Around the House: Make a Purim Shpiel on Popsicle Sticks
By Yehudit Garmaise
Kids can have a blast creating a Purim Spiel with popsicle stick puppets to perform at the seudah.
All you need are some new markers, with silly scents for extra fun, some popsicle sticks or tongue depressors, glue or a glue gun, and print out outlines of the characters of Megillas Esther.
After creating the puppets, children can use the kid-friendly-version of the Purim story below to rehearse their performances.
First, print out outlines of the main characters of the Purim story: King Achashverosh, Queen Vashi, guards for the king, Esther ha Malka, Mordechai ha Tzaddik, Bigtan and Teresh (king’s servants), Haman, Zerish, and a horse on which Mordechai can ride, as he parades around Shushan.
The children can use markers or crayons to color and decorate the characters.
Kids can use their creativity to pull down and glue on cotton balls for a beard for Mordechai, rhinestones, and glue or stick gems onto the crowns of Queen Esther and Vashti and King Achashverosh’s Kohan Gadol “costume.”
Buy a little bit of blue felt for children to cut out a little blue robe or simple cape, and make a little crown out of tin foil decorated with rhinestones to put on Mordechai when King Achashverosh wants to honor him, instead of Haman.
Buy a package of popsicle sticks on which to glue the cut-out and decorated characters.
Print out a simplified version of the Purim story for kids to act out.
Remember to remind children that Hashem is not a seen character because He is orchestrating events from behind-the-scenes by Hashgacha Pratis to help and protect the Jews always.
Parents can help their children use their stick puppets to act out the Purim story, while also pointing out which parts of the story are “coincidences” that Hashem orchestrated to best protect and provide victories for the Jews.