Thirty-three Hanukkah words, from menorah, dreidel and latkes to the Maccabees and the miracle of the oil, on printable cards that are all different.
33 items · a 5 × 5 card with a free space needs 24 or more. More items make the cards differ.For review bingo, type answer | clue (“56 | 7 × 8”): the card shows the answer, the caller reads the clue. Two columns pasted from a spreadsheet work too. Start a line with an emoji (“🐶 dog”) for a picture square.
Showing 4 of 31 pages. (Print always prints every page.)
To save a PDF, choose Print, then “Save as PDF” as the printer. Only the sheets print.
30 different cards. No two are the same. The card number and set number on every card let the caller check a winner (press C while calling).
About this set
Hanukkah (also spelled Chanukah) is an eight-night Jewish festival that begins on the 25th of Kislev and remembers the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabees won it back. This list covers the story (the Maccabees, Judah Maccabee, the Temple, the oil that lasted eight days), the objects (the menorah, the shamash or helper candle, the dreidel and its four letters, gelt), and the foods (latkes and sufganiyot). The words are plain enough for a class that is learning about the holiday for the first time and rich enough for students who celebrate it, so the game works as a shared introduction or a family-night activity.
Grades: Kindergarten to 5th grade. Best in: December.
The words on the cards
Hanukkah · Menorah · Dreidel · Latkes · Candles · Shamash · Gelt · Maccabees · Judah Maccabee · The Temple · Jerusalem · Miracle · Oil · Eight nights · Festival of Lights · Sufganiyot · Hebrew · Blessing · Star of David · Applesauce · Sour cream · Potatoes · Spinning top · Chocolate coins · Family · Light · Kislev · Freedom · Courage · Songs · Nun · Gimel · Shin
How to play, and five ideas
Before the game, read a short picture book about Hanukkah and ask students to listen for words on the card.
Student experts: invite students who celebrate Hanukkah to explain a word as it is called. Never require it, and let anyone pass.
Dreidel link: when “dreidel” is called, play one round of the game with a real dreidel and chocolate coins or paper tokens.
Retell the story: when students win, have them use the words on their winning line to tell part of the Hanukkah story to a partner.
Compare holidays: play this set and the Christmas or Kwanzaa set on different days, then chart what the festivals have in common (light, family, food).
Both Hanukkah and Chanukah are correct English spellings of the Hebrew word. The cards use Hanukkah; you can change any word in the box before you print.
What do the four dreidel letters mean?
Nun, gimel, hey and shin are the first letters of the Hebrew words for “a great miracle happened there.” In Israel the last letter is usually peh, for “here.”
Can I change the words?
Yes. The 33 words are in the box above the cards. Delete, add or edit any line and the cards are rebuilt at once. Nothing is saved on our servers.
How do I call the game?
Press “Call the game”. Each press of the space bar tumbles the ball cage and pops out the next item in very large type, with the list of items already called beside it. Press C and type a card number to check a winner, P to change the win pattern, V to have each call read aloud, and F to fill the projector.
How do I save the cards as a PDF?
Press Print and choose “Save as PDF” as the printer. Each page can also be saved as a PNG picture from under its preview.
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