Tips to include children in your Seder

We asked Sara Foster, lead teacher at the David C. Isenberg Early Childhood Center and facilitator of the Mother’s Circle, for some ideas on how to include your children in Pesach preparations. Here’s her advice.

1. Include children in all the preparations. They can chop apples for haroset, set up the Seder plate, make place cards and roll matzah balls.

2. Have the children help set the table.

3. Have children create artifacts for the table. The can make special Seder plates, create a special cup for Elijah, make kiddush cups (wrapping aluminum foil around plastic cups works well), make afikoman holders and pillows for reclining (decorated pillow cases on bed pillows).

4. Be sure you have child-friendly Haggadot. Look for those with lots of illustrations, songs and even somewhat abbreviated versions (but make sure they have the Four Questions).

5. Allow children to hold props that can help illustrate the story such as plastic frogs, baby Moses dolls and puppets.

6. Consider making the story interactive. Act out the parting of the sea. Jump like frogs. Move as if you are building

7. Be sure to hide the afikoman where children can easily find it. Don’t hide it at adult height.

8. All children should receive a prize when the afikoman is found.