Are you planning an extended family reunion this upcoming Passover holiday? Are you looking for fun Passover games and activities to keep kids entertained during the festive season?
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to make this year’s Passover a memorable one for the whole family.
This list of fun passover games will get you inspired, and make this year’s Passover truly unforgettable for the kids and kids at heart.
Fun Passover Games for Kids
1. Passover Seder Bingo
Seder Bingo is very similar to a regular Bingo game, but instead of numbers, the card is printed with images related to Passover.
This is a wonderful way to keep the kids occupied while teaching them about the religious significance of celebrating the Passover holiday. Seder Bingo is perfect for 2 to 6 players.
2. Hiding the Afikomen
A classic Passover game for children is “Afikomen Hide and Seek.” The Afikomen is a piece of matzah, a type of unleavened bread traditionally eaten during the Passover holiday. It is wrapped and then hidden around the house for the kids to find.
The wrapping of the Afikomen symbolizes how the “sons of Israel carried the dough out of Egypt.”
How to Play the Game?
- Get a piece of cloth, preferably a Passover-themed napkin or paper cloth.
- Take a piece of matzah, cover it with the cloth, and hide it inside the house.
- Ask the kids to search for the hidden matzah.
- Whoever finds it first, wins a prize.
3. Let My People Go
Let My People Go is a popular board game for children to play in the evenings during the Passover holiday. The goal is pretty simple – to get out of Egypt. Perfect for 2 to 4 players.
Let My People Go is a fun and exciting game for teaching kids about how the Israelites were freed from Egypt.
4. Matzah House
Similar to making a gingerbread house, you can use leftover matzahs to build a matzah house.
You can use hazelnut spread to stick the matzah pieces together and decorate the home with candies, chocolate chips, raisins, and more. This is a fun and enjoyable activity for both young and young at heart.
How to create a matzah house?
- After the Passover Seder, collect all of the leftover matzahs.
- Prepare some fruit jam or hazelnut spread to act as the glue for the matzahs.
- Prepare some jelly beans, chocolate chips, candies, and other sweets.
- Tell the kids to build a house and decorate it however they want.
- Whoever has the most beautiful/creative matzah house, wins.
5. How Jew You Do
How Jew You Do is a fun and entertaining card game to teach children about Jewish customs, traditions, and holidays. You can use the game to educate your kids about Passover, Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah, and more.
Each card contains a question that players simply need to answer. This game requires no skills, just lots of fun.
6. 10 Plagues Bowling Game
If you want a fun-filled Passover game, you can buy an inexpensive bowling set and assign each pin to one of the ten plagues God inflicted upon the Egyptians to free the Israelites.
As the kids knock down the pins, the elders can tell the story of how God protected His children from the plagues.
7. Four Question Scramble
Answering the “Four Questions” is a traditional part of the Jewish Passover Seder. To make it exciting, you can write each of the four questions on a piece of cardboard, cut it into pieces and put each set inside a small envelope.
The kids can then try to unscramble the pieces and then recite the questions at the table.
8. Passover Q&A
One of the simplest but most effective ways to educate children about the significance of celebrating Passover is to let them ask questions about the holiday.
Parents can ask the kids to prepare questions in advance and use them as icebreakers when the family is having dinner together.
9. What’s in the Bag
You can play this game with random items you can easily find around the house. Put the things in a bag and ask the kids to reach out inside and pick just one thing.
The kids will then try to relate their chosen things to some aspects of the Passover holiday, and whoever has the best story wins.
10. Create the Cups of Elijah and Miriam
If your kids love arts and crafts, you can give them two ordinary drinking glasses to decorate as they please to represent Elijah and Miriam’s cups.
Elijah was God’s prophet, and Miriam was Moses’ sister – both were significant figures that played important roles in the Israelite’s exodus from Egypt.
11. Passover Quiz
The traditional Seder meal includes lots of food, so why not encourage your kids to test themselves by taking the Passover Quiz while at the table? It’s a fun way to simultaneously pass the time and learn something new about Passover.
Parents can prepare the questions in advance and reward the kids for any questions they get right.
12. Plagues Charades
Passover is a holiday that is rich with symbolism. Before the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt, a series of plagues were sent by God to plague the Egyptians.
To help your kids understand the significance of the plagues, you can play charades where each kid takes on one plague and has to act it out while the others try to figure out what plague it is.
13. Passover Food Tasting
If you’d like a fun way to introduce your kids to traditional dishes commonly served during Passover, have an assortment of dishes set out and have the kids sample them.
You can ask them to pick which one they like best or to rate them based on taste – and tell them a short story of why that dish is typically served at Passover.
14. Story Telling
One of the most magical parts of Passover is listening to the Seder story told out loud. Pick a particular Passover-themed book and have the kids sit on the floor and listen to the story together.
You can do a question-and-answer portion after reading or have the kids try to guess what comes next in the story, making it a game.
