The Passover seder is a meaningful, beautiful ancient(ish) Jewish ritual. From the retelling of the story of Exodus and the eating of symbolic foods to the chanting of songs, it’s full of opportunities for learning, bonding and growth.
It is also so, so long.
The seder really tests our patience as adults, so it makes sense that our kids can’t stay seated for the entire haggadah reading. I remember so many seders as a kid, hungry and cranky, patiently waiting for the part when we eat as my many younger siblings and cousins wreaked havoc at the poor host’s house. By the time we got to the afikomen search, things were positively feral.
But it doesn’t have to be this way! To stop my and your kids from going feral, I’ve put together some great distractions for kids attending the Passover seder to keep them occupied, and most importantly, to keep you sane.
1. Make sure they’re comfortable: We all love an excuse to don our fanciest outfits — sequins! Tailored dresses! Bowties! But for kids, wearing a stiff outfit all night long can be an extra source of discomfort. So why not wear comfy clothes for the seder instead? You can also get your kids some comfy sweats or pajamas, and allow an outfit change in the middle of the seder if you still want to start off fancy.
2. Print some Passover coloring pages: Get out those crayons! There are plenty of downloadable coloring pages for Passover on the internet and honestly, even my 30-something-year-old self loves having something to color as I’m listening to people reading the haggadah. There are also these coloring Passover placemats that serve a double purpose.
3. Have a nosh station: I love the French concept of the apero—a pre-meal or party drink and nosh. Hungry kids are cranky kids, so serving a little pre-seder apero can help stave those seder cranks. Have a station with cut veggies, cheese if it works for your meal, hummus and matzah chips, or anything else that your kids would like to nosh on.
4. Have a dance party or physical activity break: Organize a dance-off to a Passover parody, or create an obstacle course to cross the Red Sea to help your kids get some of those shpilkes out.
5. Passover bingo or crossword puzzles: Are there things that happen at your seder every year? Does someone always spill the wine? Does your uncle make a bad dad joke about Elijah? Create family seder Bingo cards to keep things entertaining! You can also print some of these ready-made Passover crossword puzzles for older kids (or adults).
6. Get yourself some Passover-themed games: Organize a jumping frog competition or matzah ball juggling performance! There’s even a Let My People Go board game.
7. Offer some sensory distractions: From Passover slime (yes, this is a risky one for your kids’ clothes, but yes, I’m a little obsessed with this matzah pizza slime) to kinetic sand to a box full of fidget spinners, there are lots of great ways to offer your kids sensory distractions as you go through the night.
8. Put together a craft station: There are so many great Passover crafts out there! Don’t want to get messy? You can also have a puzzle table—especially good if you’ve amassed a pandemic puzzle collection. (Or get yourself a next year in Jerusalem Passover puzzle).
9. Use a kid-friendly haggadah: Switch up your haggadah game this year! Kveller has a family-friendly haggadah for curious kids and their parents that’s free to download and also available to purchase on Amazon! We also have a list of other great family-friendly haggadahs.
10. Or let the kids skip the haggadah: There’s no shame in focusing on a short retelling instead! We’ve put together a great, printable, kid-friendly version of the Passover story just for you. You can all read it together, then let your kids loose—to maybe watch that Passover “Rugrats” special or “The Prince of Egypt”—while you do the haggadah reading with the adults until mealtime.
Lior Zaltzman is a contributing writer to My Jewish Learning and Kiddish Magazine.
SIDEBAR:
Your Guide to Haggadahs
By Jon Madof
Guess what? Passover is really soon! So if you’re planning a seder, now’s the time to figure out which haggadah you want to use. There are a TON out there, so we thought we could help narrow down your search with a few we enjoy. Some are for kids, some are for adults, and some are for the whole family, so take a look and find what’s best for you.
