Passover
Catan is great, but after the fortieth time?
Passover is a wonderful holiday, but holy cow, can it get long. This year we’re lucky because it starts and ends on Shabbos, but there’s still all those days in-between with so... much... family... time. It’s honestly wonderful, but figuring out what to do with your kids during this time of celebration can be a lot. You are straddling two worlds — your day-to-day life, and your Jewish family life. You need both, but how can you make them come together for activities you can share during Passover? How do you find some great family activities for Passover that everyone actually enjoys?
It’s all about finding unique, holiday-themed ways to celebrate. While we love watching Prince of Egypt and the Rugrats Passover episode, I promise, there are equally fun ways to celebrate. And you can even do them while singing all the songs from the movie. (Which is pretty much my go-to all year long. There’s not a song in that show that isn’t an absolute banger.)
From crafts to games to singing “Dayenu,” you will have so much fun with your kids during the eight days of Passover. You may even forget that you have a huge lump of matzoh that you’re trying to digest.
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1
Crafts, Crafts, Crafts
When you’re up to your eyeballs in matzoh meal, just trying to get dinner on the table, these placemats are a lifesaver. Pull out a big box of crayons or markers and let your kids go to town on these Passover-themed placemats. It’s a quiet, directed activity that never gets old.
2
Build A Matzoh House
You’ve heard of gingerbread houses. Did you know you can do the same with matzoh? Instead of using royal icing, my kids and I put them together like Kinetix toys, using kosher for Passover marshmallows at the corners for joiners. My daughter has even used string cheese and hot glue for mortar.
And before you say “but that’s not really edible!” Think to yourself, is matzoh ever really edible? Only when you add a whole bunch of chicken fat or sugar.
3
Build Your Own Matzoh Pizzas
Grab all the toppings and have a “make your own matzoh pizza” night. Matzoh pizza is arguably the most delicious way to use matzoh outside of matzoh balls and plain matzoh with butter and salt. (Fight me.) And kids love making their own pizza. Pro tip: place these bad boys on parchment paper-lined sheet pans. It makes things so much easier to clean.
4
Passover Dance Party
It’s not just “Dayenu!” The Union for Reform Judaism has made a fabulous family playlist that’s positively perfect for a family dance party. It’s also a great playlist to have playing in the background of your celebrations. Dancing is joyous, and so is Passover. Use the music to make it more so.
5
Make Your Own Plagues
The blogger Creative Jewish Mom has a fabulous rubric for making your own Passover plagues! The frogs are my personal favorite, but they’re all really fun and easy to do. They use everyday items like construction paper and markers. They do take some time to make, but it’s totally worth it. Let your kids’ creativity run wild.
6
Scavenger Hunt
So you maybe forgot to pick something up for your kids to do. Worry not, there’s an instant download scavenger hunt for Passover available on Etsy. And a scavenger hunt is so quintessentially Passover. A whole bunch of clues to get where you’re going, and a lot of food you don’t necessarily love? Sounds Hebrew-ish to me.
7
Happy Salmon
Is Happy Salmon specifically Jewish? No. But it does feel like it is. Created by the same team who made the ever popular Exploding Kittens, this game is an active, fun, and fast-paced. You can play several rounds of the game before your kids begin to tire of it, which is really saying something.
8
Decorate Passover Seder Glasses
During the Seder, we drink four cups of wine/juice. Buy paper or plastic cups, some art supplies and glue, and let your children make each of their own four glasses. They can also make a glass for Elijah and one for Miriam. It lets them personalize the Seder for them, making it more meaningful.
9
Make A Moses Basket
The beginning of Moses’ story began when his mother placed him in a basket and set him in the river for his own safety. Have your children make their own Moses basket boats out of paper. See whose boat floats the longest and the best. It’s an illustrative way to learn the story for kids.
10
Who Am I?
We’ve all played some form of Who Am I? This ready-made game features Passover people and things. Moses, Miriam, flies, darkness, plague of cattle, all are up for grabs in this game. Kids get to ask questions about their own card to determine which character they are. Just as a note, parents, after you’ve had that fourth cup of wine, your children will own you in this game.
