The Passover seder is a meaningful, beautiful ancient(ish) Jewish ritual. From the retelling of the story of Exodus and the eating of symbolic foods to the chanting of songs, it’s full of opportunities for learning, bonding and growth.
It is also so, so long.
The seder really tests our patience as adults, so it makes sense that our kids can’t stay seated for the entire haggadah reading. I remember so many seders as a kid, hungry and cranky, patiently waiting for the part when we eat as my many younger siblings and cousins wreaked havoc at the poor host’s house. By the time we got to the afikomen search, things were positively feral.
But it doesn’t have to be this way! To stop my and your kids from going feral, I’ve put together some great distractions for kids attending the Passover seder to keep them occupied, and most importantly, to keep you sane.
1. Make sure they’re comfortable: We all love an excuse to don our fanciest outfits — sequins! Tailored dresses! Bowties! But for kids, wearing a stiff outfit all night long can be an extra source of discomfort. So why not wear comfy clothes for the seder instead? Our friends at Midrash Manicures have designed special Passover matzah pajamas that we absolutely love (use code Kveller20 for 20% off). Order them by April 12 to get them in time for the first seder! You can also get your kids some comfy sweats or pajamas, and allow an outfit change in the middle of the seder if you still want to start off fancy.
2. Print some Passover coloring pages: Get out those crayons! There are plenty of downloadable coloring pages for Passover on the internet and honestly, even my 30-something-year-old self loves having something to color as I’m listening to people reading the haggadah. There are also these coloring Passover placemats that serve a double purpose.
3. Have a nosh station: I love the French concept of the apero — a pre-meal or party drink and nosh. Hungry kids are cranky kids, so serving a little pre-seder apero can help stave those seder cranks. Have a station with cut veggies, cheese if it works for your meal, hummus and matzah chips, or anything else that your kids would like to nosh on.
4. Have a dance party or physical activity break: Organize a dance-off to a Passover parody, or create an obstacle course to cross the Red Sea to help your kids get some of those shpilkes out.
5. Passover bingo or crossword puzzles: Are there things that happen at your seder every year? Does someone always spill the wine? Does your uncle make a bad dad joke about Elijah? Create family seder Bingo cards to keep things entertaining! You can also print some of these ready-made Passover crossword puzzles for older kids (or adults).
6. Get yourself some Passover-themed games: Organize a jumping frog competition or matzah ball juggling performance! There’s even a Let My People Go board game.
7. Offer some sensory distractions: From Passover slime (yes, this is a risky one for your kids’ clothes, but yes, I’m a little obsessed with this matzah pizza slime) to kinetic sand to a box full of fidget spinners, there are lots of great ways to offer your kids sensory distractions as you go through the night.
8. Put together a craft station: There are so many great Passover crafts out there! Don’t want to get messy? You can also have a puzzle table — especially good if you’ve amassed a pandemic puzzle collection. (Or get yourself a next year in Jerusalem Passover puzzle).
9. Use a kid-friendly haggadah: Switch up your haggadah game this year! Kveller has a family-friendly haggadah for curious kids and their parents that’s free to download and also available to purchase on Amazon! We also have a list of other great family-friendly haggadahs.
10. Or let the kids skip the haggadah: There’s no shame in focusing on a short retelling instead! We’ve put together a great, printable, kid-friendly version of the Passover story just for you. You can all read it together, then let your kids loose — to maybe watch that Passover “Rugrats” special or “The Prince of Egypt” — while you do the haggadah reading with the adults until mealtime.
Looking for more seder tips?
4 Hacks to Make Your Seder More Fun
The Ultimate Stress-Free Passover Seder Guide
8 Passover Activities for Your Family That Everyone Will Want to Do
