Somehow we are already only a month out from one of my favorite holidays, Hanukkah, and to kick off our month of learning, exploration and fun we began with our 2022 Hanukkah Shelfie + Starter Activities! I love the Festival of Lights, the idea of bringing light into darkness, and all the extra family time that is our family tradition. I also love the many great opportunities for meaningful learning and play!
I had lots of fun setting up this Hanukkah Shelfie and there’s no doubt the kids had a great time exploring the starter activities. We have a whole month (then 8 days!) ahead of us to return to this shelfie and these activities, as well as enjoy new activities along the way, and I am so ready for it!
As always, I hope you find some inspiration in our Hanukkah Shelfie + Starter Activities. And of course, I really hope your home is lit with lots of light and love this holiday season!
What You’ll Need
- Your favorite Hanukkah books (check out our recommendations here!)
- Your favorite Hanukkah arts, crafts, toy sets, and activities that you already own and/or look below to see if any of ours inspire you to create similar ones!
Putting It Together
Here is the list of activities that I set up. Get inspired or grab whatever of your own! I also plan to add new activities to this Hanukkah Shelfie as we create them.
- Hanukkah Book Box + Hanukkah Reading Challenge Bingo
- Hanukkah Activities Packet for Early Learners
- Dreidel & Star of David Process Art Garland
- Hanukkah Salt Tray
- Hanukkah Montessori-Style 3 Part Cards
- Old Lady Who Swallowed a Dreidel
- DIY Maccabee Sword and Shield
- Dreidel 100 Chart
- Hanukkiah Clothespin Clip
- Pretend Latkes & Donuts
- Maccabee Peg Dolls
- Tzedakah In-Kind Collection Box
- Tray of Dreidels and Gelt
- Basket of Blue and Yellow Scarves
- Candlestick Posting
- Hanukkah I Spy Sensory Bottle
- Gelt Coin Posting
- Sweet Happy Little Hanukkah Village
- Toilet Paper Roll Menorah
Finished & Loving It!
Hanukkah Book Box + Hanukkah Reading Challenge Bingo
One of our annual favorites is our Hanukkah Book Box and Hanukkah Reading Challenge Bingo. We have so many really wonderful Hanukkah books (most thanks to PJ Library!) and challenging the kids with this bingo game is such a fun way to read through the books and make some important holiday connections at the same time.
The Hanukkah Reading Challenge Bingo is available as a free printable and is also part of the awesome Hanukkah Activities Packet for Early Learners I created this year.
Hanukkah Activities Packet for Early Learners
I am so excited that I put together this Hanukkah Activities Packet for Early Learners this year for so much amazing learning with a Hanukkah twist! The Packet is mainly geared toward my kindergartner and has so many options for practicing letters, numbers, counting, fine motor skills, etc. But this is also great exposure for my preschooler and awesome review for my older kiddos.
The kids found multiple activities from the pack on the Shelfie this year. The rest will come out during the next month as we learn and play! If you want all the goodies now, the Hanukkah Activities Packet for Early Learners is available in the With Love Ima, Shop and on our Teachers Pay Teachers site.
And to kick off the release of this new resource, I’m offering a sale on the product for the next 4 days! Starting today through Sunday, November 20th, the Hanukkah Activities Packet for Early Learners will be $5 off in the With Love Ima, Shop when you use the code “hanukkahearlylearners5” and 20% off for 4 on our Teachers Pay Teachers site. Have fun!
Dreidel & Star of David Process Art Garland
We had such a great time creating our first Hanukkah art of the year with this Dreidel & Star of David Process Art Garland! The kids made the dreidels with our always enjoyed dreidel spin art method. All you need is a box, paint and a dreidel! Such a fun way to practice spinning as well!
I was so inspired by the new PJ Library book that we just received, Hanukkah Nights, that I immediately knew it would be perfect for the Star of Davids! I didn’t have all the equipment that they used in the book, but I gathered what I could find and let the kids use whatever they wanted to decorate as they wished. A pretty good example of process art! They used a pipette, paint brushes, their fingers, a fork and a pom pom. It was fun to watch them explore these objects and so wonderful to see how lovely the finished product looked like too!
