With less than a month to go we started preparing for the next major Jewish holiday, Purim, by setting up and exploring our 2023 Purim Shelfie + Starter Activities experience!
Once again, there’s a lot going on here but most of the activities are simple and many are pulled from previous years. Having meaningful learning and play Jewish experiences never have to be complicated or hard! The kids especially loved the Guess the Grogger Filler, Crown Light Table and the Cardboard Build Shushan Challenge. But there’s LOTS more so make sure to check them all out below!
What You’ll Need
- Your favorite Purim books (check out our recommendations here!)
- Your favorite Purim 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 Purim Shelfie as we create them.
- Purim Activities Packet for Early Learners
- Purim Book Box + Reading Bingo Challenge
- Purim Montessori-Style 3 Part Cards
- Purim Nomenclature Cards
- Recycled Cardboard Shushan Building Challenge
- Costume Basket
- Guess the Grogger Filler Tray
- Felt Hamantaschen Tray
- Purim Memory Game
- Crown Light Table
- Purim Ten Frame + Card Counting Tray
- Purim Story Felt Board
- Mishloach Manot Pretend Play
- Fill the Mishloach Manot Sticker Art
- Matanot L’evyonim Tray
- Purim Crowns
- Queen Esther (or Vashti)’s Crown Pom Pom Push
- Basket of Groggers + Purim I Spy Groggers
Finished & Loving It!
Purim Activities Packet for Early Learners
That’s right, a new holiday and a new activities packet specifically geared towards your early learner! My kindergartener already took some of the activities for a test drive and they were once again a hit. And not only with him–with me being sick for the last two weeks, it’s helped so much to have simple activities already printed out that I can just grab from the kitchen island and give to him.
A few comments connecting the activity to the holiday, or a question to check his retention of the material we’ve learned or reviewed, and we have a meaningful holiday learning experience that’s simple and fun for both the early learner and the parent!
Purim Book Box + Reading Bingo Challenge
I love organizing our holiday books in the book boxes the kids have decorated. I keep them in storage so we don’t have to make new ones each year. But of course you could if you wanted to! There are many fun crafts that can easily be cut and glued to a box. These hamantaschen were really simple to make and have held up well!
We don’t want to just look at our box of books of course! We want to read the wonderful books that are gathered there. And even more, connect what we are reading to the holiday and our learning goals. This Purim Reading Bingo Challenge is such a great and simple way to do that. It helps review main characters, symbols, traditions and themes. And easily highlights their importance to the holiday. And best yet, it’s fun! The printable is also free, just click on the link and print it out 😉
Purim Montessori-Style 3 Part Cards
Another activity that has now become a family learning tradition is introducing or reviewing the holiday through our Montessori-Style 3 Part Cards. These cards showcase the details about the holiday that I want my family to know, including why we celebrate the holiday and examples of how we celebrate.
It also provides an opportunity for reading exposure, as well as matching challenges–with the pictures or words so all levels of development can participate!
The Purim Montessori-Style 3 Part Cards are available on their own here, or as part of the Purim Activities Packet for Early Learners.
Purim Nomenclature Cards
These Purim Nomenclature Cards focus on how we celebrate Purim. They are simple and great for early readers focusing on reading words instead of sentences. The pictures are photographs to connect a realistic element of the holiday that your children can identify with.
And you guessed it! They are available here on their own or in our Purim Activities Packet for Early Learners.
Recycled Cardboard Shushan Building Challenge
I always love adding a building element to Purim with Shushan–it’s such a perfect opportunity to challenge the kids to build the location where Purim takes place! This year I created an invitation from recycled cardboard items. Which is … kinda brilliant! These are items that would end up in your recycling cart already so it’s a wonderful way to show your kids how they can reuse items for playful purposes. This is a beautiful example of implementing the value of ba’al tashchit (do not be wasteful) into your family’s life and play. It’s also fun because the items are not uniform. It’s a great STEM challenge for them to figure out how they want to combine and manipulate these items to create their Shushan.
We also added our peg dolls, as well as our special Purim peg dolls that I painted last year. Peg dolls almost always find their way to our shelfies. They are great open-ended and creative toys. With this invitation, they can help tell the story of Purim. Or just have fun interacting with the cardboard buildings.
