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What are easy Hanukkah crafts for preschoolers?
Easy Hanukkah crafts for preschoolers: a paper-plate menorah, handprint menorah, salt-dough dreidels, a craft-stick Magen David, and more, with supplies.
The short answer
The best Hanukkah crafts for 3- to 5-year-olds use paper, glue, paint and play dough rather than real candles: a paper-plate menorah with paper flames added each night, a handprint menorah, salt-dough dreidels, a craft-stick Star of David, a decorated gelt bag, and a paper chain counting down the eight nights.
Easy Hanukkah crafts for preschoolers use paper, paint, glue and play dough instead of real flames: a paper-plate menorah that gets one paper flame each night, a handprint menorah, salt-dough dreidels, a Star of David from craft sticks, and a paper chain that counts down eight nights. Each one ties to a part of the holiday kids can see, from the menorah to the spinning top, described in My Jewish Learning's overview (Hanukkah 101, accessed November 12, 2026).
Three- to five-year-olds have short attention spans. Pick crafts that take 15 minutes or less, and that let them do the gluing and painting themselves.
1. Paper-plate menorah that grows each night
You need: a paper plate cut in half, 9 craft sticks or paper strips, yellow and orange tissue paper, glue.
Glue the plate half flat side up on a sheet of paper as the base. Glue eight "candles" in a row along the top, with a taller ninth one in the middle for the shamash. Each evening, your child glues one tissue-paper flame on a candle. By the last night, all nine glow. It's a calendar, a counting game, and a decoration in one.
2. Handprint menorah
You need: blue paint, a large sheet of white paper, yellow marker or paint.
Paint both of your child's hands and press them side by side, thumbs overlapping in the middle. The eight fingers become candles and the overlapped thumbs make the taller middle one. Add a yellow fingerprint flame on each. Write the year at the bottom. It's a keepsake grandparents ask for.
3. Salt-dough dreidels
You need: 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup salt, 1/2 cup water, a toothpick, paint.
Mix into a dough. Kids roll a ball, then pinch four flat sides and a point at the bottom. Press a short stick of dough on top for the handle. An adult can scratch the letters nun, gimel, hei and shin into the sides with a toothpick. Bake at 250°F for about 2 hours, until hard, then paint. They won't spin well, but they look great on a shelf.
4. Craft-stick Star of David
You need: 6 craft sticks, glue, blue paint or markers, glitter glue.
Glue three sticks into a triangle, then three more into a second triangle. Once dry, glue one upside down on top of the other. Paint blue and white. Tie on a ribbon to hang in a window.
5. Gelt bags
You need: small paper bags, stickers, crayons.
Kids decorate a bag for their chocolate coins or dreidel tokens. Write their name on it. It gives them a job each night: collecting and counting their own pile. Keep foil-wrapped coins for kids 4 and up; the American Academy of Pediatrics lists hard candy and coins as choking risks for young children (Choking Prevention, accessed November 12, 2026).
6. Paper chain countdown
You need: blue, white and yellow paper strips, tape or glue stick.
Make a chain of eight links, one for each night. Tear one off after the candles are lit. For kids who can't wait, add links for the days before the holiday starts.
7. Coffee-filter "stained glass" window
You need: coffee filters, washable markers, a spray bottle of water.
Color the filter with blue and yellow markers, then spritz lightly so colors bleed together. Once dry, cut into a dreidel or star shape and tape to a window. It glows when light shines through, a nice tie to the festival of lights.
8. Play-dough menorah
You need: play dough, birthday-cake candles (unlit), or short straws.
Roll a long dough log for the base, then poke in nine candles. Kids can practice "lighting" by adding a little yellow dough flame each night. Great for children who want to touch the menorah but must stay away from the real one.
9. A "night by night" picture book
You need: eight sheets of paper stapled into a book.
After each night, your child draws what happened: the candles, the latkes, the cousin who visited. Write their words under each picture. On the last night, you have their own Hanukkah story.
Tips for crafting with this age
- Prep before you invite them. Cut shapes and pour paint first. Their patience starts when you call them over.
- Let it look like a preschooler made it. Crooked candles are fine.
- One craft per day. Spread them across the eight nights so you're never doing a marathon.
- Use washable everything. Blue paint is famous for staining.
- Display it. Tape the crafts near the real menorah so kids feel part of it.
Keep the real flames for grown-ups
Crafts let little ones "light" candles without matches. Keep the actual menorah on a high, stable surface, away from paper decorations, and have an adult light it and stay with it.
If your child loves the night-by-night drawing book, a personalized Hanukkah story can turn your family's eight nights into a printed book with your child in it. See the Hanukkah sample.
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FAQ
What's the easiest Hanukkah craft for a 3-year-old?
The handprint menorah or the paper chain. Both take under 10 minutes and need little cutting.
Can we use real candles in crafts?
No. Use paper, dough or unlit candles; adults light the real menorah.
How do I store salt-dough crafts?
Keep them dry in a box with tissue paper. They last for years.
