8 Days of Hanukkah Kindness Activities to Spread Kindness

Help spread kindness this Hanukkah with these 8 nights of Hanukkah Kindness Activities… one for every night you light the candles.

---

Tikkun Olam…repairing the world through acts of kindness is one of the main Jewish principles we teach our children.

But Tikkun Olam can’t only be focused on during holidays.

Raising kind kids who want to make the world a better place has to be an on purpose, intentional, year-round focus for all of us. 

Related: Everything parents need to know to raise kind kids 

However, during Hanukkah, when we come together with our extended families and slow down the month to celebrate miracles big and small, it’s the perfect time to share kindness activities with those around us.

Related: 8 Ways to Make Hanukkah More Meaningful for your Family

So as you light your hanukkiah, and spin the dreidel, and eat one too many latkes, also remember to take the time to focus on Hanukkah kindness activities with your kids.

Because kindness will spread more love, heal the world a little more, and be louder than the hate that often surrounds us.

And during this Festival of Lights, kindness can be the light we shine for ourselves and for others.

Materials Needed to Make the Hanukkah Kindness Activities:

• blue and yellow construction paper strips, cut into 1.5 inch by 12 inches
• scissors
• glue stick
• stapler
• Downloaded Kindness Hannukah Activity Strips (click on the link at bottom of the article)

Related: Are you an interfaith family? Grab our 24 Christmas Kindness Activities here for the whole month of December.

How to Make a Hanukkah Kindness Calendar:

1. Download and print the 8 Kindness Hanukkah activities (download below)

2. Cut the Hanukkah Kindness Activities on the dotted lines.

3. Cut blue and yellow construction paper into 1.5 inches by 12 -inches strips.

4. Glue each kindness activity on a strip of construction paper.

5. Start with the Day 1 kindness activity and staple the strip into a loop.

6. Thread the Day 2 kindness activity through the first loop and staple it. You can staple the chain so the kindness activity is on the outside of the chain or on the inside like I did.

7. Continue threading each activity through the chain in order until all 8 are linked together.

How to Use the Kindness Chanukkah Calendar Activities:

1. Hang the Kindness Hanukkah Activity Chain somewhere in your home where you’ll see it every day of Hanukkah.

2. On the 1st morning of Hanukkah, rip the first chain off. You can do it on the morning before Hanukkah begins at sundown or the morning after… you just want to have a full day to perform the act of kindness. 

3. Read the kindness activity with your children and complete the activity together.

4. Rip off each day’s kindness activity and work on it together.

5. Celebrate and praise your children’s kindness each day and remind them why it’s so important to show kindness to others. Connect it to the Jewish principles of Tikkun Olam or Tzedakah if you wish. 

Related: Want to focus more on giving than on receiving this Hanukkah season?

You’ll love this Things I Want/Things I Want to Give: 

Materials Needed for some of the Kindness Hanukkah Activities:

You’ll need the Kindness Hanukkah Activity strips. Get them by clicking the Download button.

Day 1: You’ll need some Hanukkah cookie cutters. If you don’t have any, grab some here.

Day 2: You’ll need a great idea for a Hanukkah craft. Here’s one of my family’s favorites: Hanukkah sewing craft

Day 4: You may need some extra dreidels. We give them away and they’re a favorite among our non-Jewish friends!

Day 5: Here’s our favorite traveling menorah. It uses birthday candles!

Day 6: If you need fresh ideas, here are a few of our favorite Hanukkah books:

Hanukkah A Counting Book in English, Hebrew, and Yiddish

Where is Baby’s Dreidel

Hanukkah Lights

Hanukkah is Coming! 

Sammy Spider’s First Hanukah

Hag Sameach and let’s repair the world together, one act of kindness at a time.

Get the Hanukkah Kindness Printable here! 

---

Want more Hanukkah ideas?