By: Esther Pransky, Lubicom Marketing Staff

Are you ready for your Chanukah party?

Sizzling latkes? Check!

Blue and silver decorations? Check!

A treasury of chocolate gelt? Check!

Games? Uh-oh!

How ARE you going to keep everyone from Great-uncle Abe to little Sarah occupied and happy at the same time?

We’re here to help! With a collection of Chanukah games for all ages, you’re guaranteed to have your guests laughing together.

GAME 1: CHANUKAH DOUGHNUT GAME

This game is a cross between pick-up sticks and Tumbling Tower.

Players: 2- 6 players per doughnut, ages 6 – 10 (but adults may try to sneak in)

What you’ll need: 15 – 20 pencils, a cardboard “doughnut”

What to expect: Your players can sit at the table or on the floor. They won’t move around much but expect loud cheers, groans, and giggles.

How to play:

Cut a “doughnut” from thick cardboard, with a middle hole that could hold 15-20 pencils. Your kids can decorate it to look more “doughnut-like.”

To play, gather all the pencils and put them through the hole so that they’re all standing. Each player pulls out one pencil at a time. The goal is to NOT collapse the doughnut structure.

When the doughnut touches the ground or table, the game is over. Whoever has the most pencils at the end of the game is the WINNER.

GAME 2: FLIP THE LATKE GAME

Remember those wooden paddles attached to a little rubber ball? This is the DIY Chanukah version.

Players: One at a time (but you can make multiple games), ages 3-6

What you’ll need: Cardboard, brown paper, foil, string or ribbon

What to expect: Kids can move around while playing, but it should stay pretty tame. There’s no winner here; every kid has fun with the challenge.

How to play:

Cut a 9” circle from the cardboard and a 3” circle from the brown paper. Cover the large circle with foil. Attach the little circle with ribbon or string. The large circle is now the frying pan, and the little one is the latke.

Hold the pan and try to flip the latke so that it lands in the pan.

GAME 3: CHANUKAH WRITE-PASS-DRAW

This game is all over the internet! It will quickly bring out everyone’s quirky side.

Players: 4-7 players, ages 4 –120. If you have more players, either divide into teams or have concurrent games.

What you’ll need: Pen and paper

What to expect: It’s a sitting down game that can quickly get wild with laughter!

How to play:

1.      The first player writes a Chanukah sentence at the top of a paper and passes the paper to the left.

2.      The next person illustrates that sentence, folds over the paper so you can only see the picture, and passes it to the left.

3.      The next person writes a sentence about that picture, folds over the paper so you can only see the sentence, and passes to the left.

4.      Draw, fold, pass ->write, fold, pass -> draw, fold, pass -> write, fold, pass -> draw, fold, pass -> until you get to the end of the paper.

5.      Unfold and read the results!

GAME 4: FORBIDDEN WORD

The more common the FORBIDDEN WORD is, the funnier the game will be.

Players: 2 or more. There’s no limit on numbers, and it works for all ages.

What you’ll need: Lots of safety pins or rubber bands

What to expect: This isn’t a one-time activity game. It’s an ice breaker that lasts for the entire party.

How to play:

Before the party, choose a FORBIDDEN WORD. You’ll have the most fun if it’s a common Chanukah word like “Chanukah,” “menorah,” “latke,” etc.

At the beginning of the event, give each person five safety pins/rubber bands to wear.  Tell them the FORBIDDEN WORD. If you catch someone saying the FORBIDDEN WORD, that person must give you one safety pin/rubber band.

The person with the most safety pins/rubber bands at the end of the night wins a fabulous prize.

GAME 5: CHANUKAH CHOCOLATE GELT CHALLENGE

The best part about this game is that even when you lose, you get the chocolate.

Players: 2 to unlimited, good for all ages

What you’ll need: Chocolate Chanukah gelt

What to expect: Lots of laughter and a big mess from squishy chocolate

How to play:

Unwrap a chocolate Chanukah gelt. The player tips his head back and places the gelt on his forehead. He must get the gelt into his mouth WITHOUT using his hands. If the gelt falls on the floor, he starts over from his forehead. You can play in pairs, with the first one who gets the gelt into his mouth the winner! (WARNING: Watch out for cheaters!)

GAME 6: DREIDEL WITH A SPIN

Dreidel is THE classic Chanukah game, but let’s be honest, it can get boring and slow.

Players: Depends on the game you choose

What you’ll need: Dreidels and whatever other game you’re using

What to expect: Suspicion, before your guests realize that you’ve revamped, rebranded, and revitalized the dreidel game.

How to play:

Use the dreidel as a spinner for any other fun game. Here are some examples to get you started:

• Spinning contest – Whose dreidel can spin the longest? You can do this tournament style to come up with a grand prize winner.

• Dreidel Scattergories – Have each letter of the dreidel stand for a category (ex. Chanukah songs, Chanukah foods, etc.). When the player spins, he must shout out a word in that category. It gets harder as you go because you can’t repeat what was previously said.

GAME 7: CHANUKAH SHOOT OUT

Just mention the word “shoot,” and the boys will come running.

Players: 2- 10, ages 4 – 10

What you’ll need: Menorah, candles, matches/lighter, water gun, water

What to expect: Ok, this one can get messy and wild. It’s best played outside if weather permits and DEFINITELY needs adult supervision.

How to play:

Light a menorah with eight candles. Each player has to “shoot-out” the candles with a water gun. Make it more challenging by blindfolding the players.

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With all these great ideas, you don’t have to choose just one. You can have a table set up with a few game options for the kids while the adults play another.

And the best part about these games? You’ll have the last laugh since they’re all incredibly inexpensive and easy to make.

So, keep on frying your latkes. You’ve got the games covered.

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There’s always room for one more great Chanukah dish! Find your next fav in our Chanukah collection.