Passover — the springtime holiday in which the Jewish people commemorate their ancestors’ exodus from Egypt in biblical times — is a celebration rich with symbolism. These symbols not only help to represent and retell the ancient (although thematically all-too-familiar) story of survival for Jews, but they lend themselves to age-appropriate explanations and plenty of Passover crafts.
From creating keepsakes to adorn the seder table for generations to making matzah projects, children will be excited to usher in the holiday — which, in 2024, begins at sundown on April 22. These Passover crafts are fun opportunities to teach children the many important reasons you celebrate Passover. And they’re the perfect way for families with kids of all ages to connect, commemorate and enjoy a new season filled with hope and togetherness.
1. Build a matzah house
Nothing says Passover like matzah — the unleavened bread that represents the dough that baked on the Jewish people’s backs as they quickly left Egypt. And there are certainly plenty of ways to get creative with the holiday staple.
This edible matzo house craft (yes, there is no one way to spell matzah) takes some patience, but the end result is super cute to display during the seder (the customary meal on the first and often second night of the holiday). Jodi Levine of Supermakeit used melted chocolate in a sandwich bag as piping to “glue” pieces of matzah together to make this house, complete with almond slices for roof tiles. Sweet!
2. Paint a keepsake seder plate
The seder plate — holding items used to represent the Passover story — is one of the most important elements on the seder table. So why not have kids create handcrafted ones that can literally be passed down from generation to generation?
Follow these step-by-step instructions from With Love, Ima that involve beautifully painting a wooden circle. (Check out her Instagram reel to see the creative process in action.) She then suggests using the seder plate circles from the Jewish Together coloring pages (available for $5 on Etsy) to adorn the plate with the ritual foods, and mod podge to create a shiny finish for the six items. (Feel free to add spaces to the plate for additional items, like an orange to represent equal rights for marginalized groups.)
3. Create a colorful cup for Elijah
During the Passover seder, the fifth ceremonial cup of wine is poured and left untouched in honor of Elijah. The door is opened during this time to both symbolically welcome the prophet and the stranger, as this ritual is supposed to remind participants that there are some who still cannot celebrate freedom. Have children take part in this meaningful tradition by helping them craft this festive Elijah’s cup, courtesy of Rachel from Rachels Art Club, using colored string and Tacky Glue — which dries clear and can be applied directly to the cup in sections before wrapping the string.
Kids might also want to make one for Miriam (Moses’ sister), as it has become customary at many modern seders to fill a cup with water to honor the women of the story and commemorate Miriam’s Well, which provided water to the Jews in the desert after their exodus from Egypt.
4. Make 10 plague finger puppets
The 10 plagues, which were inflicted upon Pharaoh and his people before he allowed the enslaved Jewish people to flee Egypt, aren’t an uplifting or celebratory part of the Passover story — but they do lend themselves to a visual way to tell the tale. There are numerous ways to do this, from paper plate projects to store-bought headbands — but these clearly-labeled 10 plague finger puppets from Marni, the surface pattern designer behind Jewish Together, take the guesswork out of craft time.
Before the seder, simply have kids color, cut and tape these to fit their fingers. (Up to you how you want to explain or if you want to get into the more gruesome details of this particular part of the holiday story.)
Where to find: Printable Passover Plague Finger Puppets (free download when you sign up for the Jewish Together newsletter)
5. Personalize a homemade matzah cover
This simple, yet sentimental no-sew matzah cover is another kid-centric Passover craft that can adorn a seder table even after little ones have grown up. (Yes, matzah is obviously a centerpiece of the holiday, with three sheets placed inside a special cover on the seder table.)
Ariel, the blogger behind Ariel Loves and Jewish Family Magic, provides detailed instructions for this craft that include folding a plain white pillowcase and decorating it with washable markers that will bleed when wet to create a tie-dyed effect. What really makes this project personal, though, is having children dip their hands in washable paint to create decorative handprints. She reminds grown-ups to label the transformed pillowcase with the child’s name and date so it becomes an adorable keepsake.