Creating your own themed peg dolls is fun too. It was so easy to take the inexpensive blank peg dolls from Woodpeckers Crafts and then paint them to match our Purim characters. This is an affordable way to have Purim-themed characters that can star in small world play, sensory bins and trays, and story telling! If you buy some peg dolls from Woodpeckers Crafts, make sure to use the code WithLoveIma5 for a discount 😉
This invitation has an opportunity for a fun extension activity as well: paint or otherwise decorate the cardboard items! Use crayons, paint sticks, even stickers to transform your cardboard items into one of a kind Shushan building “blocks” and enjoy all the creative aspects that are part of this fun, inexpensive, and environmentally-conscious activity!
Costume Basket
As always, our Purim shelfie features a basket of costumes! Not only are dress ups fun all year long, they have significant importance to Purim because of their connection to the Purim spiel and the Purim carnival. And for some families, maybe a Purim parade and/or party! I threw in a bunch of the kids’ favorites, as well as some realistic dress up items (stethoscope) and of course, masks!
Guess the Grogger Filler Tray
This Guess the Grogger Filler tray was such a fun way to shake shake shake our groggers and challenge the kids to think critically about what materials might make which sounds. Last year we did a Test the Grogger Filler activity. It was also lots of fun and let the kids choose which filler made the best sound to them. This activity flips that idea with the groggers already being filled ahead of time. I filled each paper cup grogger with a different filling: either beans, rice or small rocks from our backyard. I then assembled the groggers, wrote a little hint of what the filler was on the bottom of the popsicle stick so I would know the match!, and invited the kids to shake each one and guess its match. I included samples of the fillers on the tray so the kids could see what their options were. You could always leave the samples out to make it even more challenging!
These paper cup groggers are super easy to make. I designed them for one of the preschool Purim activities so this was a great opportunity to test them out. I think we will do them again as a family, from start to finish. That means each child will be given two paper cups to decorate as they wish. Think crayons, markers, paint sticks, and stick on jewels. Then put it a little bit of filler. Any of the options I used for this activity would work, all kid-tested and approved! Tape the popsicle stick to the lip of one of the cups. I did it at the top, with the tape going over the top of the popsicle stick. Place the other cup to match opening to opening, then tape all the way around. Once the tape seems secure, shake shake shake and yell out “Boo Haman!” to the delight of your family (or a classroom of preschool students!).
Felt Hamantaschen Tray
These super simple DIY felt hamantaschen were used in a sensory bin last year. They work great there, but also perfectly well as a simple fine motor skill shelf activity. Invite your kiddos to match the colored pom pom with the corresponding felt hamantaschen and transfer the pom pom by fingers or tongs.
This is a great opportunity for fine motor skill practice, as well as color identification, articulation, and matching, all important skills for an early learner.
Purim Memory Game
This Purim Memory Game is such a simple concept and I was so happy to see that all the kids enjoyed it so much! It’s available in our Purim Activities Packet for Early Learners. Once you print and cut it out, flip all images face down. Then turn them over looking for matches!
Each time we flipped a card, we identified it by name and also by how it connected to Purim. Such a simple, but meaningful and fun way to review the holiday characters and symbols.
Crown Light Table
Oooh, I loved this light table invitation! Another simple DIY that allows for a lot of exploration, creativity and open-ended fun! The light table is made by plopping two chargeable lights in the sensory bin. Add a frosted plexiglass insert on top and you have a light table!
I taped one of the suncatcher crowns the kids made last year then scattered some colored plastic circles. I invited the kids to decorate the crown with the circles.
These circles are actually magnetic, so a fun extension activity would be to bring out a magnetic wand and have them move the circles to decorate the crown that way.
I love that I was able to use something the kids made previously for another holiday celebration, especially in this new and creative way!
Purim Ten Frame + Card Counting Tray
This Purim Ten Frame + Card Counting Tray was another super simple set up with lots of opportunities for early learning fun! The ten frame is a wooden divided tray that’s so great for counting out with one to one correspondence, or counting by each increasing numeral group. The manipulatives I chose were shiny (Dollar Tree) gems–such fun! They are easy to grab (but still work those fine motor skills) and a wonderful way to visually practice counting.
