This year I was in the mood for a new, totally Hanukkah-themed basket to hold our Hanukkah Activities and came up with our Hanukkah DIY Braided Basket. Per usual, I wanted something the kids could help create, was aesthetically pleasing, and was useful. This Hanukkah DIY Braided Basket is inexpensive, easy to make, and brings me so much happiness just seeing it – even empty, but of course filled is better! Let me know if you decide to make one for your own family or as a gift to give to others this Hanukkah season.
What You’ll Need
- Plastic basket – we got ours from Dollar Tree
- Fabric – we had a variety of Hanukkah fabric that was given to us, but solid blues, whites, and silvers would look pretty too!
- Fabric cutter or scissors
- Fabric cutting pad
- Hot glue
Putting It Together
- Cut your desired fabric into strips. Our strips were about 1.5-2 inches thick
- Braid three strips of fabric to make a Hanukkah fabric braided rope.
- Glue your braided ropes to the plastic basket. We started at the bottom and worked our way up.
- Fill in any gaps with shorter braided ropes.
- Add your favorite Hanukkah books, activities, or hostess gifts!
Finished & Loving It!
I love how easy this Hanukkah DIY Braided Basket was to make and that the kids could really contribute to its creation. The boys each cut the strips of fabric. It was the first time they used a fabric cutter so it was a good opportunity to talk about safety and also allow them to try something new and a little out of their comfort zone.
The braiding was also a good practice. Braiding is a wonderful way to practice fine motor skills, hand eye coordination, hand strength and stamina, pattern and sequence recognition, and focus. The boys have braided challah before but the fabric strips were a much different material and because of that and their length, definitely took some coordination and support to make it work.
I did all the hot gluing but *shush* I plan to get the kids a low temp glue gun for Hanukkah this year so that they can start working with a glue gun as well. My hand is still scarred from the giant bow I made for my daughter’s bat mitzvah last month so I have a healthy fear of hot glue guns and am looking forward to a lower temp one for myself too 😉
When we finished gluing the braided rope, I filled the basket with a bunch of our Hanukkah activities from previous years to display for our Hanukkah Book Box and Activity Basket shelf! It makes a cute, festive and practical addition. But because I thought it would be fun, I tested out how it would look as a storage basket for books (darling!) and as a hostess gift (amazing!). What would you fill your Hanukkah DIY Braided Basket with?
Getting in the mood …
This year Hanukkah starts Friday, December 4th. May we fill the world with light and love through our traditions, our families, our hanukkiah, our crafts, and all our love!
I hope you found some inspiration for beginning your Hanukkah 2026 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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