Engaging your children during Passover

Make your own Haggadah with your kids. We included a paragraph history of each side of the family of where the ancestors were born and how and when they came to the U. S. The kids can be assigned to draw pictures of the different parts of the Seder or decorate the pages of the book. 

I found physical items to represent the 10 plagues like plastic, insects, cows, etc. and made pictures of those items that that were more complicated. Each child was assigned to present the item at the appropriate time during the Seder. 

The children helped prepare simple items and organized the Seder plate. They can even make their own Seder plates by painting the representation of the Passover items on the reverse side of clear plastic plates that can be found in the dollar stores. 

They can decorate a plastic or paper tablecloth with paints or crayons with Passover themes. They could decorate a cup for Elijah. Inexpensive goblets are found at the dollar stores. 

They can make name place cards for the table with the names of each guest and decorate them with Passover themes. 

Of course they can search for “chametz.” I even hid a few items that they could easily find. 

I read story books about the Passover story and the traditions that I found online in preparation for the Seder a few weeks before the Seder. 

It is an extra special occasion for a child to show his talent singing a special Passover song or playing the piano or an instrument. The youngest was taught the four questions. 

If a child can read, they read a paragraph as did each adult during the service. 

One child was in charge of hiding the central matzo when the leader washed his hands. Prizes were given to each child after the matzo was found. In some families, the leader hides the matzo and the children search. 

They could make a special bag for the “afikomen” or a matzo cover. 

They could make a map showing Egypt and Israel so they can understand the story of exodus that can be shown to everyone during the Seder. 

They could make up trivia questions about Passover that can be asked at appropriate times during the Seder.