PAPER PLATE FLOWERS
It’s a tradition to decorate the synagogue and home with flowers for Shavuot because Mount Sinai was said to be lush with beautiful flowers. Your kiddos will love making these big gorgeous flowers with paper plates and some paint and glue! Make them in lots of different colors and put them all over your home and synagogue for an extra delightful and meaningful holiday!
POLYMER CLAY TABLETS
Seven weeks after their exodus from Egypt, God gave the Torah to the Israelites. Moses ascended Mount Sinai and brought down a set of tablets with the Ten Commandments. Every year on Shavuot, we celebrate this historic moment, and we accept Torah into our hearts all over again. Your kiddos will love exploring the Ten Commandments by making a set of Polymer Clay Tablets, complete with the ten Hebrew letters which signify the order of the commandments. They could make them in a more traditional color such as beige or gray, or… they could choose a fun color to make Shavuot extra colorful and festive!
EGG CARTON FLOWERS
Flowers for Shavuot with an eco-friendly twist! Your kiddos will love cutting flower shapes out of egg carton cells and then painting them in vibrant colors. Put them in a basket as a unique Shavuot centerpiece or sprinkle them throughout your house or synagogue for an extra festive and colorful Shavuot! Chag Sameach!
TISSUE PAPER FLOWERS
It’s a tradition to have flowers for Shavuot, and these tissue paper flowers look like the real thing! You only need three things for this craft — tissue paper, scissors, and pipe cleaners; and even though there are several steps, once you get the hang of it, they’re really quite easy to make. Your kiddos will enjoy making a whole bouquet of them, which you can use as a beautiful and extra special Shavuot centerpiece!
PAINTING FIRE
To celebrate Lag B'Omer (the 33rd day of the Omer), it’s traditional to light bonfires which symbolize the light that Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who is said to have died on Lag B’Omer, brought to the world through his mystical teachings. Here’s an artistic spin on making a bonfire…PAINT “fire!” As you swirl the yellow, orange, and red paint together, you can think of the light within you and how you can best share it with others to make the world a better place!
PAPER PLATE SUNCATCHER
On Lag B’Omer, we celebrate the life of the legendary mystic Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who died on Lag B’Omer (the 33rd day of the counting of the Omer, which is the 49-day period between the second night of Passover and Shavuot). Rabbi Shimon brought great light and wisdom to the world when he wrote and shared the Zohar. One traditional way we honor Rabbi Shimon is to light bonfires on Lag B’Omer. Another way we can do this is by making a Paper Plate Suncatcher with red, orange, and yellow tissue paper — reminding us of fire, Rabbi Shimon’s light, and the light that we must bring to the world now.
MINI TORAH SCROLL WITH WASHI TAPE
Inspiration for this craft came from one of my favorite sources for beautiful Jewish craft ideas: Creative Jewish Mom. What I love most about Mini Torah Scrolls (other than the obvious — they’re super adorable!) is the act of rolling the paper. Kiddos will get a great sense of the scroll format of the Torah through this process, AND it’s a sneak preview of the scroll rolling that is central to the Simchat Torah celebration. These Mini Torah Scrolls will help you and your family celebrate Simchat Torah in a big way — be sure to make lots of them in a rainbow of colors!
WHAT’S IN THE TORAH - MINI BOOK
The word Torah means “teaching,” and in Judaism, it is our most precious book, our foundation. It contains the stories of our ancestors which help us understand our own lives today. It is filled with Jewish law, our covenant with God, mitzvot, blessings, and so much more. It is our guidebook of how to be the best version of ourselves, how to overcome any challenge, and how to lead a life of holiness. There are endless ways to explore the Torah, and a good starting point with children is to talk about what’s in it. This cut and glue craft is a great way to have a conversation with your kiddos about why the Torah is so special. You can use the prepared “what’s inside” words (e.g., God, blessings, etc.) in this craft template, and/or you can use the blank squares and make your own list. This simple craft will help lay the foundation of a lifelong love of Torah!
GLITTERY LEAVES GARLAND
Add some extra sparkle to your sukkah with a garland of glittery leaves! Just print the free Leaf Shapes PDF onto cardstock paper, put a thin layer of glue on each leaf and sprinkle it with glitter, run a length of ribbon or twine through all the leaves, and then hang your garland in your sukkah. For the eight days of Sukkot, while you and your family and guests enjoy the warmth of the sun or gaze at the beauty of the moon, you’ll also delight in the shimmer of your Glittery Leaves Garland which will surely make your Sukkot especially magical!
HANGING GLITTER PINECONES
This beautiful Sukkot craft was inspired by Meri Cherry Art Studio, one of my favorite sources for creative art ideas! It’s so much fun to paint the pinecones and get into all the little nooks and crannies. And what kid can resist glitter? It just makes everything magical! Slipping the beads onto floral wire is so satisfying and makes this colorful craft a triple threat — paint/glitter/beads!
