Around The House: Increase Kids’ Simchas Purim with Crafts and Fun—Part I

By Yehudit Garmaise

Make Little Masks for Fun Table Decorations:

Fold a piece of construction paper in half.

Draw half of the shape of a mask.

Trace one eye hole, and it cut out. The paper is folded, so you will be cutting out two eye holes.

Unfold the mask, and glue it to a piece of Bristol board or cardboard.

Cut out the mask and eye holes out of the Bristol board.

Decorate with many gems and stickers.

Glue on ribbons on both sides of the mask,

Glue on colorful twisted pipe cleaners or a little white stick to the inside of the mask so kids can hold it up to their faces.

Make Easy Graggers:

Save enough paper towel or toilet paper rolls, so each child has one. 

Use some colorful, fun wrapping paper to decorate the roll, but leave extra at the end to close with strong packing tape, so the insides do not escape.

Buy some popcorn kernels, dried beans, dried pasta, paperclips, and maybe a few little jingle bells, for a not-too-loud grogger.  

To further decorate your graggers, glue on a few gems, put on some clown stickers, and attach a few ribbons for fun.

Create Your Own Mishloach Manot Family Labels:

Create a document in which you write in large font: A Freilachen Purim! 

Sincerely, the (your family name) Family

Print out as many copies of your document as you are going to give mishloach manos.

Cut out the text of each document in the irregular shape of a hamantaschen.

Draw 15 slightly irregular triangles that look hamantaschen.

Inside the irregular triangles, draw another irregular triangle, which will represent the hamentashen’s jam.

Then use markers, paint markers, or crayons to fill in each hamantaschen a different color. For fun, you can add some glitter to your labels.

Use a glue stick or scotch tape to attach your homemade labels, and you are ready to deliver!