Hanukkah Salt Tray
We love salt trays for pre-writing and writing practice. The kids love the way the salt feels and it’s such a great way to practice drawing or writing. It’s also really easy to customize to whatever theme you want: dye the salt and add some thematic cards for cues!
For our Hanukkah twist I dyed the salt blue. I set out our Hanukkah counting cards (available as a free printable!) for my kindergartener to practice writing the corresponding number. But I am inspired by the wonderful @inpraiseofplay (who shared her Hanukkah sand tray a previous year) to invite my kiddos to practice writing the letters on the dreidel!
There are multiple activities in the Hanukkah Activities Packet for Early Learners that could work with this sand tray:
- Hanukkah Counting Cards
- Hanukkah Alphabet & Number Flashcards
- Hanukkah Donut Letters
Hanukkah Montessori-Style 3 Part Cards
As you well know, I love introducing holidays (and Torah stories!) with our 3 Part Cards. One of the first things we did when we saw the Shelfie was pull down the Hanukkah 3 Part Cards. I read the cards and the kids matched the images and summaries. Such a great way to learn and review!
Old Lady Who Swallowed a Dreidel Retelling Craft
This is one of my favorite crafts because it’s just such an enjoyable way to retell a story and it’s so fun. We love the book I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Dreidel. I made these print outs years ago and have used them with my own kids and my students. The book reviews so many Hanukkah symbols. Playing with this simple I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Dreidel Retelling Craft helps review these symbols as well.
DIY Maccabee Sword and Shield
I discovered this fun craft in Ariel Loves’ Hanukkah Family Magic Guidebook a couple years ago. The kids LOVED getting to act as Maccabees. This play acting is such a great way to retell the Hanukkah story. And, of course, have lots of fun while doing so!
Dreidel 100 Chart
We had lots of fun seeing how many dreidels we had last year by setting them on a Dreidel 100 chart. I brought out this activity again and set it up on the Shelfie so the kids could explore and count as they desired.
My third grader challenged herself to use the 100 Chart to practice counting by 8s. You go girl!
Hanukkiah Clothespin Clip + Hanukkah Clothespin Printables
We love clothespin activities! They are such great fine motor practice. And when they are themed, it’s a great way to expose and/or review the related symbols.
There are multiple Hanukkah clothespin activities in our Hanukkah Activities Packet for Early Leaners. I printed them all out, prepped the clothespins and set them up on the Shelfie so the kids could explore as they wished.
Pretend Latkes & Donuts
Having open-ended play opportunities is always a goal of mine. And of course for Hanukkah we needed some food options! Yes to remind us of the Miracle of Oil but also because Hanukkah food is just so so tasty!
When I saw @kindnesscastle share these latke frying pans years ago I knew the kids would love them. They loved them then and boy did they go straight to them when they saw them on the shelf today! It’s such a fun and creative way for some pretend food play.
Maccabee Peg Dolls
Peg dolls are another wonderful opportunity for open ended play. I love these Maccabee peg dolls from Parsha Pegs because the kids can choose to act or play out the Hanukkah story or they can just use the dolls for whatever fun play they desire.
Tzedakah In-Kind Collection Box
Every Hanukkah we make sure to focus on tzedakah. Usually this involves each kiddo thinking about a cause special to them. We then choose a corresponding organization and make a donation in their name as one of their eight Hanukkah gifts. See more about our Hanukkah gift strategy here.
This year I wanted to include in-kind donations on a continual basis through the end of Hanukkah. This aligns with the tzedakah unit we just finished. During the last couple weeks we explored how tzedakah is not just about giving money to right the injustices in the world, it can also be about giving tangible items to those in need.
We finished this Tzedakah In-Kind Collection Box earlier in the week and have already started to fill it up. I can’t wait until it’s bursting and we can drop off the items to the agencies helping to get them into the right hands.
Tray of Dreidels and Gelt
Dreidels, dreidels, dreidels … are everywhere! We can’t have a Hanukkah Shelfie without making sure we have a bunch of our favorite Hanukkah game, dreidel (and gelt), easily accessible. In past years the kids have chosen to play dreidel throughout the weeks leading up to the holiday. They love spinning and practicing their Hebrew. And collecting the gelt of course! Having dreidels and gelt available to them for play is a wonderful way to encourage familiarity and joy with these special Hanukkah objects.
