Fun Hanukkah Games for Active Children
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Hanukkah or the festival of lights begins this year on the
evening of December 4, kicking off eight days of one of the
most joyous and festive of Jewish holidays and offering
families the opportunity to gather to light the Menorah, eat
traditional Hanukkah foods, and remember their ancestors'
struggle for religious freedom. Trish Kuffner, author of The
Wiggle and Giggle Busy Book: 365 Fun, Physical Activities for
Toddlers and Preschoolers" (Meadowbrook Press, $9.95;
www.meadowbrookpress.com), offers these games and activities
for toddlers and preschoolers that implement and celebrate
symbols of Hanukkah this holiday season:
Dreidel Games
A dreidel is a small spinning top used to play Hanukkah
games.
Use the dreidel to make up lively games to play with
your children. For example, when S for shin is up, players sit
and stand five times. When H or Hay is up, the players hop on
one foot. G or Gimel means everyone must crawl around the room,
and N or Noon means players must race to touch a certain object
and come back.
Win the Gelt
Hanukkah traditions include playing games with chocolate
coins called gelt.
You will need: Masking tape
Beanbag or rolled-up socks
Foil-wrapped chocolate coin
Use masking tape to make a large Star of David on the
floor. Have your child stand a few feet from the star and
drop-kick a beanbag toward it. Award five points if it lands in
the center of the star, two pints if it lands in one of the
triangles formed by the star's points, and one point if it
lands outside the star. Have him run to pick up the beanbag,
then run back to the starting point. Tell him to throw the
beanbag toward the star while jumping in place, then award
points for where it lands. Think of other ways for him to throw
the beanbag. Give him a chocolate coin when he reaches a
certain number of points.
Elephant Races
Explain to your child that elephants were once used in battle and played a part in the Hanukkah story.
Divide the children equally into two teams and have the teammates stand one behind another. Set a chair about fifteen feet away from each team. At your signal, the first player on each team holds his hands together, keeping his arms straight, and bends at the waist. Then he races to the chair, around it, and back to his team, all the while swinging his "trunk." The next teammate in line then runs the race in the same way. Continue until all the teammates have run the race. When a team has finished the race, have them sit. The first team to sit wins. Variation: Have the children crawl. (This movement may be more appropriate for toddlers.)
Trish Kuffner's "The Wiggle & Giggle Busy Book" contains 356 fun, physical activities to help their children develop an active lifestyle at an early age. Copies of this book and the other titles in her Busy Book series are available at bookstores everywhere.
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