Match The Candles: Hanukkah Activity For Kids

This fun Hanukkah activity teaches your children their numbers and about the Jewish heritage at the same time. Plus, they get to interact with the menorah without the danger of getting burned.

This DIY puzzle, is so easy to make. All you need is some cardboard, markers, and paint sticks!

If you really want to save more time, I have a free printable version of this activity that you can use instead of drawing your own.

Hanukkah Activity Pack

And if you are looking for more printable Hanukkah activities, check out our Hanukkah activity bundle! It’s full of fun activities like tracing, alphabet, numbers and even a DIY dreidel game.

Keep reading and discover how easy it is to make your very own Hanukkah activity for your young children.

Skills:

Ages:

Prep Time:

Watch the Video to See How to Make this Hanukkah Activity!

In this video you’ll see how easy it is to make this Hanukkah activity. For a vertical set up, tape it to the wall – it’s great for shoulder strength and crossing the midline!

For written step-by-step instructions, read on below for more information!

All activities should be supervised by an adult. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links.

Watch the Video to See How to Make this Hanukkah Activity!

In this video you’ll see how easy it is to make this Hanukkah activity. For a vertical set up, tape it to the wall – it’s great for shoulder strength and crossing the midline!

For written step-by-step instructions, read on below for more information!

All activities should be supervised by an adult. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links.

Teach Number Recognition with a Menorah Activity

This Hanukkah puzzle isn’t difficult to put together, but for grown ups short on time, I’ve got you covered!

If you don’t have time to make one, I created a free printable Hanukkah activity. Download and print the number matching puzzle. Have your kiddos cut out the candles themselves and then match them to the Menorah! It’s so easy!

This is a fun way to combine early math skills with learning about the Hanukkah holiday.

If you’d like to make the larger, DIY version like we did, here’s all the info on how you can make it yourself!

Materials

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1

Trace and cut out 9 identical candles out of cardboard.

Step 2

Paint the shamash (the middle candle) a different color from the rest. Add a dot for each number to match with the location on the menorah.

Step 3

Draw a menorah cardboard or print out my free Hanukkah printable.

Step 4

Label each spot with numbers 1-8.

Step 5

Add adhesive paper on top of the cardboard menorah, sticky side up. You can also use strips of packaging tape. Use tape to secure.

Step 6

Attach the menorah to your wall with painter’s tape for a vertical set-up.

Step 1

Trace and cut out 9 identical candles out of cardboard.

Step 2

Paint the shamash (the middle candle) a different color from the rest. Add a dot for each number to match with the location on the menorah.

Step 3

Draw a menorah cardboard or print out my free Hanukkah printable.

Step 4

Label each spot with numbers 1-8.

Step 5

Add adhesive paper on top of the cardboard menorah, sticky side up. You can also use strips of packaging tape. Use tape to secure.

Step 6

Attach the menorah to your wall with painter’s tape for a vertical set-up.

Educational Benefits of this Hanukkah Activity

This is such a fun puzzle for kids to play during the holiday season – the fact that it’s educational too is a wonderful bonus!

Here are some of the main things your kiddo will learn from this Hanukkah puzzle.

Number Recognition: As your child counts the dots on the candle, they will match it to the number on the Menorah. This will help them understand that each written number represents a specific amount of dots.

This will help your child see how much 1 dot is compared to 8 dots. This is the foundation of all math skills.

Early Math Skills: There are also lots of early math skills that this teaches.

It teaches number sense – the ability to count forward and backward accurately. As your child picks up a candle, encourage them to count the dots backwards too.

It also teaches representation. The number 2 and two dots are the same thing.

If your child is ready for it, they can also practice and learn estimation from it. Let them guess where the pieces fit by estimating how many dots are on the candle.

There are lots of other math skills that your kiddo will learn from the printable Hanukkah activity pack. There are phonics, tracing, and counting games – all centered around the festival of lights.

Educational Benefits of This Hanukkah Puzzle