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Hannukkah Lesson Plan for Toddlers
by Erik Steel
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Overview
Hanukkah is a complicated story to tell to young children. It is the celebration of a great military victory with elements added later to tell of how God provided for the Jewish people when they rededicated the temple. For toddlers, striking the right balance between these two stories is the key to teaching the story of the festival of lights.
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Familiar Symbols
Traditionally the Hanukkiah (menorah for Hanukkah) was lit with oil, not candles, and the tradition of eating fried foods like latkes and sufganiyot comes from this celebration of oil. Lead your toddlers into their study of Hanukkah by talking about these familiar foods and the symbol of the Hanukkiah. Talking and showing colorful pictures should be enough, as they'll get plenty of fried food throughout the week. The story of the oil will lead nicely into the tale of the rededication (or, in Hebrew, Hanukkah) of the temple.
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The Rededication
This is the part of the story from which the holiday derives its name. When the victorious Jews returned to the temple to kindle its menorah, they found only a very small amount of oil, but, according to the story, God caused that oil to burn for eight days. This part of the story is emphasized to point up the sacred nature of the miracle of the victory of the Jews over a much larger army, and is a good time to use as a teaching tool about miracles. You can mention other miraculous times of Jewish survival, such as Purim, and ask children to consider what miracles mean to them.
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The Revolt
It is important to mention the essential reason Jews celebrate Hanukkah, which is the victory over the Syrian-Greeks and Hellenistic influence. The Maccabees rose up to protect Jews' right to practice their religion, and this is one of many important events in a long narrative of Jewish self-determination. However, this part of the story may be difficult for toddlers to grasp and, without proper care, might kindle undue bad feelings. Be sure to emphasize the positive and uplifting elements of the holiday, knowing that Jewish education always becomes more complex and detailed through time.
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Activities
Hanukkah comes with a long list of its own activities, and you can also develop your own. You can lead your toddlers through renditions of the dreidel song and "Oy Hanukkah" in either English or Yiddish, as well is the Israeli song "Sevivon." You can also have toddlers practice spinning the dreidel, keeping in mind to encourage the activity and not the competitive side of the game. Childrentoday.com suggests a felt-board activity wherein children can play with felt candles and menorah. There are also a number of wonderful kid's books written about Hanukkah, a list of which can be found in the Resources section.
