I am still deeply feeling the joy and hope that comes from a meaningful High Holiday experience but it is with equal joy and excitement that I set up and invited my kiddos to our Sukkot 2023 Shelfie + Starter Activities. Sukkot is such a lovely holiday–celebrating the harvest and the wonders we receive from this earth, thinking about our people’s history as they wandered the desert for so many years, and emphasizing the value of hachnasat orchim, welcoming guests, as we create our own sukkah (real and play ones!) and invite family and friends to join us.
What You’ll Need
- Your favorite Sukkot books (check out our recommendations here!)
- Your favorite Sukkot 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 as we create them to this Sukkot Shelfie.
- Sukkot Book Box
- Sukkot 3 Part Cards
- Kindness Chain Garland
- Sukkot Social Justice Ushpizin Nomenclature Cards
- Leaf Shape Match
- Magnatiles Sukkah Invitation
- Harvest Loose Parts Sukkah Light Table Invitation
- Fall Leaf Cutting Tray
- Mini Lulav and Etrog Counting Invitation
- Apple Tree STEM Invitation
- Lulav and Etrog Color Match
- Gourd Harvest Posting
- Welcoming Guests Social Story
- Plush Etrog and Lulav
- Torah Stuffie
Finished & Loving It!
Sukkot Book Box
We made this Sukkot Book Box years ago as a fun art project plus a practical way to store our holiday books. I see that it’s getting a little rough around the edges (sad that one of the fruit prints fell off!). Might be time for a refresh next year!
Sukkot 3 Part Cards
We love starting our holiday learning by introducing or reviewing the holiday through our Sukkot Montessori-style 3 Part Cards. This is a great way to share simple facts about the holiday, including when it occurs and the traditions, symbols and customs that relate to it.
Kindness Chain Garland
Every Yom Kippur afternoon, or sometimes during break fast, we create a kindness chain as a family. We then hang it on our sukkah. I decided to use the one we made this Yom Kippur to decorate our Sukkot Shelfie before hanging it in the sukkah.
Sukkot Social Justice Ushpizin Nomenclature Cards
You know I’m a big fan of using nomenclature and 3 part cards to introduce all kinds of learning goals. We’ve done different ushpizin activities in the past but this year I wanted to introduce the concept in nomenclature cards then supplement with some additional activities.
When I came across the Union for Reform Judaism article about welcoming seven holy guests of social justice work, I knew I wanted to explore this perspective of ushpizin with my family. Traditionally, the ushpizin, the seven holy guests, are the seven main patriarchs of Jewish history. However, I absolutely love this modern variation that incorporates women and the values of social justice. To learn why/how each social action value relates to the Jewish historical figure, please read the Union of Reformed Judaism article, which can be found here. The article includes discussion prompts for each value that I found very powerful.
I Introduced each of the guests using the cards and identified their related social justice value. I plan on using the question prompts found in the URJ article one night in the sukkah so we can all really dive in and think about these really important actions.
Leaf Shape Match
This is such a simple fall activity! Gather some leaves, trace them on a piece of paper, then move true leaves to the side. Invite your child to match the leaves with their outline!
Magnatiles Sukkah Invitation
I always love including a sukkah building invitation on our shelfies. This year I set out magnatiles and invited the kids to build a sukkah with these fun and colorful magnets.
Harvest Loose Parts Sukkah Light Table Invitation
I was tempted to set up the magnatiles sukkah invitation on the light table (and yes, I still think that would be a great idea!) but then I found these fall harvest acrylic loose part pieces and knew I wanted to see them when lit up! I used my frosted insert and kitpas crayons to draw a sukkah, then had the loose parts available for the kids to decorate their sukkah!
Fall Leaf Cutting Tray
This is another super simple activity. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to go on a nature walk in the arboretum this week so I had to gather some leaves closer to home. But giving kids different opportunities for cutting (texture, sizes, thickness) is so great for developing and practicing their skills.
Mini Lulav and Etrog Counting Invitation
Last year I made these mini lulav and etrog and we used them in a roll and count game. I loved it and will definitely be doing that activity again, but set out this simple counting and manipulative invitation for the Shelfie.
The kids can choose a Sukkot counting card then use the mini lulav and etrog manipulatives to count out the correct corresponding number. Such a great way to expose them to and practice identifying numbers, practice one to one correspondence and counting, and have fun with such a recognizable Sukkot symbol.
Apple Tree STEM Invitation
Apple picking is a favorite fall tradition that we haven’t done yet this year (gasp!). At least now the kids had the opportunity on the Shelfie haha. I love how this invitation allows them to make their own apple tree with the “limbs” then invites them to strategize to see how many pom pom apples they can balance on top. You could totally use the Sukkot counting cards to challenge them to match the number of pom poms with the number on the card!
Lulav and Etrog Color Match
I love these colorful mini lulav and etrog! I added them to a simple sensory tray and invited my youngest to match the corresponding colored etrog to the lulav. Simple, easy fun with our favorite Sukkot symbol!
Gourd Harvest Posting
This is another activity that I borrowed from previous years! I can’t even remember which posting activity I used the base for previously, but I found it in my closet and realized it would work perfectly for this harvest holiday. I used the gourd images that I had put together for last year’s Vanish the Gourds Sensory Bin and just glued 10 of them to popsicle sticks, adding the corresponding number. Easy peasy!
This activity can work for my first grader as a review of numbers and their order. When I have some one on one time with my preschooler, I will work with him to practice identifying the numbers then matching them.
Welcoming Guests Social Story
I created this Welcoming Guests Social Story years ago and bring it out each Sukkot. It’s a very simple but engaging way to talk about the value of hachnasat orchim and welcoming guests into the sukkah.
Plush Etrog and Lulav
We love our plush lulav and etrog and highly recommend every Jewish family has one! Such a great (and safe!) way to practice shaking and saying the blessings.
Torah Stuffie
And of course we also needed to bring out our Torah Stuffie to represent Simchat Torah, which happens at the end of Sukkot. The kids love this stuffie and I love that they love it!
As always, such a wonderful way for our family to come together and engage in some fun and meaningful Sukkot learning! This year Sukkot starts tomorrow, Friday, September 29th. Chag Sameach!
Just the beginning …
We had such a great time with all these starter activities! And these are truly starter activities, just the beginning of our learning about the traditions and celebrations that relate to Sukkot.
I have lots of ideas planned for the next week+ so make sure to check back (or subscribe!!). It was so fun to see all the fun that happened just this afternoon!
We have a whole page dedicated to Sukkot, our Sukkot Hub. Check it out! It includes some of the Sukkot activities we do this year, as well as the activities we’ve done in previous years.
And don’t forget our Sukkot Montessori-Style 3 Part Cards, a wonderful way to introduce Sukkot!
The following sites are amazing resources for learning more about this holiday:
Chag Sameach!!
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