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Forum -> Yom Tov / Holidays -> Pesach
Seder ideas for kids - how do YOU make it interesting?



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LO




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Mar 17 2020, 12:22 pm
Hi all! I have 13 yr old twin girls and an 8 yr old girl, and I am always looking for ideas to make the Seder more engaging and interesting. We dont have much family so the group is small, only dh and I for adults, so it can get boring and quiet very quickly. I would love ideas for games, themes, decorations, stories - basically anything to make it more interesting. Like for example, one year I bought some birthday balloons before the Seder and wouldn’t tell them why - then at the Seder we told them its because it’s the bday of the Jewish nation - we became a nation at yetzias mitzraim....

If you could please share your ideas or links to things you have seen....all those creative amothers out there.....thanks!!!

P.S. extra credit points if it can be something that I can recruit my 8 yr old to help me prepare in secret...
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southernbubby




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Mar 17 2020, 12:26 pm
I have a cousin who always dressed up as Moshe Rabbeinu and showered the kids with rubber frogs. ( Or plastic 🐸).
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doctorima




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Mar 17 2020, 12:30 pm
https://awesomepesach.wixsite......seder - Amazing website full of TONS of great ideas to bring Seder to life and make it kid-friendly!
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#BestBubby




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Mar 17 2020, 1:32 pm
5 people is not so small.

I am in my 50s. When I was a kid the seder focused more on the adults and older children who said over Divrei Torah based on what their teachers taught them or in those special hagaddahs that have commentary.

The younger kids were pretty excited and fascinated with staying up late and all the rituals.

In the middle the younger kids would leave the table to play and would fall asleep on the couch.
But Seder Night was exciting for all.
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amother
Blush


 

Post Tue, Mar 17 2020, 1:48 pm
My kid’s are excited to show and use the things they prepared in school.
This year we will try to prepare things at home, simanei haseder, Ma Nishtana... And we’ll see what else we get to. they also automatically get into things when dh who leads the Seder is animated, explains things, asks them questions and especially singing a lot.
You can tell them to look out for certain words in Haggadah- have contests to count how many times is says moshe or mitzrayim...
We are only 6 at the sedarim but my 8 year old son let me know that pesach is his best yomtov- even better than Purim! So I guess we’re doing something right bH!
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amother
Aquamarine


 

Post Tue, Mar 17 2020, 2:09 pm
I’m a traditionalist.

Let’s teach our children to value the rituals, to wait out the long reading of text. To participate by sharing their pesach information.
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LO




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Mar 17 2020, 2:31 pm
I totally hear you if you feel they should just be excited just by staying up for the seder, but let's stay on topic here...Smile Looking for ideas to make things more interesting for those kids for whom that's not enough.... Wink Thanks!
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amother
Brown


 

Post Tue, Mar 17 2020, 2:34 pm
When I was a kid my parents asked me to prepare a skit for the Seder. It was a lot of fun
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mamma llama




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Mar 17 2020, 2:36 pm
My kids look forward to the end because we act out chad gadya with different animal sounds and noises. We're all a little overtired at that point and it becomes very funny, but also very sweet! Smile
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amother
Oak


 

Post Tue, Mar 17 2020, 2:44 pm
My father always sang Echad Mi Yodea and Chad Gadya in Ladino/Spanish and that made it really fun. We also danced around the table for Leshana Haba

Of course, waiting out the text (and the various divrei Torah and kids Haggados) is important, but don't discount family rituals. They create everlasting memories. Make the Seder yours and give your family something to remember!
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bigsis144




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Mar 17 2020, 2:45 pm
I’m not even that old (I just turned 32), and I’m a drama teacher with lots of creativity, but I still feel weird turning “v’higadeta l’vincha” into increasingly over-the-top performances with props and extensive preparation.

I got to say the mah nishtana, and I felt a responsibility as a child to contribute to the proceedings by preparing my favorite divrei Torah to say at the table, or learning the mah nishtana in various languages (sign language, Spanish, even Elvish!). It felt so grown-up to be allowed to stay up until the end of the Seder, and the reward was singing Chad Gadya with silly animal noises or Echad Mi Yode’a as quickly as possible.

Is this a “keep up with the generations, frontal learning is not the ideal teaching modality anymore” thing? Some of it makes it to blogs and Instagram, so maybe there’s a certain outside peer pressure that isn’t actually for the kids?

I’m really torn about it. My kids don’t participate at the Shabbos table, they don’t even want challah anymore, and I’ve tried to let go emotionally from the disappointment and hurt I feel about it. I don’t know what to expect from the Seder. Was I really such an unusual child?
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keym




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Mar 17 2020, 2:46 pm
Do your kids need the bells and whistles?
Mine get silly and overwhelmed from plays and puppets.
We move quickly. The kids take turns reading out loud, and my husband translates. My husband doesn't say any divrei Torah, just basic translation.
The kids take turns sharing their divrei Torah. We give out treats (candy, chocolate, chips, cake) for sharing, for being quiet when someone else is speaking, for asking and answering questions, and for following along.
We let them eat apples and celery throughout the Seder, prevents them from getting crazy.
Younger kids bring toys right next to the table+ special treat because we don't usually let them.
We sing whatever we can.
We usually finish our Seder on the quicker side. Afterwards, my husband reads midrashim about the makkos for anyone who wants to and is able to stay up, as long as possible.
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amother
Blush


 

Post Tue, Mar 17 2020, 3:46 pm
Different languages mah Nishtana? Maybe have each child read in a different language?

I like the idea of kids taking turns to read.

How about they can choose tunes to songs?
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LO




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Mar 18 2020, 2:36 pm
bump...anyone else? I was thinking that may be I could have my 7 yr old make paper crowns for everyone at the seder with their names on it, since we are all kings and queens at the seder....Any other ideas like that?
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amother
Ivory


 

Post Wed, Mar 18 2020, 3:08 pm
Any ideas for me?
It will just be DH, DD16 and myself this year. We are so accustom to a 25 person Seder with grandparents, cousins, their cute little kids and most importantly her sister. Due to corona and quarantine, it will just be us 3. How do I make it engaging when we already have dinner together every night and she and DH are not verbose to begin with?
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amother
Goldenrod


 

Post Wed, Mar 18 2020, 3:35 pm
amother [ Ivory ] wrote:
Any ideas for me?
It will just be DH, DD16 and myself this year. We are so accustom to a 25 person Seder with grandparents, cousins, their cute little kids and most importantly her sister. Due to corona and quarantine, it will just be us 3. How do I make it engaging when we already have dinner together every night and she and DH are not verbose to begin with?


With three of you, everyone use a different hagada. Take turns in reading, and adding any divrei Torah that look interesting from your hagadas. Turn it into a real discussion if sipur yetziat Mitzrayim.

And ask your daughter if she has any ideas to enhance the Seder. She might surprise you.

Using wine rather than grape juice for the first cup won't get anyone drunk, but can loosen tongues and leave people feeling relaxed enough to make the discussion more free flowing than normal.

With the current restrictions, it is seemingly increasingly likely that I will be spending Leil haSeder alone, making a seder for myself and by myself. Enjoy the three of you.
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amother
Brown


 

Post Wed, Mar 18 2020, 4:00 pm
If you want an amazing, immersive haggadah, the Gadi Pollack one is truly magnificent. It brings you right there, into yetzias miztrayim. Some of the illustrations might be too intense for much younger kids, but for everyone else, it's really something.
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