Introducing T to Chanukah

Hi everyone

This is the 1st year that T is old enough to understand and appreciate (and remember :P) the Jewish holiday we celebrate at this time of year, Chanukah.

We have never really celebrated it as a family.  But this year we want to, and so I set about finding ways to teach little mister 3 yrs old what this holiday is all about :)

I thought I would share what I found in case you (or someone you know) would like to start introducing Chanukah to your child too :)

I found this image on pinterest:

(Source)

And set about making my own "advent calendar" style Chanukah count down for T.  But...I didn't want to spend any money ;)  So I made envelopes out of scrap book paper.

To make the envelopes, I found these easy image instructions to follow :)

(Source)

I numbered each of the envelopes 1-8 and printed the Menorah Sequencing free printable from this great blog to stick onto the front of each envelope too.

Instead of giving gifts inside each envelope, I included an activity to help T learn about the holiday :)

Here is a list of what I have included in each envelope:

1 - The story of Chanukah

To teach T about Chanukah, he needed to hear the story! So, inside envelope 1 is a letter asking him to watch these videos with mummy or daddy's help so he could learn about Chanukah.

After watching we will discuss what he had seen and made sure he understood the story - this was a great way to involve the whole family :)

2 - We have plans to be at my sister in laws for dinner on the second night when this envelope will be opened, so I will take it with us for T to do while we are there.  In this envelope I included the puzzles from page 16 of "My Chanukah Activity Pack" free printable from here.

3 - In this envelope I included a colouring page 12 from "My Chanukah Activity Pack" free printable from here.

4 - In this envelope I included a matching game from page 13-14 of "My Chanukah Activity Pack" free printable from here.

5 - In this envelope I included the Chanukah size ordering activity from this great blog.

6 - In this envelope I included a maze activity from "My Chanukah Activity Pack" free printable from here.

7 - In this envelope I included a colouring page 11 from "My Chanukah Activity Pack" free printable from here.

8 - In this envelope I included a the Menorah Sequencing free printable from this great blog.

Where activities require pencils/crayons, I have included these within the envelope too.  I have also laminated the re-usable activities so that we can use them again next year :) AND some envelopes contain Chanukah Gelt (chocolate money) - YUM!

I'm sure some activities will be enjoyed more than others, but the aim is to complete these activities as a family in the early evening before/after we light the candle for each day.

I hope you find my research helpful, so you can create your own great learning experience about Chanukah for your little monster :)
Emma