Can you spot the inspirational gelt? This DIY gelt is from Make It Jewish and I love including it in our Hanukkah experience.
Basket of Blue and Yellow Scarves
I always try to include some open-ended activities on my holiday shelfies, relating to the theme in some way. A basket full of colored scarves is a perfect open-ended activity. Include only the blue and yellow ones and you instantly give it a Hanukkah twist!
There are no defined rules with scarf play, which is why it’s such a great open-ended activity. The kids can dance with them, spin them like dreidels, use them as doll blankets, play peek a boo and so much more. There are endless opportunities for creative and imaginary play. Can’t wait to see how my group chooses to play with them this year!
Candlestick Posting
This Candlestick Posting was one of my favorite activities from last year so I was excited to pull it out again. It’s so simple but such a great fine motor skill and concentration practice. And even though they are a year older and did the activity last year, the kids still loved trying it again this year!
Hanukkah I Spy Sensory Bottle
I made this Hanukkah I Spy Sensory Bottle what seems like a gazillion years ago. It’s another super simple activity that’s great for the youngest kiddos. It gives them a chance to be exposed to Hanukkah symbols and enjoy a sensory experience. Yay!
Gelt Coin Posting
This Gelt Coin Posting was another favorite simple activity from last year that I was excited to bring out again this year. It’s a great fine motor practice that reminds the kids all about the mitzvah of doing tzedakah during this holiday season.
Sweet Happy Little Hanukkah Village
Ok, I am so in love with the chunkies products from Woodpeckers Crafts! I knew I wanted to make a happy little Hanukkah village as soon as I saw these house chunkies. Aren’t they so adorable?
I also knew I wanted a nature element to bring in fall and winter cozy feelings. But I wanted the kids to be able to put their mark on it first. So they painted the houses however they wanted, then we glued on nature items (sticks, leaves, bark, etc.) for extra touches for the roof and doors. I love them! And I think our peg dolls do too! So many opportunities for open ended creative play!
And guess what?! Woodpeckers Crafts just dropped dreidel, menorah and Star of David chunkies!!!! I can’t wait for mine to arrive! Use WithLoveIma5 for a discount!
Toilet Paper Roll Menorah
This toilet paper roll menorah was one of the very first Hanukkah crafts I ever did with any of my kiddos: we made it when my oldest was a toddler (and he’s turning 12 next week!). I love that it has kept every year since then.
It’s of course super easy to make—have your kiddo paint the toilet paper rolls and popsicle sticks. Then glue on a paper flame. The kids can enjoy making it but also have fun posting the popsicle stick candles into the toilet paper rolls. This is a great hand eye coordination and fine motor skill practice. There’s also the opportunity for counting and modeling how we light a Hanukkiah. So much goodness in such simple crafts!
Getting in the mood …
This year Hanukkah starts Sunday, December 18th. I love having an entire month focused on learning about and preparing for Hanukkah. Setting out these Starter Activities is a great way to begin transitioning to this holiday. And they are a lot of fun too, of course!
I hope you found some inspiration for beginning your Hanukkah 2022 adventures! Continue with us, either here and/or on Instagram, as we enjoy this beautiful Festival of Lights!
Chag Hanukkah Sameach!
We have a whole page dedicated to Hanukkah, our Hanukkah Hub. Check it out! It includes some of the Hanukkah activities we plan to do this year, as well as the activities we’ve done in previous years.
And don’t forget our Hanukkah Montessori-Style 3 Part Cards, a wonderful way to introduce Hanukkah! And, now we also have all 13 Jewish holidays bundled together in A Year of Jewish Holidays 3 Part Cards.
If you want to go full-on Hanukkah with your littles, you must try our Hanukkah Activities Packet for Early Learners! I am so excited about all the Hanukkah-themed literacy, fine motor skills, math, and play fun!
The following sites are amazing resources for learning more about this holiday:
Chag Sameach!
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