Dreidel Paint Spinning Activity for Hanukkah

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This dreidel painting activity from reader Nechama Elbaz is a classic for every kid during Hanukkah!

Dreidel spinning with paint is so much fun, I still remember making it way back in elementary school.

(No, I won’t tell you how long ago that was!)

Dreidels are special spinning tops, traditionally played on Hanukkah.

And here’s a little fun history to share with your kids while doing this activity:

Over 2,000 years ago, the Jews were under the rule of Antiochus IV, a Syrian-Greek tyrant. He attempted to merge all religions in an attempt to unify his empire, and therefore prohibited many core Jewish practices, including Jewish education. Any gathering was subject to inspection, so groups of Torah scholars would hide their scrolls and break out the dreidels — pretending to instead be a bunch of gamblers — when the soldiers burst in.

Today, dreidels are inscribed with four Hebrew letters on each side: nun, gimmel, hei, and shin, which together stands for “great miracle happened there”.

The sentence alludes to the miracles that freed the Jews from the oppressive Syrian-Greek rule and brought us the celebration of Hannukah.

How to do dreidel paint spinning for Hanukkah:

Get started with some simple supplies:

• Dreidels
• Paint
• Posterboard
• Scissors, optional
• Hole puncher, optional
• String, optional

Dip the dreidels in the paint, and spin on the posterboard.

Cut out a dreidel shape, punch a hole in the top, and hang.

Add in some recognition and memory skills:

Before you start playing, choose a color to pair with each letter.

Dip the dreidel in any paint color and spin. When the dreidel lands, have you child identify the letter.

Then dip the dreidel in the paint color that matches that letter!