Hanukkah / Hanukkiah Light Craft
Hanukkiah Light Craft
Children make a nine-branched hanukkiah from cardboard rolls with paper flames, learning about the eight nights of Hanukkah and the helper candle, without any real flames.
How to run it
- Explain that a hanukkiah holds eight candles for the eight nights plus a ninth helper candle called the shamash, which is usually set higher or apart.
- Have each child paint or cover nine short cardboard tubes in blue, white, silver or gold.
- Glue eight tubes in a row on a strip of card and set the shamash higher in the middle or at one end.
- Add yellow and orange paper flames that can be slotted in one at a time, so children see how one more light is added each night.
You will need
- cardboard tubes cut in halves
- strips of thick card
- paint or coloured paper
- PVA glue
- yellow and orange paper
- glitter or foil (optional)
Make it easier or harderYounger children can stick flames on a pre-drawn hanukkiah; older children can make a sturdier version from recycled materials of their own design.
SafetyUse paper flames only, never real candles; let paint dry before handling.
My Time Our Place · Outcome 2, Outcome 4Children learn about a symbol of a Jewish festival and represent counting nights in a hands-on way.
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