On Passover night, we all recline and get together for a long and delightful Passover seder — which can be A LOT if you’re a kid with energy to spare. Luckily, the seder has a built-in expending of shpilkes: the traditional hunt for the afikomen, which is designed to keep kids awake and entertained.
For the adult tasked with the very important task of hiding the afikomen, there are many things to consider. How long do we want the afikomen search to last? Are the kid in attendance up for a challenge, or are they likely to get frustrated and give up? Are we willing to risk the fact that the afikomen will not be found? (Related: What is your seder host’s tolerance for four- and eight-legged creatures, which some may consider the 11th plague?)
Whatever your considerations are, nobody — repeat: nobody — wants you to hide the matzah in the same place you did last year. So, courtesy of some of Kveller’s clever readers, here are some ideas of where to hide the afikomen.
1. Under the top of the toilet tank.
You should tape it to the top, sealed in a plastic bag, of course! This is a bit of a challenging one, and depending on your toilet, risky. Be warned!
2. Underneath the piano or piano seat.
Do you, too, have a neglected piano in the house? On this night, unlike other nights, the piano will be the center of attention.
3. Make it a puzzle.
Rabbi Rebecca Rosenthal’s family lock the afikoman in a box and has the kids solve puzzles to get the key, like in an escape room. We love this!
4. Make it a treasure hunt.
Renee Cohn Jones’ family hides numbered index cards with a letter on the back of each one, all across the house. The kids are tasked with searching for the cards. Once all of them are found, the letters have to be unscrambled to uncover the afikomen’s hiding place.
5. Hide it in plain sight.
Sharon Rosenblatt Cohen suggests hiding the afikomen in plain sight, taped to refrigerator. Unexpected!
6. Hide it behind you.
My dad would just hide the afikomen behind his back. True story. Once the kids were done running around the house, one brazen one might get an inkling to search there — or, when you think the kids have had enough, just get up from your chair.
7. Above the refrigerator.
You can’t mess with a classic.
8. Underneath the table cloth.
Again, it’s a classic hiding spot for a reason.
9. Among the books on the bookshelf.
This is an especially good hiding place if you are a bibliophile!
10. In the dog food bin.
Again, you might want to put it in a plastic bag, if you’re going to eat it after.
