Purim is one of our favorite Jewish holidays. In fact, it’s one of our favorite holidays from any faith tradition! It’s also a super family-friendly event with costumes, noise-makers, sweet treats, and a carnival-like atmosphere! What could be better?! Celebrate with us with these fun Purim activities for kids.
You might also enjoy these 10 fun facts for kids about Purim.
The point of Purim is to honor Esther, a Jewish queen, who saved her people from complete destruction at the hands of the evil Haman. Jews read the entire story of Esther, which is its own book in both the Jewish and Christian Bibles. (Luckily, it’s not as long as other books!)
Fun Ways to Celebrate with Purim Activities for Kids
We often celebrate Purim — which usually falls in early-to-mid March — during our interfaith Sunday School classes. Since we have only an hour, we’ve come up with our own quick-and-easy version of Purim to share with the kids in our program. These ideas work especially well for our Upper Elementary and Middle School classes (Grades 3-8), but feel free to adapt them for kids of all ages!
Purim Noise-Makers
Haman {HAY-mun} is the clear villain in the story of Esther. Whenever his name is read, everyone makes noise, kind of like a milder version of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Most synagogues provide noise-makers in the form of groggers or little plastic “hand-clappers.” But, at our local Chabad house a few years ago, I discovered one of my favorite noise-makers: bubble wrap! They simply put the bubble-wrap on the floor and let the kids stomp on it whenever Haman’s name was read.
We expanded a bit on this idea to make it more of a craft and to make it more related to the story. All you need to make our Purim Bubble Wrap is clear bubble wrap, Sharpie®-type markers in various colors, sharp scissors, and an abbreviated version of the Esther story. (Because bubble wrap is plastic, fast-drying permanent markers work best. Also, we usually use large-bubble wrap that is flat on the back.)
To craft the noise-maker, give each child a piece of bubble wrap measuring about 18″ and 12″. Let them color the back using the Sharpie markers. They can color it any way they want, but to prevent boredom, we usually encourage them to choose just a few colors and to color in large swaths.
 Colored swaths on back of bubble wrap |
 Flipped over with “H” cut out |
Once that’s finished, draw a large letter “H” (for Haman) on the bubble wrap, and let them cut it out. Then, turn it over.
Now you can read the story and let them stomp on the wrap whenever they hear the word “Haman”!
Hamantaschen Recipe
Everyone eats hamantaschen {HAH-mun-tosh-un} at Purim, and I always look forward to my annual “fix” of these delicious triangular pastries. You can find many kid-friendly recipes on-line (like here and here). Most of them require making dough from scratch, rolling it out, and then cutting circles with a cookie-cutter. However, we were looking for a quicker/easier method for our Sunday School classes, so we use ready-to-bake sugar cookie dough. Here’s our recipe.
Ingredients
One tube (16.5 oz) ready-to-bake sugar cookie dough
1 tsp. Nutella® per person
1 tsp. jelly/jam per person
flour
Other supplies
spatula
small spoons
butter knives
baking pans
cooling racks and cutting boards are helpful, but optional
Instructions
Give everyone a small amount of dough. Each person should have enough dough to make two balls, each measuring about 1″ across.
Place the balls onto a floured surface and have the kids flatten the balls into pancakes that are each about 2-1/2″ across. Take a spatula and “flip the pancakes,” so they have flour on both sides.
Add a dab (1/2-1 tsp) of Nutella to the center of one pancake and a dab (1/2-1tsp) of jam to the center of the other pancake. Use a butter knife to fold up the edges, forming triangles. Pinch the corners.
Place 2″ apart on baking sheets and cook for 10 minutes at 350°. Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing from pan.
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The word hamantaschen means “Haman’s ears.” But, since Haman’s ears are never discussed in the story of Esther, it’s not clear how that tradition began. Also, the traditional hamantashen filling was poppy seeds, but nowadays, almost any type of filling can be used.
Our hamantaschen tend to be a bit flatter than the more conventional treats. But, the kids in our program really look forward to making them every time we share Purim with them. They can’t always remember what the final product is called, but they always remember that hamantaschen have three corners!
Dice Game Purim Activity for Kids
The word “Purim” actually means “Festival of Lots,” because Haman determined the exact date for killing all the Jews by “casting lots.” The practice of casting lots shows up in various places in the Bible — both in the Jewish Bible/Old Testament and in the New Testament. The process was generally used to make reasonably quick decisions with the least amount of argument, and it could be done with any number of objects — including sticks, coins, or stones. The modern-day equivalent would be flipping a coin or playing Rock/Paper/Scissors.
Many people view the casting of lots by Haman as an indication that the genocide date was completely arbitrary. Because it happened to fall on the 13th day of the Jewish month of Adar, Purim is generally celebrated on the day after (the 14th day of Adar).
To help the kids remember that, we play a dice game. We put them in pairs, or small groups, and give each group 3 dice. Everyone takes turns rolling the dice and adding up the numbers shown. Anyone who rolls a 14, gets 1 point.
Conclusion
There are lots of Purim resources out there, including several craft sites and numerous published books for kids of various ages. These are a few ideas that we use to share Purim with the kids in our interfaith Sunday School program.
We share lots of different faith holidays with kids, ranging in age from 3 to 14. They always have fun, and they always learn a lot. But Purim is a perennial favorite, so enjoy!
What are your favorite Purim activities for kids?
You might also enjoy
Purim: How We Celebrate a Festive Redemption
Interfaith Purim Plus: A Wide Approach to Spring Holidays
10 Fun Facts for Kids about Passover
Vicki Garlock
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