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How do you play dreidel with kids?
How to play dreidel with kids: what nun, gimel, hei and shin mean, a toddler version with no losing, and how to keep the game short and fair all eight nights.
The short answer
Each player puts one piece of gelt or candy in the pot. Take turns spinning the dreidel. Nun means nothing happens, gimel means you take the whole pot, hei means you take half, and shin means you add one. Everyone adds one when the pot is empty. For toddlers, skip the losing: every spin wins a small prize.
To play dreidel with kids, give everyone the same number of tokens (chocolate coins, raisins, pennies), have each player put one in the middle, and take turns spinning. The letter that lands face up says what to do: nun, nothing; gimel, take everything in the pot; hei, take half; shin, put one in. My Jewish Learning lays out the same four moves and the "everyone adds one when the pot is empty" rule (How to Play Dreidel, accessed November 12, 2026).
It's a luck game, which makes it great for mixed ages. A three-year-old has the same chance as a grandparent.
What you need
- One dreidel per table, or one per child if you have spares (they get lost under couches).
- Tokens: 10 to 15 per player. Foil-wrapped chocolate gelt is traditional. Raisins, cereal pieces, buttons or pennies also work.
- A flat, hard surface. A tray or baking sheet keeps the top from flying off the table.
For children under 4, skip coins, buttons and hard candy. The American Academy of Pediatrics lists coins and hard candy among common choking hazards for young kids (Choking Prevention, accessed November 12, 2026). Use larger tokens, like paper squares or big wooden blocks, or let the little ones collect stickers.
The four letters
Most dreidels sold outside Israel carry four Hebrew letters:
| Letter | Sounds like | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| נ Nun | "noon" | Nothing. Pass the dreidel. |
| ג Gimel | "GIM-mel" | Take the whole pot. |
| ה Hei | "hey" | Take half the pot (round up if it's odd). |
| ש Shin | "sheen" | Put one token in. |
A trick kids remember: nun is "none," gimel is "get it all," hei is "half," shin is "share one."
The letters stand for the Hebrew phrase "nes gadol haya sham," "a great miracle happened there." In Israel, the last letter is pei for "po," so the phrase means "a great miracle happened here."
Step by step
- Everyone starts with the same pile.
- Each player puts one token in the pot.
- The youngest player spins first; play goes clockwise.
- Spin by twisting the stem between thumb and finger. Kids can also spin it upside down on the handle, which is harder and funnier.
- Follow the letter.
- When the pot is empty, or has just one token left, everyone puts one in again.
- If you run out of tokens, you're out, or you can "borrow" from the bank so no one sits and watches.
How to keep it fun for young kids
Real dreidel can end with a crying four-year-old who just lost the last chocolate. You can change that.
The toddler version. Every letter wins. Nun gets one sticker, gimel gets two, hei a high five, shin a silly dance. Nobody loses, and they learn the letter shapes.
The timer version. Set a timer for 10 minutes. When it rings, everyone eats or keeps what they have. Short games keep it light.
The team version. Pair each small child with an older cousin, friend or grandparent. The older player helps spin and count.
Spinning practice. Little fingers struggle with the twist. Let them spin with both hands, or flick it like a top on the floor. Celebrate any spin that lands.
Turning it into learning
Dreidel sneaks in early math. A preschooler counts tokens into the pot. A kindergartner works out half. Ask, "If there are six in the pot and you got hei, how many do you take?" School-age kids can keep score on paper or graph how often each letter comes up over 20 spins, which is a nice lesson on whether the dreidel is fair.
It also builds turn-taking. Waiting while three people spin is hard at 3. Keep the circle small, praise the waiting, and let them hold the dreidel between turns.
A few twists older kids like
- Spin-off. Everyone spins at once; the longest spin wins a token.
- Dreidel tournament. Bracket of one-on-one spin-offs over eight nights.
- Make your own. Fold a paper dreidel from a printable cube and draw the letters.
- Upside-down only. Every spin on the handle. Expect lots of laughing.
Where dreidel fits in the evening
Most families play after lighting the candles, since the custom is to enjoy the lights rather than work by them. Dinner, candles, a song, then dreidel at the table while the candles burn. It's a routine kids look forward to, and one they remember as grown-ups.
If you're making a keepsake of your family's eight nights, a personalized Hanukkah book can include the dreidel game your child loves. See the Hanukkah sample.
Making your own dreidel
If you don't have one, kids can make a dreidel in a few minutes. Cut a square of cardstock, draw a line from corner to corner both ways, and write one letter in each triangle (or draw a simple picture for each). Push a short pencil through the center so the point sticks out the bottom. It spins best when the pencil is centered and the square is stiff. Older preschoolers can decorate the sides first. Clay or salt-dough dreidels are pretty for display but usually don't spin well, so keep a store-bought or cardstock one for the game itself.
Playing with a big group
At a family party with many kids, split into small groups of three or four so nobody waits too long for a turn. Give each group its own dreidel and pot. Set a timer for ten minutes and let each group play its own game, then everyone trades their pieces for a small treat at the end.
Related reading
FAQ
How many players do you need?
Two or more. Four to six is the sweet spot.
What if the dreidel falls off the table?
Re-spin. Play on a tray to avoid arguments.
Is it okay to play with real money?
Pennies are traditional in some families. Keep them away from children under 4.