1. The Kveller Haggadah: A Seder for Curious Kids (and their Grownups)
This haggadah is adorned with colorful and delightful illustrations from our resident designer Grace Yagel—which makes it a feast for the eyes. The best part about this haggadah? We’re not here to “dumb” things down—we’ve recruited some of our favorite Jewish experts to answers all your and your kids’ Passover questions—yes, even the ones that don’t have an easy answer.
2. The (unofficial) Hogwarts Haggadah
This is the perfect hagaddah for your resident Potter-heads! This haggadah draws on all the parallels between the Harry Potter books and the story of Passover, and honestly? There’s a lot! Dress up as wizards for your seder this year and have a magical seder night.
3. Sammy Spider’s First Haggadah
This is part of the Sammy Spider series that cover most major Jewish holidays with beautiful illustrations and a totally non-scary spider protagonist. It has plenty of fun Passover songs, like “Crunch Goes the Matzah” (sung to the tune of Pop Goes the Weasel). While this one is definitely aimed at kids, the illustrations are pretty and unique enough that adults won’t mind flipping through it, either.
4. A Night to Remember: The Haggadah of Contemporary Voices
Here’s another expansive haggadah with full traditional text, reflections on the meaning of Passover, folktales, songs, and stories. One of the best parts about A Night to Remember is the cartoon illustrations, with pictures like a bitter herbs taste test and a karpas vending machine.
5. The Katz Passover Haggadah
This one is the coffee table book of the haggadah world. Its glossy pages boast intricate artwork that is colorful, beautiful, and sometimes even a little scary. I’d probably avoid showing your kids the picture of Pharoah bathing in a pool of blood while a decrepit slave sits with his hands chained to his neck, but the adults at the table might appreciate the brutality.
6. Richard Codor’s Joyous Haggadah: The Illuminated Story of Passover
This one is definitely great for young kids, full of large text and bright, inviting pictures. The story of Passover is told in comic book form, and the back of the book has a recipe for “Chocolate Matzah Delight” that begs to be devoured.
7. Passover Haggadah: The Feast of Freedom
Here’s another fairly straightforward haggadah, though its shiny pages do have some abstract, color-block illustrations to make the big chunks of Hebrew text seem slightly less intimidating. It’s put out by the Rabbinical Assembly, so you can feel very official while using it.
8. A Family Haggadah
There are two editions of this hagaddah, one with the subtitle “A Seder Service for All Ages” and the other “For Families with Young Children.” The one for young children comes with a disclaimer in the introduction: “Do not attempt to discuss all the questions and do all the suggested activities. That would make the seder long and tedious.” I like the honesty. Both are very easy to follow and come with the Hebrew, English, and transliteration of all the prayers and songs involved with the seder. They’re also nice and small, so you don’t have to worry about overcrowding the seder table.
9. My Very Own Haggadah
This haggadah doubles as a coloring book, so it’s a great way to keep the kids occupied before, during, and after the seder. It’s been around for over 30 years, so it can serve as a nice reminder that what entertained you as a child still has the potential to entertain your own kids.
10. A Different Night: The Family Participation Haggadah
This is a very comprehensive haggadah that keeps both adults and children’s interests in mind. Along with outlining the steps of the seder in clear sections, ethnic traditions, interesting Passover tid bits, and even a fictional newspaper with headlines like, “Sudden death strikes men and cattle” fill the pages. For the kids, fun things like the script for a Passover skit help make the seder more than just a boring dinner. For those looking for a speed read, there’s also a compact edition that has all the traditional text with a little less commentary.
11. The Passover Haggadah Graphic Novel
The Passover story is so epic, it honestly deserves a graphic novel dedicated to it, and now, it has one. This haggadah, illustrated by legendary Israeli cartoonist Erez Tzadok is visually stunning. While it is on the pricier side, it will have the comics fans in your midst captivated.
The Passover seder is an adventure, not a chore— and Kveller’s, family-friendly haggadah captures all the excitement, plus explains everything you need to know. Best of all? It’s free!
