Hanukkah Crafts for Kids: 16 Easy DIY Ideas

Hanukkah (also spelled Chanukah) is a festival of lights that lasts 8 nights. Crafts are a fun way to get kids ready for the holiday. They also make pretty decorations for your home.

Here are 16 easy Hanukkah crafts for kids. They use simple supplies like paper, paint, and craft sticks. Most can be made in under 30 minutes.

1. Handprint Menorah

You need: Blue paint, paper.

Paint your child’s palms and fingers blue. Press both hands side by side on white paper, with fingers up. Add a center candle with a small painted hand or a stripe. Glue yellow paper flames on top.

2. Cardboard Tube Menorah

You need: 9 small cardboard tubes (about 2 inches long), a cardboard strip, blue paint, glue, yellow paper.

Paint the tubes blue. Glue them in a row on the strip, with the middle one a little taller than the others. This is the helper candle. Add yellow paper flames.

3. Salt Dough Dreidel Ornaments

You need: 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup salt, 1/2 cup water, paint, string.

Mix the flour, salt, and water into a dough. Roll it out and cut out dreidel shapes. Poke a hole at the top. Bake at 250°F for 2 to 3 hours, until hard. Cool, then paint and add string. These are not for eating.

4. Craft Stick Star of David

You need: 6 craft sticks, glue, blue paint, glitter.

Glue 3 sticks in a triangle. Make a second triangle. Glue one over the other to make a six point star. Paint it blue and add glitter.

5. Tissue Paper Window Star

You need: Clear contact paper, tissue paper squares, black paper.

Cut a star frame from black paper. Stick it on contact paper. Press blue and white tissue squares inside. Cover with a second piece of contact paper. Hang it on a window.

6. Eight Nights Paper Chain

You need: 8 strips of blue and white paper, tape or glue.

Make a paper chain with 8 links, one for each night. Hang it up. Your child can take off one link each night.

7. Blue and White Pom Pom Garland

You need: Pom poms, string, glue.

Glue blue, white, and silver pom poms along a piece of string. Leave a small space between them. Hang it on a mantel or a door.

8. Hanukkah Gelt Bags

You need: Small paper bags, markers, stickers, chocolate coins.

Let your kids decorate the bags with stars and dreidels. Fill each one with a few chocolate gelt coins and tie it with ribbon.

9. Foam Dreidel Magnets

You need: Craft foam, markers, magnet strips.

Cut a dreidel shape from foam. Draw the Hebrew letters nun, gimel, hey, and shin on the sides, or use stickers. Add a magnet strip to the back.

10. Coffee Filter Snowflakes

You need: Coffee filters, scissors, blue and silver markers.

Fold a coffee filter in half and in half again. Cut small shapes along the edges. Open it up and color it with markers. Hang the snowflakes in a window.

11. Air Dry Clay Menorah

You need: Air dry clay, blue paint.

Roll a clay base. Make 9 little cups on top and press them in. Let it dry for 24 hours. Paint it blue. Use battery tea lights, not real candles.

12. Fingerprint Flame Cards

You need: Folded white card paper, blue marker, yellow paint.

Draw a menorah with 9 candles on the card. Dip a fingertip in yellow paint and press it on top of each candle for the flame.

13. Eight Nights Bag Calendar

You need: 8 small paper bags, string, clothespins, small treats.

Number the bags from 1 to 8. Clip them to a string with clothespins. Fill each with a small treat or note. Open one each night.

14. Watercolor Resist Menorah

You need: White paper, white crayon, blue watercolor paint.

Draw a menorah with a white crayon on white paper. Your child paints over it with blue watercolor. The menorah appears like magic.

15. Painted Wooden Dreidels

You need: Plain wooden dreidels, acrylic paint, paint markers.

Paint the dreidels in blue, white, and silver. Add stars and dots. Add the four Hebrew letters on the sides with a paint marker. Let them dry, then spin them.

16. Dreidel Paper Garland

You need: Blue and white card paper, string, tape.

Cut dreidel shapes from the paper. Tape them to a string, a few inches apart. Hang it over a window or a door.

Easy Hanukkah Crafts Kids Can Make

• Ages 2 to 4: Handprint menorah, fingerprint flame cards, pom pom garland, and the watercolor menorah.
• Ages 5 to 8: Paper chain, tissue paper window star, foam dreidel magnets, and painted dreidels.
• Ages 9 and up: Salt dough ornaments, air dry clay menorah, and the craft stick star.

Tips for Crafting With Kids

• Cover the table with paper or a plastic cloth before you start.
• Use washable, non-toxic paint and glue.
• Use child safe scissors. An adult should handle a hot glue gun.
• Craft menorahs are for decoration. Use battery tea lights and never real candles on them.
• Put the finished crafts on display, so your child feels proud.

Frequently Asked Questions

What colors are used for Hanukkah?
Blue, white, and silver are the most popular. Gold is also common.

What does a dreidel have on it?
A dreidel has four Hebrew letters: nun, gimel, hey, and shin.

How many candles does a menorah have?
It has nine branches. Eight are for the 8 nights, and the center one is the helper candle, called the shamash.

What are the easiest crafts for toddlers?
Handprint menorahs, fingerprint cards, and pom pom garlands are very easy.

Final Thoughts

Hanukkah crafts are a sweet way to enjoy time with your kids and decorate your home. Pick a few that fit their ages and start crafting. Save this post and pin your favorite Hanukkah craft ideas so you can find them later.