— ideas —
8 nights of Hanukkah, 8 drawings: activities for little kids
Hanukkah means eight evenings at home: candles, sufganiyot and kids who don't want to go to bed. Here's one simple activity for each night, for ages 3-6: paper, pencils or crayons and 15 minutes.
Every activity ends with a drawing. By the last candle you'll have eight drawings from this Hanukkah - and at the end we'll tell you what you can do with them.
- 01
A handprint menorah
Trace both of your kid's hands on a sheet of paper: the fingers become candles. Let them draw the flames however they like. Ask: what color will your flame be?
- 02
Their own dreidel
Draw a big dreidel together, and let your kid color each side their own way. Ask: if the dreidel could talk, what would it say?
- 03
The tastiest sufganiyah
A circle is the doughnut, then the filling and sprinkles made of dots. Dots are great practice for little fingers. Ask: what's the best filling in the world?
- 04
The little jar of oil
Tell the story of the little jar of oil that lasted eight days, and ask them to draw it. A three-year-old will draw a circle with a handle, a six-year-old a jar with patterns - and both drawings are just right.
- 05
Shadows by the lamp
Put a toy next to a desk lamp, trace its shadow on the paper, and let your kid color in what appears. An activity for an evening when you want some quiet.
- 06
Our family by the candles
Ask them to draw everyone sitting around the menorah. At 3-4, people often come out as "tadpoles": a head and then straight to legs. It's a normal stage - and these are exactly the drawings that end up being the most touching.
- 07
A drawing as a gift
Your kid draws what they'd like to give grandma and grandpa. Give the drawing as is - or move it onto a mug or a plate.
The drawing mug - 08
The Hanukkah exhibition
Hang all eight drawings on a string with clothespins and photograph the exhibition. On the back of each one, write the date and what your kid said while drawing: in a few years, that will be the best part.
After Hanukkah, the best drawing can go onto a plate or a mug, and a whole pile can become a book where every drawing is its own page. Happy Hanukkah and eight good nights 🤍
The art book