quiz: prepare questions about the stories of Chanukah in the sources, such as the miracle of the jar of oil, the war of Matityahu (Matthias), the High Priest, and his righteous sons against the Greeks, or even questions (adapted to age) about the laws of Chanukah, such as the mitzvah of lighting the candles. For example:
  • What were the three main decrees that the Greeks imposed on the Jews?
  • What were the names of the sons of Mattathias, the High Priest?
  • What is the origin of the custom of playing with dreidels? And what do the letters written on it symbolize?
• Game “Who am I?” Toraní: The children receive clues about historical figures, such as Yehuda HaMaccabbi or Antiochus (Antiochus), and need to guess who they are.

2. Workshops for creating in the spirit of Chanukah Creation workshops in the spirit of Chanukah

Creation workshops are a wonderful way to entertain children and develop their imagination.

• Creation of homemade chanukiot: it is possible to use available materials such as clay, wood, bottle corks, or cardboard, and create colorful and special menorahs. The children can mold, paint, and glue according to their imagination.
• Dreidel design: Buy simple wooden or plastic dreidels and give the children the opportunity to paint and decorate them. It is also possible to create dreidels from cardboard or recycled materials.

3. Workshop on the Miracle of Hanukkah Study workshop on the miracle of Chanukah

• “Concentration” like in kindergarten is also possible at home!: Sit down with the children and study together sources from the Talmud (Shabbat 21b) about the miracle of the jar of oil and the commandment to light the candles. And if it seems a bit “heavy,” then you can do it with the Book of Yosifon (Josephus Flavius) or with the Megilat Antiochus (“Scroll of Antiochus”). It is possible to adapt the language to the children’s age and emphasize values such as faith and the importance of studying the Torah.
• And so on, with the halachic study: teach the children the laws about lighting the candles: what is the necessary amount of oil, where it is correct to place the chanukiah, and what is the most appropriate way to fulfill the commandment.
• Creation of the “Chanukah Book”: each child prepares a page presenting an idea they learned about the holiday – it is possible to include texts, drawings, and symbols. In the end, the pages are connected to form a family or class book.

4. Poetry and Song Workshop Workshop on Poems and Songs

• Violin with sheet music of songs to learn the Chanukah poems: Sit with the children, especially after lighting the candles, to sing calmly and joyfully the special poems for the Hanukkah festival, such as “Ma’oz Tzur,” “Yah Hatzel Yonah,” “Malki Esh’al,” “Heichalo Heichalo.” If they don’t know the poems, teach them, it’s a wonderful activity. These poems can be heard on the album “Shirat HaMo’adim” by Rabbi Abud, may God protect him.
• Study of the content of the poems: teach the children the words of profound poems like “Ma’oz Tzur,” or even the “Hallel.” Explain the meaning of the words and the historical context of the poems.
• Write a new piyyut (hymn): Challenge the children to write new lyrics for Chanukah songs following familiar melodies, and then record them!

5. Preparation of educational games about Hanukkah

• Thematic crosswords: Prepare crosswords with words related to the holiday, such as: “oil,” Hashmonaim (“Hasmoneans”), “miracle,” “light,” and “psalm.” Challenge the children to make the word searches on their own, and each sibling should make a word search for another sibling.
• Code riddle: Create a riddle or a coded puzzle about the theme of Hanukkah, where the children need to solve questions to discover the “hidden jar of oil.”
• Circle of Light: Sit with the children in a slightly dark room (not scary) with flashlights, and talk to the children about the symbolic meaning of light in the Torah and Judaism, such as “a little light drives away a lot of darkness,” and how each child can “light up” their everyday life… so that everyone leaves with a good resolution with God’s help.

6. Creation of gratitude and prayer journals Creation of gratitude and prayer journals

Chanukah is a festival of gratitude to God, as we say in the prayer “Al Hanisim” which established these days “to thank and praise Hashem,” and this is an opportunity to encourage children to express their feelings:

• Gratitude Journal: Ask the children to write every day something they are grateful for – something personal or family-related.
• Chanukah Prayer: The children can compose personal prayers inspired by “Al Hanissim” and pray together.

7. Visiting the graves of righteous individuals related to Chanukah (if you are not a Cohen) Visit the graves of righteous individuals related to Chanukah (if you are not a Cohen)

• Tomb of Shmuel Hanavi, where the Hasmoneans prayed before going to war.
• Tomb of Rabbi Shimon HaTzadik, the High Priest, who, by a miracle, made the great Greek king Alexander the Great surrender before him.
• The tomb of the Hasmoneans is near Modiin.

