A cut pomegranate with fingerprint seedsPomegranates are a new year food in many homes. One fingertip dab of red paint for each seed.
A honey dish pinched from air-dry clayA small pinch pot with a wide rim, for dipping apple slices. Paint it yellow once it is dry.
A honeycomb card printed with bubble wrapBrush yellow paint on bubble wrap and press it to the card. Draw the greeting over it when dry.
A label for a gift jar of honeyHoney is the taste of the new year table. Cut an oval label, letter the greeting and tie it on.
A paper shofar rolled from a cone of cardRoll a long cone, tape it, and bend the narrow end up. Paint it horn brown with pale streaks.
A paper-plate apple tree with a wish on every applePaint the plate green, glue it to a card trunk and write one hope for the year on each red circle.
A place card for the new year table with one small appleFold a strip of card so it stands. The name goes on the front and the apple in one corner.
A round challah coiled from salt doughThe new year loaf is round, not long. Roll one rope of dough and wind it into a spiral.
A Shanah Tovah card with a striped bee on the frontShanah Tovah means a good year. Fold the card, letter the greeting, add one bee for the honey.
A shofar drawn as one long curl with ridgesThe shofar is a ram's horn blown at the new year. One curved cone, short lines across it.
Apple prints around a painted honey jarApples are dipped in honey for a sweet new year. Halve an apple, press it in red paint and stamp.
Apple slices fanned round a bowl of honey, seen from aboveA circle in the middle and wedges round it like petals. Leave one white glint on the honey.
Sukkot 12
A craft-stick sukkah with three wallsA sukkah has at least three walls. Glue sticks into three frames, stand them up, roof with leaves.
A harvest basket woven from paper stripsWeave strips over and under for the basket, then fill it with cut-out fruit for the hut.
A leaf-rubbing banner for the sukkah wallSukkot is a harvest festival. Lay leaves under paper and rub with the side of a crayon.
A lulav and etrog in coloured pencilPalm, myrtle and willow are held with a citron. A tall green spear and a yellow oval beside it.
A paper chain to hang inside a sukkahDecorating the hut is a tradition. Loop strips of coloured paper, each one through the last.
A shoebox sukkah with a roof of twigsA sukkah is a hut used for the week of Sukkot. Stand the box on its side and lay twigs across the top.
A sukkah at night with stars showing through the roofThe roof is branches, loose enough to see the stars. Leave gaps and put one dot of light in each.
A sukkah seen from above, the table set insideMeals are eaten in the hut. A rectangle of walls, a table, plates as circles, leaves at the edges.
A welcome sign for the sukkah doorGuests are invited into the sukkah. Letter WELCOME on card and border it with drawn fruit.
A willow branch and a myrtle sprig, side by sideTwo of the four plants held at Sukkot. Draw each sprig from a photo and compare the leaves.
An etrog drawn bumpy, like a large lemonThe etrog is a citron. An oval with a knobbly outline, stippled yellow, a small tip at one end.
Paper fruit strung on thread for the hutFruit is hung inside the sukkah. Cut grapes, figs and pomegranates in pairs and glue thread between.
Hanukkah 12
A clay dreidel with a letter pressed into each sideEach side carries one Hebrew letter. Shape a cube with a point; press the letters with a toothpick.
A craft-stick menorah with loose tissue flamesOne more light is added each night for eight nights. Glue the sticks and keep the flames loose.
A dreidel folded from a paper netA dreidel is a four-sided top. Four squares in a row, a point below, then fold, glue and add a stem.
A felt pouch for Hanukkah coinsCoins are given to children at Hanukkah. Fold a strip of felt, stitch two sides, add a button.
A garland of paper dreidels across a doorwayFold paper like a fan, cut half a dreidel on the fold, and open it out into a joined row.
A handprint menorah, thumbs together in the middlePrint both hands side by side with the thumbs overlapping. Eight fingers, eight nights.
A Hanukkah card with eight flames that fold upCut eight flame flaps along the top edge of the card and fold one up each night.
A menorah collage of torn blue and silver paperTear, do not cut. Nine upright strips, one of them taller for the helper, a yellow scrap on each.
A sponge-painted latke on a paper plateLatkes are potato pancakes fried in oil. Dab brown and gold in a rough circle with ragged edges.
A wax-resist drawing of eight lightsDraw the flames in white crayon, then wash dark blue paint over the page. The wax stays bright.
A window picture of flames in tissue paperCut flame holes in black card and back them with yellow and orange tissue. Tape it to the glass.
Wrapping paper stamped with potato-print dreidelsCut a dreidel shape into half a potato, dip it in blue paint and stamp rows on plain paper.
Purim 12
A basket of treats for a friend, drawn from aboveGifts of food are sent to friends at Purim. A woven circle holding cookies, fruit and a ribbon.
A costume mask cut from a cereal boxCostumes are part of Purim. Cut the shape and two eye holes, paint it, and add elastic at the sides.
A decorated box for Purim food giftsCover a small box with paper, add a card handle and a tag with the friend's name.
A noisemaker drawn in mid-spinDraw the box of the gragger twice, slightly apart, with curved lines round it for the noise.
A paper crown for a Purim costumeEsther is the queen in the Purim story. Cut zigzags along a band of card and fit it to the head.
A Purim card that rattles, sequins sealed in a windowCut a window in the card, back it with clear film and trap sequins inside before you seal it.
A row of costume hats: a crown, a jester cap, a top hatThree hats side by side for dressing up, each one built from a single basic shape.
