Celebrating Passover with family is one of the great joys of springtime. The Passover story is one of perseverance and hope and the time spent with family is a great way for children to bond and make memories with their loved ones.

To help you make the most of your child’s time off from school for the holiday, the team at Sawyer wanted to outline some of our favorite Passover activities for kids, including great ways to tell the Passover story for kids, fun kids Passover seder ideas, and even Passover games! Plus, if you are looking for spring break camps for kids, you can explore what our wonderful educators are offering on Sawyer.

Passover activities for kids

• Passover story for kids
• Kids Passover seder
• Passover games for kids

Passover story for kids

To get the children in your family excited for Passover, it is important for them to learn the story behind the holiday. As you likely know, the story can be long, complicated, and intense. Therefore, we wanted to provide you with some ways to tell the Passover story for kids. Using these movies, books, and shortened versions, you and your family can learn from the Passover story together.

1. The Prince of Egypt. Even though this animated movie is from 1998, it is still one of the best ways to tell the Passover story for kids. Children will learn the history of the holiday while adults will enjoy a hit of nostalgia!
2. My First Passover by Tomie dePaola. This picture book is one of the best books for toddlers to introduce them to the holiday.
3. Rugrats Passover. Millennials remember the iconic Rugrats Passover episode where the babies tell the story and explain the key points, like why we eat matzah and how Moses parted the Red Sea. This episode is just 30 minutes long and explains the Passover story in a way that kids can easily understand.
4. The Story of Passover by David A. Adler. This is a simple retelling of the Passover story for kids aged 4-8 years old who are looking to be introduced to the story so they can participate in the seder.
5. The Passover Story for Kids. This shortened, kid-friendly version of the Passover story is available on PJ Library, which is a website that offers early childhood Jewish learning for families who are interested.

Kids Passover seder

Sitting through the entire Passover seder might be a lot to ask of young children in the family. While it is, of course, an important part of celebrating the holiday, we recommend going through a kids Passover seder with the children in your family and then doing the long, adult version later.

Here are some of our favorite kids Passover seder ideas to keep the little ones in your family engaged and learning the whole time.

1. Passover seder activity book. Make the seder more fun by providing the children in your family with a kids Passover seder activity book, complete with mazes, crafts, coloring pages, and more.
2. 15 minute Passover seder. PJ Library has broken down the seder into short video “playlists” which you can follow to make it more accessible for young guests at the table.
3. Use 10 plagues props. Adding props like finger puppets, masks, and headbands to represent the 10 plagues can help children connect and remember the Passover story better.
4. Put on a Passover play. If the children at your Passover seder are varied in age, you can have them put on a Passover play where they act out the story. The older children can help the younger ones learn the story and their roles, which will help them all feel more engaged at the seder.
5. Make Passover crafts. Either during or before the Passover seder, you can task the children in your family with making some great crafts. Some of our favorites are: matzah houses, creating your own seder plate, origami frogs, and more!

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!

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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!
4. 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.

We hope this list of Passover activities for kids has inspired you and your family as you get ready for a great holiday. We’ve also outlined some great Easter activities for kids to round out your spring break. If you are looking for exciting in-person and virtual camps and activities, check out what our educators are offering on Sawyer.