Hanukkah Family Games and How to Play Dreidel

Gather a dreidel and ten counters per player. Buttons or paper circles work. Set the counters on a tray so a first-time spinner can find the letter facing up. Hanukkah lasts eight nights, so there is time to learn a practice round and teach somebody new.

Holiday dates for planning

Hanukkah begins at sundown date reference

Play one practice round

Everyone puts one counter in the middle. On your turn, spin. Nun means the pot stays as it is. Gimel takes the whole pot. Hey takes half, rounding up for an odd number. Shin adds one counter. Most dreidels used in Israel have pey in place of shin. Agree to use the same put-one-in action. When the pot empties, everyone antes again.

Keep younger players involved

For a short family game, give everyone five turns and compare totals. Let someone with an empty pile borrow a counter so they can keep playing. Between games, draw the four letters on cards. One person holds up a letter and the next demonstrates its action with the pot before checking the rule.

Explore Hanukkah traditions.

Printable activity sheets

Hanukkah Activity Sheets costs $0.99 and includes five activities and an answer key. Choose a page for each guest or print the whole pack.

Optional supplies

As an Amazon Associate, Happy Holiday Hotspot earns from qualifying purchases. The following Amazon link is a paid link.

Crayola crayons give guests a choice of colors for the hanukkiah page.