🎓 Skills Your Child Will Develop

• 🖐️ Fine Motor Skills — Manipulating small objects, tools, and materials during hands-on activities builds the hand strength and finger dexterity children need for writing and self-care.
• 🎯 Focus & Attention — Sustaining engagement with an activity long enough to complete it builds the voluntary attention control that children need for listening in class, reading, and all forms of academic learning.
• 📐 Spatial Reasoning — Thinking about how objects relate in space — fitting shapes together, building structures, filling containers — develops the spatial intelligence that predicts success in mathematics and STEM fields.
• 🔁 Cause & Effect Thinking — Noticing that one action produces a predictable result — mixing colors, toppling a tower, adding water to powder — is the earliest form of scientific and logical thinking.

Sunset Dec. 16,

Hanukkah, which in Hebrew means "dedication," is an eight-day celebration that starts on the 25th of Kislev (on the Hebrew calendar; November/December on the Gregorian calendar). It is also known as the Festival of Lights or the Festival of Rededication. It commemorates the rededication of the Temple at Jerusalem in 165 BC and celebrates the freedom of its people who wish to worship as they choose.

Every night for eight nights, the Hanukkah blessing is read and a candle on a menorah is lit. It is traditionally lit at sunset and placed in a window. Small gifts are exchanged as well, one on each night of Hanukkah. The menorah holds nine candles, with the center one, which is raised higher than the rest, called a Shamash, which is used to light the rest of the candles.

Featured Hanukkah Preschool Activities

Eight Never Tasted So Good
One of the special things about Hanukkah is that it spans over eight days and nights. Preschoolers can learn the concept of this time frame by doing some activities that center around the number eight.

Hanukkah Gifts From The Heart
Nothing says "I love you" more than making a homemade gift for someone. For Hanukkah, your preschooler can make the simplest and most meaningful of gifts from items around your house including the wrapping paper, cards and bows.

Around PreschoolRock.com

Family Quilt Wall Hanging
This is a fun project the entire family can enjoy. There is no sewing necessary. The squares are tied together with ribbons. Decorate the squares however you like and create a shared family memory.

Family Taffy Night
This project involves making taffy as a family. Parents mix ingredients and preschoolers can help with pulling the taffy after ingredients are mixed. The more pulling, the softer the taffy! Preschoolers experience the thrill of being a part of the candy making process!

Pick-Up Pretzel Sticks Game
Play with your food with this fun and yummy preschool game. PreschoolRock.com gives parents of preschoolers instructions for playing the preschool game prezel pickup sticks. Learn how to play this preschool game.

Around The Net

Keeping Hanukkah Homemade
Familyeducation.com has a numerous ideas on how to make many homemade Hanukkah decorations and gifts for your home.

Teaching Preschoolers The Meaning of Hanukkah
Here is a step-by-step article explaining all aspects of celebrating Hanukkah. Ehow.com shows you all the things you need for a perfect Hanukkah celebration.

Hanukkah Ideas For Preschoolers
Want to make some new traditions in your home this year? Looking for something different to do with your preschooler for Hanukkah? AmazingMoms.com has a vast list of Hanukkah ideas.

Source

Stone, Reuven A.; Smimanowitz, Menachim A. "Chanukah" Torahtots.com 13 $1. Retrieved 17 $1.

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I'm Mary Beth P. Adomaitis, the Preschool Activities writer and associate editor for Preschoolrock.com. As a mom of a preschooler, I love hearing from other parents and teachers of preschoolers. If you have any preschool activity ideas, suggestions or questions, feel free to contact me.

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