Suggestions how to make your Passover Seder child friendly

 

I googled Passover games and Passover parodies. Here are some of the search results 

I.                Choosing the right Haggadah for your family Passover resources for families

II.              Do something different and get the children out of their seats.

a.      “So the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading bowls wrapped in their cloaks upon their shoulders.” (Exodus 12:34)”

b.     Crossed the Sea of Reeds using blue streamers.

c.      Have the children hide the afikomen from the adults

d.     Make a tent floor and hold the Seder there until the meal.

III.            Use magic to illustrate parts of the story. 

IV.            Passover parodies

a.      https://www.passoversongparodies.com/lyrics

b.     https://www.kosher4passover.com/passover-song-parodies.htm

c.      http://www.mazornet.com/holidays/passover/funnysongs.htm

V.              Passover games

a.      PJ library: https://pjlibrary.org/passover?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwztOwBhD7ARIsAPDKnkAWX2dV0bGKKxbuzDeSmDokIfyawjAvLEcOj4h6CexnAC4DYmLJ1G0aAsbJEALw_wcB 

b.     https://www.hisawyer.com/blog/passover-activities-for-kids-kids-seder-games-and-more#4

c.      https://www.signupgenius.com/Church/passover-games-and-activities.cfm

d.     https://www.education.com/resources/passover/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwztOwBhD7ARIsAPDKnkCAtyC3G6J3WRbawC8--4OaqTLmTcZ4P7ff1zscTQqhCnhaL1MlLhAaAjeSEALw_wcB

e.      Passover games for kids

These fun Passover games for kids will help keep everyone having fun and bonding throughout the celebration. Adults can join, too!

Afikomen search. This is a give-in, but one of the best Passover games for kids is the search for the afikomen. If the children are varied in age, consider pairing up the youngest and oldest children so they can work as a team.

Passover scavenger hunt. Why search for just the afikomen? Set up a full Passover scavenger hunt and ask the children to also find items like a size 12 shoe and meaningful memories like an old family story.

Matzah topping contest. Challenge the children in their family to create matzah creations and then let the family decide on the winners. There are so many benefits of cooking with kids, plus you might even find your new favorite Passover snack!

Passover BINGO. Create BINGO cards that are themed for Passover and your family. For example, you can put items from the seder plate and Passover dinner on the card as well as fun family moments like grandpa falling asleep on the couch.

f.      https://aish.com/10-ways-to-gamify-your-passover-seder/

Here are my 10 tips to how you can gamify your Seder. Ready?

1. In Six Words: Come up with discussion questions before the Seder about Passover, freedom, and related themes. When you ask the questions, your Seder participants must limit their answers to exactly six words: no more and no less.
2. Truth or Dare: Keep people on their toes! Prepare a bunch of cards beforehand. On some, write out Passover questions which are answered in the Haggadah (Ex: what is the 3rd question of the Mah Nishtana?). On others, write a dare that participants have to do at a specific point during the Seder. (Ex: Whip out your Egyptian dancing moves at the first mention of Egypt). This will lead to many truths and silly antics throughout the night.
3. Catch the Phrase: Using an online noun-generator before the Seder, prepare a bunch of cards. Each card should have two random nouns and one word related to Passover. (Ex: shoelace, pickle, Haggadah.) Each participant should get a card at the beginning of the Seder, and the challenge is to incorporate all three words in one sentence at some point during the meal. A player is successful if a full minute goes by after saying their sentence without being called out.
4. Stop and Pose: Challenge your Seder participants to come up with a yoga pose, based on an action from the Haggadah. They should name the pose and demonstrate it of course. (Ex: Walking through the split sea.)
5. Get Rid of the Chametz: Print out a paper containing a little piece of bread before the Seder. Instruct all your participants that the person who has the chametz in their possession at the end of the Seder loses. Get the game started by sneaking it into someone’s shoe or pocket. The fun begins.
6. Hidden Qs: Why just search for the afikomen? Hide little question slips of paper around the room. When participants find them, they answer the question and receive a point for the correct answer. Whoever has the most at the end of the night is the winner.
7. The Search: Beforehand, create a bunch of cards, each with a phrase from the Haggadah. Give out the cards at the beginning of the Seder, and instruct each participant to dance, cheer, or clap when their phrase appears.
8. Jeopardy: Throughout the Seder, keep people engaged by asking questions, Jeopardy-style. Ask the other participants to come up with the correct questions.
9. Reverse Charades: Create a bunch of cards before the Seder, each with an action or noun related to Passover. (Ex: the Seder plate, making matzah.) Throughout the Seder, have participants leave the room, one at a time. Pick a card and pass it around for everyone else at your Seder. Call back the player, and have everyone act the card out: together, until that player guesses correctly.
10. Two Truths and a Lie: I had to end with this one, of course. At the beginning of the Seder, ask everyone to come up with 3 statements about themselves, all relating to Passover. But only two should be true. Invite everyone to share their three at any point in the Seder, and everyone else has to guess which is the false statement.

g.     https://www.kveller.com/8-passover-activities-for-your-family-that-everyone-will-want-to-do/

 

Contestants try to complete a task in just one minute. With only 60 seconds on the clock, can anyone complete these Passover tasks? 

·        Frogs: Play spoon frog! Players must use a teaspoon to catapult another teaspoon into a glass. Check out the YouTube video for help.

·        Hail: You will need ping pong balls and spoons for this one (feel free to substitute marshmallows, golf balls or cotton balls if you don’t have ping pong balls handy). Give each player a spoon and ball of “hail” (ping pong ball). Each person must walk holding the spoon with the “hail” on the end to a designated point and back within the minute. 

·        Blood: Contestants carry water in small dixie cups to pitchers with red food coloring at the bottom. Can they fill the pitcher in 60 seconds?

·        Darkness: Blindfolded bowling! Contestants bowl blindfolded as many times as needed until they knock all the pins down or the minute is up. (Don’t happen to have a bowling set at home? Use plastic cups, toilet paper rolls, water bottles, etc.) 

h.     https://www.mainstages.com/blog/passover-kids-games/

i.       https://torahaura.com/products/matzah-ball-bingo-passover?variant=40579030974510&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwztOwBhD7ARIsAPDKnkD1ulsQhQl5ZcJvMqwVJuXRRZ7KfC0fGms59l6sxi8hmI9ngkkrjaAaAkIrEALw_wcB

j.       Computer games: https://akidsheart.com/holidays/days/pesachgm.htm