15. Playacting
To add a little bit more “magic” to your Seder, you can create a play about the different stories of the Exodus.
If you’d like, make a play about the parting of the Red Sea using bed sheets and comforters and have the kids cross the makeshift Red Sea as you tell them the story of Moses parting it.
16. Baby Moses Float or Sink
Moses was put in a basket and floated in the Nile River as an infant until he was found by the Pharaoh’s sister and adopted into the royal family.
You can retell Moses’ story through baby dolls and various containers where kids can experiment with which vessel can keep baby Moses afloat.
17. Make Your Seder Plate
You can also have your kids make their very own Seder plates – either by making the plate from scratch or purchasing a set that they can decorate themselves.
This will be a fun arts and crafts project for kids of any age. Decorating a Seder plate is a great way to get your kids involved in the holiday.
Pro Tips
- You can use disposable paper plates and other arts and crafts supplies, so you don’t have to spend on expensive ready-made DIY Seder plates.
- As the kids decorate their own plates, teach them about the relevance of each of the symbols on the Seder plate.
- Seder plate decorating is a fun way to spend an afternoon while teaching the kids about the importance of Passover.
18. Passover Activity Books
To keep your kids occupied during the Passover holiday, you can have them work on Passover activity books. Coloring books and crossword puzzles are great ways to keep your kids entertained while learning about the history, customs, and traditions associated with the holiday.
Pro Tips
- There are tons of printable Passover activity books online.
- Depending on the age of your kids, you can choose from a wide variety of books, such as coloring books, trivia books, story books, etc.
- Make sure to explain to the kids the images and terminologies that they see and read in the book.
- Give some rewards to the kids after completing their activity books.
19. Matzah Topping Contest
Participating in a matzah-topping contest is a fun and easy way for kids to show off their creative side during the Passover holiday.
For this activity, you can prepare jelly beans, raisins, nuts, marshmallows, candies, chocolate chips, etc., for the kids to decorate the top of the matzah. Then, ask the rest of the family members to decide which topping design they think is the best.
20. Junior Masterchef: Passover Edition
Are you looking for an entertaining way to spend the afternoon? If you are, involve your kids in preparing some Passover staples like haroset, matzo ball soup, kugel, etc.
In addition to providing them with a fun and engaging experience, this is also an excellent opportunity for the kids to learn a few basic cooking skills, such as stirring, blending, and sifting.
21. Hametz Scavenger Hunt
The night before Passover, get the kids together and organize a hametz scavenger hunt. Hametz refers to any fermented food or “leavened” products forbidden during Passover.
Traditionally, kids need to find ten (10) small pieces of hametz hidden around the house in preparation for Pesach.
22. Decorate Your Own Passover Placemat
Plenty of ready-made Passover placemats are available online, but why not ask your kids to make their own? It is a great way to teach them how to draw, paint, and cut out shapes and images, and it will also provide them with a unique memento to commemorate the holiday.
23. Origami Frogs
One of the Ten Plagues that ravaged Egypt was frogs. As a fun afternoon activity, let the kids fold origami frogs while you are retelling the story of the Exodus.
This effectively keeps the kids engaged and entertained while teaching them how God brought deliverance to his people.
24. Seder Musical
The traditional Seder involves the reading of the Haggadah. If you’d like the kids to get into the spirit of Passover, have them sing “Dayenu” using some musical instruments for kids, like tambourines and other percussion instruments.
A Seder musical is an exciting way to bring together music and tradition.
25. Finger Puppets
If you want an interactive way to tell the story of the Ten Plagues, buying a finger puppet set online can be a fun way to do so.
The kids will surely love watching the finger puppets, and at the same time, it’ll teach them about one of the most significant events in Bible history.
What is Passover or Pesach?
The Jewish holiday of Passover or Pesach, which begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month, Nisan, is an annual celebration commemorating the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt.
The holiday lasts about seven or eight days when many Jews fast and refrain from work. Children traditionally play games, sing songs, and eat festive foods during the festival.
For the Jewish community, Passover represents freedom, renewal, and the beginning of the new year. This holiday has a special meaning, particularly for children, because of its joyous atmosphere.
If you plan on celebrating this year’s Passover with your extended family members, here are some great games for kids that are sure to make the most of this memorable holiday.
Make the Passover Holiday This Year Extra Special
Passover is one of the most awaited holidays for all Jewish families worldwide. It’s a joyous occasion to celebrate the great deliverance that God provided his people.
For kids, the Passover holiday is also an excellent opportunity to learn much about their Jewish heritage. But, it doesn’t have to be only a learning experience, they could also have a lot of fun during this holiday.
By engaging in fun and creative Passover games and activities with your kids, you’ll ensure that the holiday is memorable. So don’t miss this incredible opportunity to make Passover particular this year.
Pick one (or a few) Passover games and activities on our list to keep your kids busy during the holiday and let the festivities flow.