I also set out a selection of different Purim-related numeral cards that we have available for my kiddo to choose. The hamantaschen cards can be found here and the other Purim numeral cards are available in our Purim Activities Packet for Early Learners. They are such simple ways to practice number identification and prompt counting practice. And, when you also identify the image(s) on the cards, provide an opportunity for Purim learning and connection.
Purim Story Felt Board
This Purim Sequencing Story set is another gem from a previous year that can once again be used year after year! In the past I set it up on our large felt board. But I like how accessible this small one is for the kids to explore as a shelf activity.
The Purim Sequencing Story is available on its own or as part of the Purim Activities Packet for Early Learners. It’s a fun way to introduce or review the story of Purim. It’s also a wonderful opportunity for the kids to get involved in matching the pictures with content and practice sequencing the story chronologically.
Mishloach Manot Pretend Play
As with last year, it’s very easy to represent the mitzvah and Purim tradition of mishloach manot with some pretend play opportunities. I added some ready-to-eat pretend food options in a basket for the kids to select and play with as they wish.
Fill the Mishloach Manot Sticker Art
This Fill the Mishloach Manot sticker art was another super easy way for the kids to think critically about the tradition of mishloach manot and how to create these baskets. This time with stickers, instead of real food 😉
We’ve done a sticker wall mural with this invitation before, but I liked having a smaller version that works well as a shelf activity. The kids could easily work together on the playroom carpet to look at the sticker food options in the basket and make their choices.
And do you see the amazing fine motor skill practice and development that’s happening here?! Yippee!!
Matanot L’evyonim Tray
Another important Purim mitzvah and tradition I always want to make sure to highlight is that of matanot l’evyonim, giving charity to the poor. To incorporate this tradition into our shelfie, I simply set out a tzedakah box and some real coins. This activity thus acts as a wonderful way to practice giving tzedakah, which we talked about is specifically required as one of the four mitzvot of Purim, as well as a practical life fine motor skill practice!
Purim Crowns
Who can celebrate Purim without your very own crown? And guess what … another super easy and cheap secret here … I got these ready-made crowns from Dollar Tree. They were in the birthday aisle. So instead of me having to cut them out or do any prep, I was able to set them on the shelf with some stickers and the kids could design their very own royal head wear!
Pro tip: we discovered that the shiny surface of these crowns made gluing jewels with a gluestick not an option. My daughter was devastated. I assured her I had another (paper) crown activity planned for the coming weeks where she could bejewel and bedazzle away, but it’s always good to know when the materials you’ve chosen might have some challenges!
Queen Esther (or Vashti)’s Crown Pom Pom Push
Another favorite from previous years came out because the kids continue to enjoy it year after year: our Queen Esther’s Crown Pom Pom Push! This is such a simple DIY and a great way to practice fine motor skills and color identification.
Basket of Groggers + Purim I Spy Groggers
Purim play won’t be complete without a selection of groggers to shake and enjoy! I set out some of the groggers we’ve made or decorated in previous years. I included our Purim I Spy Groggers because they are such a great way to review Purim symbols and enjoy shaking a real grogger!
Getting in the mood …
This year Purim starts Monday, March 6th and ends at sundown Tuesday, March 7th. We’ve been horribly sick the last two weeks so I’m starting our Purim learning a little bit later than usual (don’t worry, just by a few days) but we still have almost a whole month to learn, review, explore, and play with all things Purim. I always like having a long time to explore the holidays with my family so that our learning doesn’t feel rushed.
I hope you found some inspiration from our 2023 Purim Shelfie + Starter Activities for beginning your Purim 2023 adventures! Continue with us, either here and/or on Instagram, as we explore bravery, pride in being oneself (and Jewish!), delicious food, booing loudly and continuing Jewish life, storytelling, and history as we prepare for and celebrate Purim!
Chag Purim Sameach!
We have a whole page dedicated to Purim, our Purim Hub. Check it out! It includes some of the Purim activities we plan to do this year, as well as the activities we’ve done in previous years.
And don’t forget our Purim Montessori-Style 3 Part Cards, a wonderful way to introduce Purim! And, now we also have all 13 Jewish holidays bundled together in A Year of Jewish Holidays 3 Part Cards.
If you want to have a ton of Purim early learner activities ready at your fingertips, try our Purim Activities Packet for Early Learners! I am so excited about all the Purim-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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