The observance of Passover may have a set order (after all, “seder” means “order”), but that doesn’t mean it can’t be wildly creative, especially when kids are involved. Although I love a traditional seder (some of my favourites have gone past midnight), I also make space each year for a child-centred experience. This often, but not always, falls on the second night. Below is a menu of ideas to inspire a kid-friendly, kid-driven seder. Pro tip: Pick a few ideas that resonate with your family, don’t try to cram them all into one meal.
Set the Stage with a Prompt
Give kids (and their parents) a thought-provoking question to consider before they arrive. Let them know that everyone will listen to their ideas. Some great prompts include:
- Why do we tell this story every year?
- What’s your favourite part of the Passover story?
- What part of the story scares you?
- What does it mean to be free?
For older kids, try something like: If you were freer next Passover, how would your life be different?
There are no wrong answers.
Music Sets the Mood
Music makes everything better. Send a playlist in advance to guests, ask kids what Passover songs they know, or even create an alternative seder in which you gather with friends while a curated Passover playlist plays in the background.
Food for All Ages
- Baby-Friendly: Passover is a baby’s paradise; we even have a protocol for “the child who does not yet know how to ask.” Matzah balls, gefilte fish, charoset (watch the nuts), hard-boiled eggs, and flourless cakes are all perfect for mashing on high-chair trays. If I’m serving a dairy meal, I also make a Passover mac-and-cheese recipe that babies (and adults) love.
- Kid-Friendly: White grape juice is your best friend—spills wash out easily. For karpas, I make tiny lemonade popsicles with parsley frozen inside. They taste amazing dipped in salt water. I also serve a colourful veggie platter with kid favourites (carrots, cucumbers, peppers) and fun, unexpected options (beetroots, endive) with several kosher-for-Passover dips. Bonus: Passover is a night where you get to play with your food. Dipping, dunking fingers in juice, and making Hillel sandwiches—lean into the fun!
Make the Table Kid-Inviting
- Consider sitting on the floor with cushions and trays for reclining like royalty.
- Skip the heirloom china, this isn't the night for Savta’s delicate dishes.
- Give each child their own unbreakable seder plate.
- Cover the table and scatter Passover stickers everywhere. Many families don’t write on a Yom Tov (Hebrew for Holy Day), but for non–Yom Tov nights, add crayons for doodling!
- And, obviously, place PJ Library Passover books around the table and let kids flip through them anytime.
The Classic Marshmallow Trick
Mini kosher marshmallows = instant seder magic. Tell the kids that you'll toss them out as rewards for asking great questions. Watch their curiosity take flight as you honour the central premise of the seder: asking questions.
Fidget Toys and Props
- Plague-themed toys (store-bought or homemade) keep little hands engaged.
- Legos or small blocks can help kids build their own Exodus scenes.
- Props make storytelling come alive. Some of my favourites:
- Inflatable hammers & beach shovels for “Bang-Bang-Bang! (the Work Song)”
- Soft frog toys to toss during the plague of frogs (and “The Frog Song”)
- Kosher marshmallows to throw for hail
- Handheld masks for the plagues (I leave out death of the firstborn.)
- Little drums for crossing the Red Sea (perfect for “Miriam’s Song”)
Honour and Embrace Different Traditions
Around the world, there are Jewish communities with unique Passover customs. In Bukharian tradition, the seder leader hunches over and walks around the table during the song, "Avadim Hayinu," Hebrew for, “we were slaves,” as if they were a slave. When I was growing up, only my father did this, but all the kids at our seders loved joining in! Persian and Afghani Jews lightly whip each other with green onions during "Dayenu." I take my crew outside for a raucous round.
Use PJ Library’s Haggadah, and/or Make Your Own
The guide In Every Generation, a PJ Library Haggadah makes it so simple to conduct a meaningful, family-friendly seder; its text and sweet illustrations step you through the order of the meal from start to finish. I used the PJ Library Haggadah to share beautiful insights and activities, ask great questions, and show incredible art.
Make the Story the Star
Kids are natural storytellers and listeners. Try:
- Focusing on just one part of the Passover story.
- Telling the story from different characters’ perspectives.
- Having older kids craft a quick dramatic interpretation.
- “Popcorning” the story—each person tells a small part from memory before passing it on.
Play Dress Up
Every year just after The Four Questions, my father, my kids’ grandfather, slips away from the table and comes back just before the plagues ... in full Pharoah costume! It cracks the young children up and sparks a moment of interactive delight. You could also choose to dress up as Miriam, Moses, Pharoah’s daughter, or even the heroic midwives of the Passover story.
The Big Reveal: The Red Sea!
This is the dramatic moment of the seder. Some fun ideas:
- Hang shower curtains with an under-the-sea print. Clip them up, then dramatically part them when it’s time to cross, encouraging the kids to parade through over and over again (this is an all-time favourite in my house).
- Cover walls with butcher paper and have kids create their own Red Sea passage.
- Blow bubbles and hand out fish toys as the crossing begins.
- Give kids “timbrels” (toy tambourines) to play on the other side.
Creative Afikomen Ideas
There is the thrill of the hunt, but it can be hard for little kids to accept that there’s only one winner. Consider making finding the afikomen a cooperative game for small kids or designing a puzzle element for older children. I like to give experiential prizes to all kids, such as passes to a local museum.
Sing Beyond "Ma Nishtana"
Passover music is rich and fun! PJ Library has tons of great Passover song resources. Teach the songs in advance, let kids bang on the table during, "Echad Mi Yodea" (“Who Knows One?”) and "Chad Gadya" (“One Little Goat”), and experiment with adding sound effects—mooing, bleating, meowing—to "Chad Gadya’s" escalating chaos.
Tackling Big Ideas
Kids are thoughtful and perceptive. Don’t shy away from weighty topics:
- The plagues are terrible. Discuss why we spill grape juice for them.
- Ask older kids: Is spilling juice enough? How else could we acknowledge suffering? What injustices do we see today? How can we help?
Let Tweens Take the Lead
One of my best seders ever? My tweens and their friends planned it! They met once beforehand, gave me a supply list, and then led a totally engaging, kid-run seder. Bonus: less work for me.
Chag Pesach Sameach! Tried any of these ideas? Have your own kid-friendly seder magic to share? We’d love to hear!
About the Author
Jessica McCormick is the director of family experience at PJ Library. She has also worked in Hollywood, for a municipal government, as a journalist, as a director at a large Los Angeles day school, training early career rabbis, and as the Executive Director of a Hillel. She lives in Tucson, Arizona with her husband and children, and they have favorite traditions, rituals, and recipes for every Jewish holiday.
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