It is important to note that the graves of the righteous should not be treated as a “walk,” but rather as a day of prayer with seriousness. But, after all, there is a pleasant and interesting way out of this.

8. Games and simpler activities Games and simpler activities

If we are talking about young children, and the aforementioned content is too “heavy” for them, then there are simpler and lighter ideas:

• Playing with spinning tops! So simple and so suitable for the days of Chanukah. It is possible to make a competition out of it among the children, take a “stopwatch” and see who can spin for the longest time.
• Search for the oil jar: hide a small plastic bottle (well sealed) with olive oil and invite the children to search for the oil jar.
• Memory games: It is possible to prepare homemade memory games with images of the festival’s symbols, such as dreidels, potato pancakes, and menorahs.

9. Cooking and baking Chanukah dishes together

Sufganiyot (“donuts”) – Hanukkah. There is nothing like food to bring children and parents together, and during Chanukah, there is an abundance of traditional dishes:

• Preparation of sufganiyot (“donuts”): Choose a simple recipe suitable for children, and let them help knead the dough, fill it with jam or chocolate, and sprinkle with powdered sugar. And remember! If you are preparing “healthy sufganiyot” without deep-frying in oil, and the dough weighs more than one kilogram and six hundred grams, it is necessary to separate the challah. (However, it is important to know that the custom of eating sufganiyot on Chanukah is due to the fact that they are prepared with “oil,” in memory of the miracle of the small jar of oil, so in the “healthy sufganiyot” we lose a bit of the meaning…). And if you call them dairy donuts, from a halachic perspective, it is necessary for the donut to have a sign (like dulce de leche) indicating that it is dairy, or alternatively, a small amount can be prepared to be consumed that same night and not left for the next day. And attention: over the fried donuts, the blessing “Borei Minei Mezonot” is recited, and the final blessing “Al Hamichya.”
• Creative latkes: prepare potato latkes, or even sweet potato ones, and let the children shape them using special molds.
• Dreidel chocolate: Use dreidel-shaped molds, melt chocolate, and let the children decorate with colorful sprinkles. You can also make it in the shape of coins as “Chanukah gelt.”

10. Voluntary and meaningful activities

Hanukkah is a time when people seek the warmth of family, and not everyone has that opportunity… And this is an opportunity to teach children important values:

• Candle lighting with the community: join the candle lighting at a nursing home, hospital, or community center, and add music or whatever you can to cheer up the participants.
• Distribution of sufganiyot: Prepare sufganiyot together and donate them to neighbors, the elderly, or families in need.

11. Educational tours about the meaning of Chanukah days Educational tours about the meaning of the days of Chanukah

On Chanukah, we actually celebrate the “dedication of the altar” – when they had the opportunity to purify the Temple again and return to animal sacrifices, with the highlight being the lighting of the menorah, where the famous miracle occurred. For the spirit of these words, some suitable excursions can be suggested:

• Visit to the “Temple Institute” in the Old City of Jerusalem, where all the utensils that were in the Temple are displayed, with all the explanations about the halachic details, including the menorah. (The place is covered – suitable for rainy days, as is common during Chanukah).
• The Western Wall, the Western Wall tunnels, and the Golden Menorah displayed in front of the Hurva Synagogue – the remnants of our Temple, are the most appropriate place to remember the Temple (of course, one should not go to the Western Wall as a mere stroll, but rather to pour out a prayer before God for Him to rebuild the Temple for us through the Messiah son of David, and perform miracles and wonders for us as He did in those days, in this time). It is worth noting that, even during the days of Chanukah, it is appropriate to make a tear (in the shirt) at the Kotel, if they have not been there for more than 30 days. It is also possible to reach the center of the old city, to the HaHurva Synagogue, where a menorah is displayed as it was during the Temple, with “buttons and flowers” and other details of the menorah, and anyone who does a bit of research on the subject can explain all this to the children comprehensively.

It is also possible to reach the center of the old city, to the HaHurva Synagogue, where a menorah is displayed as it was during the Temple, with “buds and flowers” and other details of the menorah, and anyone who does a bit of research on the subject can explain all this to the children comprehensively.

The days of Hanukkah are a wonderful opportunity to bring family members closer together and enjoy quality time filled with creativity, values, and fun. With a little planning, you can provide the children with unforgettable experiences and combine religious values with new experiences. Happy Hanukkah!