CRAFT STICK LULAV WITH POM POM ETROG
When I first saw this craft idea on Pinterest, I squealed — it’s THAT adorable! But what I like most about this small but mighty Sukkot craft is that it helps kiddos understand that what we call the lulav is actually made up of three distinct parts: (1) Willow (in Hebrew, aravah), (2) Myrtle (in Hebrew, hadass) and (3) Palm Branch (in Hebrew, lulav). Together with the etrog (citrus fruit), we shake it in all directions to remind us that God is everywhere.
PAPER HALF MOON GARLAND
Here’s a simple craft that will make your sukkah extra colorful and festive! Even very young children can glue paper moons to twine to make a beautiful garland that will dance in the wind. Just craft punch (or cut) large paper circles, fold them in half, and glue them to a piece of twine. You can then hang your garland horizontally or even vertically so it’s more like a streamer. Either way, your Paper Half Moon Garland will surely create extra joy while you and your family spend time in the sukkah!
FABRIC SUKKAH GARLAND
This one has been a fan favorite with my Kindergarten synagogue students for many years! They love tying the fabric strips onto the twine, which is also great practice for kiddos learning to tie their shoes. The end result is so sweet, especially once it’s hanging in the sukkah. The colorful fabric strips dance in the breeze happily and they’re also able to withstand the inevitable rain. A simple and beautiful way to make your Sukkot celebration extra joyful!
PAINTED WOOD PUMPKINS
Sukkot is known as “the time of our joy” (in Hebrew — z’man simchateinu), and what a joy it is to decorate a sukkah! Of course, the sukkah itself is beautiful on its own, but during the week of Sukkot, it becomes our temporary home — and just as you would decorate your home, you can decorate your sukkah! These painted wood pumpkins will add bright colors and some fall festivity to your sukkah, plus your kiddos will have so much fun painting them! Chag Sameach!
NEW YEAR INTENTION BRACELETS
As we journey through the months of Elul and Tishrei, we renew our commitment to being our best selves, to practicing Jewish values, and ultimately to bringing light and hope to anywhere there is darkness. A wonderful way to teach kiddos (and ourselves) to focus on these renewed commitments is to make New Year Intention Bracelets! Think of what you want to focus on the most in the new year and make bracelets with those words. For example: shalom (peace), chesed (kindness), and ahava (love). These bracelets will be beautiful reminders that Teshuvah, our primary focus on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, means “return” — a return to our true selves, our holy selves, our best selves.
SMILEY FELT APPLE
Rosh Hashanah is truly a joyful holiday, and what could bring more joy than a cute little Smiley Felt Apple?!!! It’s very simple (and incredibly fun) to sew felt, making it perfect for beginning sewers. You and your kiddos could make them as Rosh Hashanah decorations or give them to family and friends to sweeten their new year. You could even hot glue a little butterfly pin or brooch clasp to the back so that you could wear your apple with your special holiday outfit. This sweet little thing is sure to get your new year off to a happy start!
WOODEN PAINTED APPLES
Your Rosh Hashanah will be extra festive with some colorful Wooden Painted Apples! Back-to-school season is timed just right with Rosh Hashanah, and at this time of year, you’ll find lots of options of unfinished apples that are perfect to use as Rosh Hashanah decorations. Have your kiddos decorate them however they like, and give them the honor of decorating your home and table so that your family has a super sweet start to the new year!
SHANA TOVA TOKENS
Your kiddos will love wishing your family and friends peace, love, joy, and good health in the new year with these fun little tokens! Print out the free PDF and add your own unique designs to the front and/or back. Set one at each person’s spot at the Rosh Hashanah table as a little surprise, or put a bunch in a bowl, and have people grab one at random to find out what good things are coming their way in the new year. You could also send them through snail mail. There are endless ways to make Rosh Hashanah extra special with these sweet little tokens!
PAINTED APPLE CARDS
The best way to wish family and friends a happy Rosh Hashanah is to give them a homemade card — and there’s nothing sweeter than a Painted Apple Card! Your kiddos will love painting apples in whatever styles and colors they can imagine and then sending their “Shana Tova” wishes to dear ones near and far!
RESIN HEARTS
Celebrate Tu B’Av, the Jewish holiday of love, by making beautiful and unique Resin Hearts and giving them to family and friends! Resin is SUPER fun (and actually easier to use than it may seem), and there are endless things you can make with it; BUT…it’s not a great craft for younger kiddos. It’s messy, and you really need to wear an apron and gloves when using it so that you don’t damage your skin or clothes. You also need to work in a well-ventilated area. That being said, for older kiddos, teens, and adults, resin is an amazing medium. I for one am obsessed with it! Hope you enjoy making these gorgeous little hearts for Tu B’Av and spreading the love!