Passover: How to Make the 8 Days of Passover Extra Special

By Rabbi Arel Platt, Director of J Life

What I love about Passover, is for 8 days we live in an alternate reality. Every year we clean our homes, have ritual meals, and change our diets. It is like we put a pause on real life, and step into a new time and space. There are some great ways to include your child(ren) in this special 8 day experience.

1)     Passover Prep – Let the kids help with the Passover preparation. Include your child(ren) in cleaning the house, searching for chametz, and taking them grocery shopping with you.

2)     Seder Fun – Give them roles throughout the Seder (besides doing the 4 Questions). For example, have them act out the plagues, as well as the 4 children, sing different songs, look for the afikoman, and ask questions. If your child(ren) are old enough, they can even help plan activities to do during the Seder.

3)     New & Old Family Traditions – Share traditions that your family already has, like special Passover family recipes. Create new family traditions, such as eating matzah brei for breakfast every other day, or mark the end of Passover in a special way by getting pizza at your favorite restaurant.

4)     Question a Day – One of the many themes of the Passover Seder is to ask questions. Asking questions leads to learning. During the 8 days of Passover, promote asking questions. Let your child(ren) ask a big question a day, and research together the answer.

5)     Menu Helpers – Food is a central part of celebrating Passover. Since the food we eat this week is out of the ordinary, have your child(ren) help you plan out a menu for each day of the week.

The possibilities of Passover are endless. May your Passover be filled with curiosity, joy, and fun.

Chag Sameach! Happy Passover!

For more information about J Life please visit www.jcc.org/jlife.