Celebrate Hanukkah at the Stroum Jewish Community Center

The Stroum Jewish Community Center offers a wonderful opportunity for young families to explore the Festival of Lights through hands-on events and celebrations. Whether your child is experiencing Hanukkah for the first time or it's a cherished annual tradition, this community center provides an welcoming space to learn, create, and celebrate together.

What You'll Need

• Your calendar and the center's event schedule
• A small notebook for jotting down activity times
• Comfortable clothes for your child
• A camera or phone to capture memories
• Any dietary preference information (for food events)
• An open mind and willingness to try something new!

How to Do It

1. Visit the community center's website to browse their current Hanukkah programming. Most centers offer events throughout the eight-day celebration, so you can choose what fits your family's schedule best.

2. Register in advance for any activities that require sign-ups. Popular holiday programs fill quickly, especially those designed for younger children, so don't wait until the last minute.

3. Arrive a few minutes early on the day of your chosen activity. This gives your preschooler time to acclimate to the space and you time to chat with staff about what to expect.

4. Participate fully in the activities alongside your child. Whether it's a menorah craft, holiday song circle, or special snack time, your enthusiasm helps your little one feel confident and engaged.

5. Ask questions about the traditions and symbols being explored. Staff members love sharing stories and explanations that help families deepen their understanding.

6. Take home any creations your child makes and display them proudly. This reinforces the joy of the celebration and gives your child a keepsake to cherish.

🎓 Skills Your Child Will Develop

Cultural Awareness — Your child learns about different traditions and begins understanding that families celebrate in varied, meaningful ways.

Fine Motor Skills — Craft activities like decorating, painting, and assembling strengthen hand coordination and control.

Social Connection — Group celebrations help preschoolers practice interacting with peers and building friendships in a welcoming community.

Language Development — Learning new holiday vocabulary, songs, and stories expands your child's communication skills naturally.

Sense of Belonging — Participating in community events helps young children feel connected to something larger than themselves.

Tips & Variations

• If your child is shy, attend a less crowded early-morning session to help them warm up gradually.
• Younger toddlers (ages 2–3) may enjoy shorter, sensory-focused activities like touching the menorah or tasting special holiday treats, while older preschoolers (ages 4–6) can handle longer crafts and storytelling.
• Plan a family discussion afterward about what your child learned and experienced—this deepens memory and understanding.

My Two Cents

Community celebrations are some of my favorite ways to introduce young children to traditions and values. There's something magical about watching a three-year-old's face light up when they realize they're part of something bigger than their immediate family. These moments at places like the Stroum Jewish Community Center create lasting memories and a foundation of cultural pride.

Questions to Ask Your Child

Use these open-ended prompts to extend the learning during or after the activity:

• "What was your favorite part, and what made it special?"
• "What would you do differently next time?"
• "Can you teach me how to do the part you liked best?"
• "What did you notice while we were doing this?"
• "What does this remind you of from somewhere else in your life?"
• "If you could change one thing about this, what would it be?"

There are no right or wrong answers to any of these questions. The goal is to keep the conversation going, model curious thinking, and give your child practice putting their experience into words.

Making It a Learning Moment

Every activity you do with your preschooler — no matter how simple — is building something invisible but permanent: the child's sense of themselves as capable, curious, and loved. Research on early childhood development consistently shows that the quality of adult-child interaction during play matters far more than the type of activity. Being present, narrating what you observe, asking genuine questions, and celebrating effort over outcome are the practices that create lasting developmental gains.

Adapting for Different Ages

Ages 2–3: Keep it simple. Use fewer materials, shorter sessions (10–15 minutes), and more adult scaffolding. The goal is exploration and enjoyment, not mastery.

Ages 4–5: Add complexity and choice. Let the child make more decisions, introduce mild challenge, and encourage them to evaluate what worked and what they'd change next time.

Mixed ages: Pair older and younger children intentionally. Older children build confidence and reinforce their own learning by helping; younger children get engagement and language modeling from a near-peer.