As we approach the holiday season and near winter breaks, students’ minds are likely occupied with wish lists, decorations, and holiday fun. Using holiday activities in the classroom is a great way to get students excited about learning, and Hanukkah activities are perfect for bringing holiday cheer and fun to your classroom while introducing students to a seasonal holiday with which they may not be familiar!

We’ve come up with a list of Hanukkah activities that will help engage your students in learning math and ELA and simultaneously celebrate the holiday season! We’ve also included a reading passage from Piqosity, original comprehension questions, and three original Hanukkah-themed math questions. Hanukkah begins on Sunday, December 18th, so keep reading to see how to incorporate holiday activities into your classroom.

Hanukkah ELA Activities

1. Hanukkah Parts of Speech Color by Code

The first activity on our list is perfect for students learning about the parts of speech. Students get to color a Hanukkah-themed picture by identifying nouns, verbs, adjectives, and prepositions. This fun activity is a perfect way to celebrate Hanukkah while improving students’ grammar knowledge.

This printable resource includes the picture students color along with directions and illustrated vocabulary sheets organized by parts of speech. Students must identify the part of speech each word on the picture is to figure out what color that space should be. The completed image shows a lighted menorah that is sure to get students in the holiday spirit! This activity is best suited for elementary students; it’s also a great resource for ESL students.

Created and made available for free download by A World of Language Learners.

2. Light the Menorah: Suffix Search!

The second resource on our list of Hanukkah activities will help students learn about suffixes while lighting a menorah! Each menorah picture gives students a suffix that they then have to find nine examples of一one for each candle. This activity is perfect for elementary and middle school students learning about affixes and word meanings.

This resource is printable and comes with nine menorah templates, each with a different common suffix. Students can work in partners or groups to find examples for each suffix, or they can work by themselves for a quieter activity. Another fun idea is to turn this activity into a word scavenger hunt using dictionaries and books. Either way, this activity is sure to brighten up your classroom!

Created and made available for free download by Blair Turner.

3. Hanukkah — A Creative Writing Prompt: The Spun Away Dreidel!

Get your students to practice their creative writing skills with the last item on our list of Hanukkah classroom activities! This writing prompt asks students to put their creativity to use by finishing a story about a game of spinning dreidels when something unexpected happens. When students practice writing fiction, they can improve their vocabulary, grammar, and overall writing skills while simultaneously having fun with storytelling.

This creative writing activity is perfect to use right before winter break when students are already thinking about the holidays more than schoolwork. Additionally, this activity can be adapted to suit just about any grade level. Elementary students might be assigned to write a couple sentences to a paragraph while high school students can be challenged to write a few pages that incorporate different story elements.

Created and made available for free download by HOUSE OF KNOWLEDGE AND KINDNESS.

Thanksgiving Reading Comprehension Questions by Piqosity

Test your students’ reading comprehension skills with original questions from Piqosity! The following passage is written by Judaic Studies professor Alan Avery-Peck, sourced from The Conversation. The passage discusses the history of Hanukkah from its origins to its importance today and is a great way to teach any student about the cultural significance of the holiday. The accompanying reading comprehension questions cover the key ideas of the passage and will ensure that your students walk away with a better understanding of Hanukkah!

Hanukkah Math Activities

1. Color By Number Menorah Math Sampler

First up on our list of math Hanukkah activities is sure to bring holiday cheer to your classroom! In this color by number activity, students must solve twelve arithmetic problems to figure out what color each section of the image should be. Once students have solved each problem, the completed image will show a colorful menorah that’s perfect to either hang around the classroom or for students to take home.

This activity is perfect for elementary students who are learning about basic math operations. The questions include addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. This resource is printable and includes an answer key.

Created and made available for free download by The ESL Nexus.

2. Winter Holidays Math Puzzles

Up next is a set of Hanukkah math worksheets. This activity helps students improve their problem solving skills, practice critical thinking, and use basic operations. The puzzles in this activity use images representing different holidays to create fun algebraic challenges. Students must figure out the number value attached to each image using the equations they’re found in as clues.

This resource includes ten worksheets themed around Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Christmas that are perfect for students learning addition, subtraction, and multiplication. The activity is available to print as a PDF or to assign to your students digitally through Google Slides. Turn your classroom into a winter wonderland with these puzzles that are full of holiday cheer!

Created and made available for free download by Kayla B’s Classroom.

3. Hanukkah Math Algebra Puzzle

The last of the Hanukkah activities on our list is a perfect challenge for middle and high school students. This puzzle includes seven algebraic problems for students to solve. Once students solve the problems, they’ll come to you for the answer key that is included with the activity. The answer key will give them a letter for each correct answer. Then they can decode the holiday puzzle!

This activity is best for older students as the problems include fractions, decimals, and problems with variables on both sides of the equations. You can use this activity to keep students’ focus on learning as we approach the holiday season. Students are guaranteed to love this Hanukkah-themed challenge!

Created and made available for free download by Wedded Mommy Bliss.

Hanukkah Math Questions by Piqosity

The math skills students learn have real-world applications in their everyday lives. Therefore, giving students word problems with a fun holiday twist is the perfect way to help them hone their math mastery. Piqosity has put together three original Hanukkah-themed math questions of varying difficulty. The first question is at the fifth-grade level while the second question incorporates concepts typically found in Pre-Algebra and Geometry courses at the eighth-grade level. The final question is geared towards Algebra II students. These questions can be used as a bellringer or challenge for your students around the holidays or even be taken as inspiration for other Hanukkah math questions to utilize in your classroom.

Find More ELA and Math Resources Like These at Piqosity! 

We hope you and your students enjoy these Hanukkah activities! Holidays are a special time for all students regardless of grade level. Bringing celebration to the classroom is a wonderful way to engage students in learning about different cultures and their holidays while improving their academic skills.

You can find more ELA and Math lessons with questions of varying difficulty levels in our ELA and Math Courses! These are complete courses available online through the Piqosity app and can be purchased à la carte or bundled with our ISEE test prep courses.

Full-Length Math Courses:

Full-Length ELA Courses:

Thank You, and Happy Hanukkah from Piqosity!