Passover is an eight-day spring holiday that celebrates the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt. While the story of Passover can be rather complex to explain to a child, here are our favorite activities that give kids a lesson on this important holiday in fun and memorable ways.
This article was recently updated on April 16, 2024, by Chicago Parent’s Audience Development Coordinator, Kari Zaffarano. The update included her finding the best family events for Passover, aligning with Chicago Parent’s mission to provide the top parenting resources for local families. Questions? Please reach out to kari@chicagoparent.com.
Events to check out
Passover Seder & Exquisite Four Course Passover Dinner
- Address: Chabad Lincoln Park, 1962 N. Bissel St., Chicago
- Cost: Adults: $65-$80/one seder, $110-$140/both seders; Children ages 5-12: $35-$40/one seder, $55-$70/both seders; free/ages 4 and under
Families can join Chabad Lincoln Park for a warm, interactive seder with crispy, hand baked Shmurah matzah, fine wines and a four-course Passover dinner.
Passover Seders + Meals
- Address: Ambassador Chicago Hotel, 1301 N. State Parkway, Chicago
- Cost: Adults: $65-$80/one seder, $110-$140/both seders; Children ages 5-12: $35-$40/one seder, $55-$70/both seders; free/ages 4 and under
Enjoy a three-course meal at the famous Ambassador Chicago Hotel for the Passover Seders. There will also be a candle lighting, too. Advanced reservations required.
Act it out
Bring the story of Passover to life. Try these activities with your family to learn more about the spring holiday.
- Musical seder: A traditional Passover seder is long—even for an adult. Change it up with a kid-friendly seder that’s sure to hold short attention spans as it’s filled with songs and rhymes.
- Passover play: If you’ve got a big family, this 10-minute Passover play is a fun way to involve everyone around the table.
Mix it up
Use matzo as a base for endless Passover snacks. If you’re craving for more creative matzo treats, try these recipes.
- Matzah brei: If you’ve ever come in contact with a Jewish grandmother, you’ve likely had matzo brei around Passover. A breakfast staple during the holiday, the dish is essentially a combination of scrambled eggs and matzo. The dish can be served sweet (with sugar and syrup) or savory (with salami).
- Matzah nachos: You can’t eat bread on Passover, but look on the bright side: you can have cheese! When you load matzo up with cheese, tomatoes, lettuce and other toppings, you won’t even notice the missing bread.
- Matzah pizza: Make two different kinds of pizza—one with a creamy sauce topped with fresh mozzarella and sautéed onions and another with cilantro, tomato sauce, olives, fresh basic and feta cheese.
Cut and color
Here are some DIY projects with significance. Here are some more kid’s crafts to celebrate Passover.
- Afikoman cover: If there’s one part of the seder that all children love, it is finding or hiding (depending on your family’s tradition) the matzo in a special napkin. Once it is found, children receive gifts. Let your child’s creativity run wild by creating their own protective cover for the coveted afikoman.
- Elijah’s cup: According to Jewish tradition, the prophet Elijah will visit every Seder to take a sip of wine from a special cup. Let your children become an active participant in this symbolic part of Passover by decorating a cup for Elijah.
Read all about it
Add these Passover books for kids to your bookshelf. You can find more Passover books in this roundup.
- The Littlest Levine: Hannah Levine is the youngest in her family, and is always last to do everything. But in the weeks leading up to Passover, Hannah gets to spend quality time with her grandpa to practice reading the four questions for the Passover seder—the most important job of all!
- The Little Red Hen and the Passover Matzah: A fun, Jewish spin on the traditional Little Red Henbook, this story takes young readers through the process of planting wheat seeds, harvesting and milling wheat, and making the flour into matzah. The end of the book contains a short glossary of terms related to Passover.
- Lotsa Matzah: Told in rhyming couplets that are best for toddlers, Lotsa Matzah provides a wonderful introduction to why we celebrate Passover. The beautifully illustrated story covers all of the important bases for kids—from why we eat Matzah to how Jewish families mark the occasion together.
- Matzah Means So Many Things: Matzah means food, liberation, freedom and more! Local author Faith Goldstein writes about the special meaning behind the symbolic food that we eat on Passover in an age-appropriate way. The newly-released book has a matzah recipe that families can make together.
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