If you are looking for meaningful ways to celebrate Hanukkah with your family or students, you have come to the right place. From classroom-friendly printables to easy Hanukkah crafts, this guide provides a comprehensive roadmap for parents, teachers, and homeschoolers to make the Festival of Lights an unforgettable experience for every little one.
Whether you need a Hanukkah sensory bin for preschoolers or complex LEGO engineering challenges for older children, these activities for kids are designed to build fine motor skills, encourage creativity, and teach the rich story of Hanukkah. This guide explores how to bring the miracle of the oil to life through play, art, and tradition.
Hanukkah activities
Creating a “holiday hub” at home or in school helps children anticipate the eight nights of celebration. A good Hanukkah activity balances fun with cultural meaning, allowing kids to explore the Hebrew traditions behind the menorah and the dreidel.
Spin dreidel game
The dreidel is a four-sided spinning top that is perhaps the most iconic part of the holiday. To play, you need a dreidel, some chocolate gelt (or buttons/raisins), and at least two players. Each side of the top features a Hebrew letter—Nun, Gimel, Hay, and Shin—forming an acronym for “A Great Miracle Happened There” (or “Here,” depending on tradition)
- Rules: Players start with a pot of gelt. Depending on which letter the dreidel lands on, you either do nothing (Nun), take the whole pot (Gimel), take half (Hay), or put one in (Shin).
- Classroom Version: Use a printable dreidel sheet where kids can track their wins or practice drawing the letters.
- Adaptation: For a toddler, use larger wooden dreidels that are easier to grasp to help develop motor skills.
Eight days candle sequence
Tracking the eight days is a great activity for teaching sequences. You can use a visual chart where children add a sticker or a paper candle for each night. This helps them understand that the number of candles increases daily, using the shamash to light one new candle each night.
Tzedakah box project
It is a perfect time to teach the value of Tzedakah (charity). Have your child decorate a small box or jar using shades of blue, silver glitter, and Star of David stickers. Throughout the festival of Hanukkah, encourage kids to put small coins inside. On the last night, decide as a family where to donate the money, fostering a sense of kindness and community.
Scavenger hunt
An indoor scavenger hunt is a fun activity that keeps kids active. Hide Hanukkah themed items like a plastic menorah, a dreidel, a bag of gelt, and a toy latke.
- Clue Ideas: “I have nine branches but no leaves (Menorah)” or “I am round, fried, and delicious (Latke).”
- Printable Hunt: Use printables with pictures of the objects so younger kids who can’t read yet can participate.
Hanukkah games
Moving beyond the traditional, these games and activities are perfect for parties or family gatherings during the winter holiday season. Here are a few popular Hanukkah party games and what they help children practice:
| Game Name | Materials Needed | Skill Developed |
| Pin the Candle | Poster, paper candles, tape | Spatial awareness |
| Gelt Checkers | Checkerboard, gold/silver coins | Strategy & Math |
| Bingo | Hanukkah bingo cards, markers | Vocabulary |
| Dreidel Race | Dreidels, smooth surface | Fine motor control |
Pin the Candle on the Menorah
Similar to “Pin the Tail on the Donkey,” this easy game uses a large poster of a menorah. Kids are blindfolded, spun around, and must try to tape their paper candle onto the correct branch.
Hanukkah charades
Create a word list including: spinning a dreidel, eating sufganiyot (jelly donuts), lighting the shamash, and frying latkes. This is a fun way to reinforce holiday vocabulary for both kids and adults.
Gelt Checkers
Use a standard checkerboard but replace the pieces with chocolate gelt. Use silver coins for one side and gold for the other. When a piece is “captured,” the player gets to eat it (or save it for later)! This integrates basic math and turn-taking.
Sing-off
Gather the family to sing a Hanukkah song like “I Have a Little Dreidel” or “Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah.” You can turn it into a game by having groups compete to see who knows the most verses or by creating new lyrics to the Hanukkah version of popular tunes.
Hanukkah activities for preschoolers
For preschoolers, focus on tactile experiences and fine motor development. At this age, the festival of lights is all about colors, lights, and textures.
Sensory bin
A Hanukkah sensory bin is a great activity for little hands. Fill a bin with blue dyed rice or kinetic sand. Add silver sparkles, small plastic dreidels, and blue glass gems.
- Goal: Let them scoop, pour, and find hidden “treasures” like chocolate gelt. This builds fine motor skills and provides a calming sensory experience.
Counting Candles Menorah Game
Use a printable menorah and have your toddler place the correct number of candles (using blue popsicle sticks or crayons) on the board. This teaches one-to-one correspondence and basic numeracy.
Hanukkah play dough tray
Provide blue, white, and yellow play dough. Include cookie cutters in the shape of a Star of David and a menorah. Adding a bit of glitter to the dough makes it feel extra festive.
Hanukkah crafts for kids
Hanukkah crafts allow children to create keepsakes they can use to decorate the home.
- Popsicle stick Star of David: Glue two triangles made of popsicle sticks together to form a six-pointed star. Paint them blue and hang them as a garland.
- Paper plate clothespin menorah: Paint a paper plate blue, cut it in half, and use nine clothespins as “candles.” Kids can “light” one each night by clipping a yellow felt “flame” to the clothespin.
- LEGO dreidel: Challenge your kids to build a working dreidel out of LEGO bricks. It’s a wonderful engineering task that requires balance and symmetry.
Hanukkah classroom activities
Educators can use the Hanukkah story to teach history and literacy. Using cultural stories in the classroom helps build empathy and understanding.
Seleucid Empire vs Maccabees
Explain the story of Hanukkah by simplifying the conflict. Focus on the theme of bravery and the “miracle of the oil” that lasted for eight days. Use a timeline to show how the Maccabees reclaimed the Temple.
Hanukkah acrostic poems
Have students write the word HANUKKAH vertically and create a poem.
- Happy faces
- Temple reclaimed
- Nine candles glowing…
Hanukkah reading sessions
Read books like The Ninth Night of Hanukkah or Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins. Follow up with questions about Hanukkah to check for comprehension, such as “Why do we use a shamash?” or “What does the word Hanukkah mean?” (It means “dedication”).
Hanukkah food activities
No festive Hanukkah is complete without crafts and recipes involving food!
Marshmallow dreidel snack
This is a fun and easy edible craft.
- Take a large marshmallow.
- Poke a pretzel stick into the top (the handle).
- Use a dab of honey or frosting to attach a small chocolate drop to the bottom (the point).
- Use food coloring markers to write the Hebrew letters on the sides.
Bake Hanukkah cookies
Using Star of David and menorah cookie cutters, bake sugar cookies and let the kids decorate them with blue and white icing. This is a favorite Hanukkah tradition for many families.
More ideas for Hanukkah activities
As you celebrate the holiday, remember that the goal is connection.
- Family Play Ideas: Have a “Latke Fry-off” where kids help grate potatoes (with supervision) or stir the applesauce.
- Holiday Rotation: Instead of doing everything in one day, pick one Hanukkah craft or fun activity for each of the eight nights. This keeps the excitement alive throughout the winter holiday season.
Related holiday activities
In a diverse classroom or home, it is often helpful to explore other winter holiday traditions.
- Christmas school activities: Compare the “lighting of the tree” with the “lighting of the menorah.”
- Kwanzaa classroom activities: Discuss the Kinara and how it also uses candles to represent important values.
- Winter holiday activity packs: Create a bundle of Hanukkah coloring pages, word search puzzles, and Kwanzaa crafts to provide a multicultural learning experience.
Happy Hanukkah! May your festival of lights be filled with joy, learning, and plenty of sufganiyot.