6. Adorn a DIY afikomen bag
For children, finding the afikomen — the piece of matzah broken at the beginning of the seder and placed in a special bag for kids to find — might be one of the most fun Passover traditions. Get kids excited for their big moment (and oftentimes the possibility of winning a prize!) by helping them craft their own afikomen bag.
The teacher behind Lesson Plans and Name Brands folded construction paper, punched holes on each side to string yarn to keep the paper folded like an envelope — and then had her class adorn the bags with stickers of their choice. For a Jewish theme, kids can use Star of David stickers or even ones that specifically depict the Passover story and symbols.
7. Design a matzah necklace
Have kids accessorize their holiday attire — and practice their fine motor sewing skills — with this DIY puffy matzah necklace project from Our Happy Tribe. You’ll need some felt, a sewing needle and embroidery floss to create the classic matzah pattern, cotton balls to make the necklace puffy, yarn, glue and beads — and this step-by-step matzah crafting “recipe” that is perfect for older children (or for younger ones with help and supervision).
For a no-sew version of this necklace (also from Our Happy Tribe), grab some cardstock, markers, a hole puncher, yarn and beads (if the kids are old enough) — and, voila! — a necklace that looks almost good enough to eat.
8. Color character stick puppets
Make the retelling of the Passover story an interactive one with these free, printable character puppets from With Love, Ima. Simply have children color in the characters (that include Moses, Miriam and Pharaoh), and then cut them out and glue them onto popsicle sticks for a Passover puppet show. (Scroll through the blog post for a refresher on who’s who in the story.) The puppets are also a perfect visual to accompany a retelling of the story during the seder or kid-friendly Passover-themed bedtime books.
9. Craft a festive frog bookmark
Some of the plagues (like the visual of frogs jumping on Pharaoh’s head from this kid-friendly coloring book Haggadah) are less frightening than others. So for a fun (and useful!) frog craft, try making these origami frog bookmarks, inspired by Maya Crafts. Fold a square piece of green paper to make a basic triangle origami bookmark (simple tutorial here), and then add some cardstock (or even googly!) eyes and a bright red tongue. Create enough, and everyone at the seder can have a bookmark for their Haggadah (the guide containing the songs, story, blessings and rituals performed at the seder meal).
10. Turn recyclables into milk carton frogs
This milk carton frog craft from Creative Jewish Mom both repurposes discarded household materials and can serve purpose as a simple seder table decoration. (They can also be turned into Passover-themed place cards or even a prize box to stash afikomen winnings.) Of course, the first step involves collecting some milk cartons and making sure there is enough time for the cartons to dry between paint applications. Choose your own paint color, as described here, depending on exactly what you want the frogs to represent. For kids, these frogs will certainly help make the Passover dinner table different from all others.
11. Construct a parting the Red Sea scene
Assembling this detailed Red Sea project could take some time and may require some helping hands, but it does impressively recreate one of the most dramatic parts of the Passover story. Elissa Winer dressed Lego people in cotton and felt scraps and placed them with their baggage, bedrolls and animals between two pieces of blue cardboard for a creative display of Moses parting the Red Sea and hurriedly leading the Jewish people to freedom. Kinetic sand might be used to form the perfect pathway and present less of a mess than the regular kind.
12. Bring a clothespin flower arrangement to life
Passover is a commemoration of the Jewish people’s resilience, but the holiday is also a celebration of the renewal that comes along with both freedom and the spring season. These bright clothespin flowers from The Best Ideas for Kids make for a fun springtime activity — and for some colorful, homemade, reusable decor. Test some clothespins (to make sure they can stand upright), print this free tulip template and follow the steps to bring this tabletop garden to life. Because, really, there is nothing better than kid-made crafts to bring additional joy and hope to both the seder table and the Passover celebration.
