Hanukkah

A menorah with all the candles lit, three dreidels sitting next to it and delicious desserts on the other side of the menorah.

Whether you are looking for videos, crafts, explanations, or more, jkidphilly is your one-stop-shop for all things Hanukkah.

Come for the latke recipes;

stay for the endless array of ways to celebrate with your jkids!

About Hanukkah

Children love Hanukkah, and why not? There are eight days of candle lighting, with candles increasing in number each night, there are lots of fried yummy foods, and did someone say presents? 

Also known as the Festival of Lights or the Feast of Dedication, the holiday celebrates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem following the Maccabean revolt against the Syrian-Greek army. The holiday takes place for eight nights and days, commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple. Here is a simplified version of the Hanukkah Story for kids.

Hanukkah takes place during the darkest part of the year. It’s at the end of the Hebrew month of Kislev, and the beginning of Tevet, so the moon is waning and then barely visible. It makes sky-watching really fun – especially with flashlights and glow sticks.

learn

Everything you wanted to know about Hanukkah — and more!

  • A woman holding up 8 fingers for Hannukah, teaching ASL!
  • A guide to lighting the candles on the Menorah: first, we light the Shamash, the helper candle, then we say two blessings, one for lighting candles and one for miracles: Blessed are you God, Ruler of the Universe, who sanctifies us with you mitzvot, and commands us to light the Hannukah candles. Now we light hte candles, starting from the newest one, from left to right: Blessed are you, God, Ruler of the Universe, who performed miracles for our ancestors in these days, at this time. If it's the first night of Hannukah, we add a third special blessing: Blessed are you God, Ruler of the universe, who has granted us with Life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season.
  • Celebrating Hannukah: A jkidAccess Social Story. With a picture of dreidels and a wooden menorah.
  • Hebrew words with a corresponding picture for each. For example, ha olam has a picture of the earth beneath it, asher has a picture of a storm cloud, and shel hannukah has a picture of a menorah.

play

Crafts and games for a super fun Hanukkah

  • A Hannukah bingo game with: shin, oil lamp, latkes, temple, gelt, dove, lighting the menorah, olives, star of david, kislev, potatoes, candle, nun, maoz tzur, and a free space for jkidphilly!
  • A menorah with the words Happy Hannukah above, a print out to color in.
  • A dreidel spinning.
  • A screenshot of a Hannukah pinterest board including: menorahs, dreidels, and the star of david.

cook

Nothing says Hanukkah like the smell of latkes! Learn how to make them — and more!

  • Dreidels made from pretzels, marshmallows and a hersheys kiss for the tip! Some are also dipped in chocolate with sprinkles covering them.
  • An edible menorah made with carrots for the base, green beans for the candles and radish as the light of the candle.
  • An array of delicious looking latkes.
  • An image of three sufganiyot.

watch

Videos for all ages

  • Lisa Litman helping a child put candles in the menorah.
  • Lisa Litman excitedly holding a book that she will be reading, a huge smile across her face. She is wearing glasses and has short hair.
  • A screenshot of sesame street playing: Baby bear and Telly play dreidel.
  • A screenshot of a youtube video: The hannukah story for kids: maccabees, miracles, and dreidels.
  • The book cover for the book: Hershel and the Hannukah Goblins by Eric Kimmel. On the cover, he is holding up a light to the goblins.

listen

Get into the spirit of Hanukkah with this playlist

read

There’s nothing like curling up with a good book as the candles glow

PJ Library is full of wonderful Hanukkah stories to share. These are some of our favorites: