Hanukkah Traditions for Kids: Beyond the Menorah
Hanukkah is one of the most sensory holidays of the year. It is the smell of latkes frying and sufganiyot dusted in powdered sugar. It is the warmth of candles growing night by night from one to eight. It is the sound of dreidels spinning, gelt clinking, blessings recited together. And in growing numbers of Jewish homes, it is also the morning ritual of finding out what the mischievous Hanukkah elf got into overnight.
This guide covers the core Hanukkah traditions for kids — the ones that have been practiced for generations — plus the newest traditions that families are building right now to make all eight nights feel distinct and magical.
The Chanukiah: The Heart of Hanukkah
The chanukiah — the nine-branched Hanukkah menorah — is the most important symbol of the holiday. It holds eight candles, one for each night of the miracle, plus the shamash (helper candle) which is used to light the others and is kept burning while the others are lit.
The Lighting Tradition
Each night of Hanukkah, after dark, the chanukiah is lit with a specific number of candles — one on the first night, two on the second, and so on through the eighth night. The candles are placed right to left but lit left to right, so the newest candle is always lit first.
Three blessings are recited on the first night (including the Shehecheyanu, a blessing for new and special occasions), and two blessings on each subsequent night. The chanukiah is traditionally placed where it can be seen from outside — a window or doorway — to publicize the miracle.
Making It Magical for Kids
Let children hold the shamash and guide it toward the candles (with adult hands nearby for safety). Let them recite the blessings in their own way — in Hebrew if they know it, in English, or simply by listening and adding "amen" at the end. The participation is what makes the ceremony memorable. A ceremony watched is soon forgotten. A ceremony participated in is carried for life.
Gelt: The Chocolate Coin Tradition
Chocolate gelt — coins wrapped in gold or silver foil — is one of the most beloved Hanukkah traditions and one of the easiest to make special for kids. The tradition of giving gelt (real coins) at Hanukkah is longstanding; the chocolate version is more recent and almost universally loved by children.
Ways to Use Gelt in Your Tradition
- Give a small bag of gelt each night as part of the evening's gift
- Use gelt as the stakes in dreidel games
- Leave a trail of gelt coins leading to a surprise on one of the eight nights
- Let kids "earn" extra gelt by answering questions about the night's Hanukkah story
- Dedicate some real gelt (actual coins) to tzedakah — charitable giving — as a way of connecting the holiday to generosity
Dreidel: The Four-Sided Spinning Top
The dreidel is a four-sided spinning top with a Hebrew letter on each side: Nun, Gimel, Hei, and Shin. These stand for "Nes Gadol Hayah Sham" — "a great miracle happened there" (in Israel, the Shin is replaced by a Pei, for "here"). The game is played with gelt or other small tokens — each letter determines whether you take from the pot, add to it, or get nothing.
How to Play Dreidel with Kids
Every player starts with the same number of tokens. Each turn, the player spins:
- Nun: Nothing — the next player spins
- Gimel: Take everything in the pot
- Hei: Take half the pot
- Shin (or Pei): Put one token in the pot
When the pot is empty, everyone adds one token. The game ends when one player has all the tokens. With very young kids, simplify the rules and focus on the spinning — the outcome matters less than the joy of the top.
Latkes and Sufganiyot: Hanukkah Food Traditions
Foods fried in oil are central to Hanukkah — a direct reference to the miracle of the oil that burned for eight nights. The two most beloved are latkes and sufganiyot.
Latkes
Potato latkes are crispy, pan-fried potato pancakes traditionally served with applesauce or sour cream. They are an Ashkenazi Jewish tradition that has become nearly universal in Hanukkah celebrations. Making them with kids is an event in itself — the grating, the squeezing out of moisture, the sizzling in the oil. Serious Eats has an excellent latke recipe that covers the technique in detail.
Sufganiyot
Sufganiyot are jelly-filled doughnuts dusted in powdered sugar, popular in Israel and increasingly common in American Jewish households. They require a bit more effort than latkes but are worth it — particularly on one of the later nights of Hanukkah when the celebration calls for something extra.
Hanukkah Songs
Music is deeply woven into the Hanukkah tradition. The most widely sung Hanukkah songs include "Maoz Tzur" (Rock of Ages), "Hanukkah Oh Hanukkah," and "Sevivon" (the Hebrew dreidel song). Learning even one of these as a family — adding it to the candle-lighting ceremony, or singing it after dinner — creates an auditory memory that connects the holiday across years.
Eight Nights of Gifts
The tradition of giving gifts across all eight nights of Hanukkah (rather than presenting everything at once) is one of the most elegant things about the holiday for kids. The anticipation doesn't end — there is always another night coming. Many families calibrate the gifts across the eight nights, starting small and building to something more significant, or mixing small nightly surprises with one or two larger gifts midweek.
For ideas on what to give each night, see our Best Hanukkah Gifts for Kids 2026 guide.
The Newest Hanukkah Tradition: The Mischievous Hanukkah Elf
In the last few years, a growing number of Jewish families have introduced a mischievous Hanukkah elf as a new tradition — a holiday companion who moves around the house each night during the eight days, gets into Hanukkah-themed mischief, and leaves something for the kids to discover each morning.
Geltie the Hanukkah Elf from Elfables was built specifically for this tradition. He loves dreidels (and has opinions about which ones spin with integrity), takes the gelt inventory very seriously, and leaves nightly reports about what he observed while the family was sleeping. He is an Elf on the Shelf alternative designed specifically for Hanukkah — rooted in the holiday's traditions, not borrowed from Christmas.
See our full list of 25 Hanukkah Elf Ideas for all eight nights and the full meet Geltie guide for everything you need to start this tradition.
Building Your Family's Hanukkah Traditions
The most meaningful Hanukkah traditions are the ones that are yours — the specific song you always sing first, the latke recipe that no one is allowed to change, the way you arrange the chanukiah, the night that's designated for tzedakah. These rituals are built one year at a time, and they accumulate into something that feels essential.
Start with the core traditions. Add one new thing each year. In five years, your family will have a Hanukkah that feels entirely your own — and your kids will carry it forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the most important Hanukkah traditions?
The most central Hanukkah tradition is lighting the chanukiah each night with the appropriate blessings. Beyond that, gelt, dreidel, latkes, and songs are the traditions most widely practiced across Jewish families. Gifts across all eight nights have become a major part of how many families celebrate.
What do kids do during Hanukkah?
Kids light candles (with adult help), spin dreidels, receive gelt and gifts across the eight nights, eat latkes and sufganiyot, sing songs, and participate in the family's Hanukkah gatherings. In growing numbers of families, they also wake up each morning to discover what their mischievous Hanukkah elf got into overnight.
What is the most fun Hanukkah activity for young kids?
For kids under 6, dreidel is consistently the most engaging activity — the physical spinning, the anticipation of which letter lands, and the gelt at stake make it genuinely exciting. For a bit older kids, helping make latkes is often the most memorable because it involves cooking, mess, and the satisfaction of eating something you made yourself.
How do you make Hanukkah special for toddlers?
For toddlers, the sensory elements of Hanukkah are the most powerful: the warmth of the candles, the taste of latkes and gelt, the sound of the blessings. Keep ceremonies short and let them participate physically — holding a candle (safely), spinning a dreidel, choosing which gelt to unwrap. The Hanukkah elf tradition also adds a daily morning discovery that toddlers love.