A scroll made from a paper strip and two pencilsThe Purim story is read from a scroll, the megillah. Tape a long strip between two pencils and roll.
A shaker noisemaker from two paper cupsA gragger is the noisemaker used at Purim. Tape two cups rim to rim with dried beans inside.
Felt hamantaschen folded from a circleCut a felt circle, fold three sides to the middle and stitch the corners. A pom-pom is the filling.
Hamantaschen drawn as triangles with a dark middleHamantaschen are triangular filled cookies for Purim. Three folded corners round a spot of filling.
Stick puppets for a Purim playA Purim play retells the story for laughs. Draw each character on card, cut out, tape to a stick.
Passover 12
A cover for a Haggadah of your ownThe Haggadah is the book that tells the Passover story at the Seder. Fold a booklet; design the front.
A cup for Elijah wrapped in foil and paper gemsAn extra cup is set on the Seder table for Elijah. Wrap a plastic goblet in foil and glue on gems.
A cushion design for a Seder chairPeople lean on cushions at the Seder. Draw a square pillow and fill it with a repeating pattern.
A felt bag for the hidden matzahA piece of matzah is hidden for the children to find. Stitch a flat pouch large enough to hold it.
A matzah cover decorated with fabric pensThree pieces of matzah sit under a cloth at the Seder. Draw a border on a plain napkin.
A place card shaped like a piece of matzahCut a square of tan card, dot it in rows with a brown pen and letter a name across it.
A Seder plate painted on a paper plateThe plate holds the symbolic foods of the Seder meal. Divide the rim and draw one food in each part.
A sprig of parsley beside a bowl of salt waterA green vegetable, often parsley, is dipped in salt water. Feathery leaves and one falling drop.
Four cups in a row, a different pattern on eachFour cups are poured during the Seder. Draw four goblet outlines and fill each with its own pattern.
Matzah drawn as a square of dotted linesMatzah is flat unleavened bread. A square, rows of dots, brown scorch marks along the ridges.
The parted sea in torn blue paperIn the Passover story the sea splits for the crossing. Glue torn waves left and right of a dry path.
The Seder foods as clay miniaturesModel an egg, a bone, a lettuce leaf, a sprig of parsley and a spoonful of brown fruit paste.
Shabbat 12
A braided candle drawn in two twisting coloursThe candle lit as Shabbat ends is braided. Two ropes winding round each other, one flame on top.
A braided challah drawn as a plaitChallah is usually braided. A row of slanted ovals, each overlapping the last, like plaited hair.
A challah cover painted on plain clothThe two loaves sit under a cloth cover. Paint a border and a braided loaf in the middle.
A challah plaited from three ropes of salt doughRoll three ropes, pinch them together at one end and plait. Make two: two loaves go on the table.
A coaster for the cup, painted with grapesPaint a circle of cork or card with a bunch of purple dots and one green leaf.
A cup wrapped in foil and embossed with a pencilThe blessing over wine or grape juice is said with a cup. Wrap one in foil and press in a pattern.
A Shabbat table drawn from aboveTwo candles, two loaves under a cloth, one cup. The table is a rectangle; the rest are plain shapes.
A spice box made from a small lidded boxSweet spices are smelled as Shabbat ends. An adult pierces the lid; fill the box with whole spices.
A strip of seven boxes with the last one goldShabbat is the seventh day, from Friday evening to Saturday night. Decorate only the last box.
Three stars over a row of rooftopsShabbat ends on Saturday night when three stars show. A dark blue wash and three dots of white.
Two candles with tissue-paper flamesDraw two candlesticks in marker and glue a twist of yellow tissue to each for the flame.
Two candlesticks modelled in air-dry clayAt least two candles are lit before sunset on Friday. Roll two short columns and dent the tops.
How it works
Jewish arts and crafts ideas for six holidays, twelve for each: Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, Hanukkah, Purim, Passover and Shabbat. Every idea names its materials or its first step, and many add one fact about the object, read in two public sources.
Read the full guide
Start from the object
Each idea begins with one real thing: a ram's horn, a hut roofed with branches, a four-sided top, a noisemaker, a plate of foods, a braided loaf. Find a photo of the object before you start, and draw or build its main shape first. Decoration comes last.
Jewish art project ideas for a group
Jewish art project ideas that suit a class or a club are built from card, clay or cloth over more than one sitting: a shoebox sukkah with a roof of twigs, a Seder plate painted on a paper plate, a challah cover painted on plain cloth. Customs differ between families, so ask before adding a detail.
Hebrew letters are copied, not guessed. Print the alphabet large and trace the letter you need before you ink it.
Keep salt dough and clay pieces small and thin, so they dry right through.
Questions and answers
What are Jewish arts and craft ideas for kids?
Ones made from paper, paint and things in the kitchen: apple prints around a painted honey jar, a handprint menorah, a shaker noisemaker from two paper cups and a paper chain to hang inside a sukkah.
What are good Jewish art ideas for teachers?
Choose the group for the holiday that is coming, so the class makes one object and hears what it is for. A scroll made from a paper strip and two pencils suits Purim; four cups in a row, each with its own pattern, suit Passover.
What goes on a Seder plate?
Symbolic foods for the Passover meal: a green vegetable such as parsley, bitter herbs, a sweet fruit paste called charoset, a roasted shank bone and an egg. Many plates add a second bitter herb. Families differ, so ask before you draw one.
What is a sukkah?
A hut put up for the week of Sukkot, a harvest festival. It has at least three walls and a roof of branches loose enough to show the stars. Families decorate it, hang fruit inside and eat their meals there.