Ideas to Make Your Seder Interactive and Enjoyable for Everyone

Prepared by Ellen Tilman

Meyers Library

 

1. Plan Ahead

  • Pre-assign parts of the seder.  Ask one family to do a presentation on the 4 children.  Ask another to help tell the story of the “slaves in Egypt.”  Instruct each family to be creative and innovative and to use the Haggadah as a resource and not a script.
  • Another option is to prepare paper bags with props that can be used to tell the various parts of the Passover story.  Place them at individual seats and encourage each family to tell the story with the items in their bag.  Be sure to number the bags in the order of the story.
  • Have some Passover games, books, and puzzles available for the children. (see attached). Many other ideas are available on the internet.
  • Be sure to have a Haggadah available for each person.
  • Plan your Seder.  Know in advance which pages will be read which will be omitted. Know where you will be inserting special customs or new readings.
  • Add some Passover Parody songs to the traditional Haggadah tunes. Check on-line for words to the parody songs. Also, sing the Passover songs your children learned in Preschool.  Do this even if your children are no longer in Preschool.  My children are in college and beyond and still love to sing the songs they learned when they were three and four years old.
  • In addition to asking for help with the food, assign someone to purchase the “afikoman gifts” for the children.  Be sure that there is an age appropriate gift for each child, even the college students!
  • Splurge and hire someone to do the dishes and clean up! This is a necessary expense to make sure that YOU enjoy the Seder, too!
  • Encourage the entire family to take a nap before the Seder so that everyone can stay up late.  This includes adults as well as children.

 

  1. Be sure no one is hungry.
    • Invite a stranger to your Seder.  Over the years we have entertained Military personnel; college students; and others who had no Seder.
    • At my Seder, I put an edible centerpiece on the table.  It has parsley; carrots with the green leaves; scallions; celery stalks with the leaves; etc. When it is time to dip the greens into the salt water, everyone removes either parsley or celery from the centerpiece.  Following this, everyone is free to eat the centerpiece!  For the second Seder, I give each guest a whole artichoke with a dipping sauce.
    • There is a Sephardic custom of taking a scallion (green onion) and banging it on your neighbor during the singing of dayenu.
    • Plan a varied menu so that there are lots of options for picky eaters.
    • If necessary, feed children before the Seder, so that they are not cranky.

 

  1. Make everyone comfortable (remember we are now a free people and no longer slaves!)
    • Give each guest a pillow to recline on at their seat.  Have your children decorate pillowcases with Passover symbols and put them on bed pillows.  The first grade has made this a class project for the past two years.
    • Some families conduct the first part of the Seder in the den or living room with all the guests sitting on pillows.  They move to the Dining Room table when it is time for dinner.

 

  1. Add some “shtick” to your Seder.  It will entertain and add to the experience.
    • For many years, when we opened the door for Elijah, we would find Elijah waiting to enter our house.  He was dressed in a long robe, an Arab Kefiyah, sandals, gloves on his hands, and his face covered with a ski mask. He would wave hello and walk to the table.  He would find his cup, taste the wine, give a thumbs up, and wave goodbye. For some reason, none of the children ever realized that my son was not at the table and the back door was slightly open!
    • I decorate the table with bean bag frogs, bugs, and wild animals.
    • Before the Seder, have the children make origami frogs (see the attached directions) from green 3 by 5 cards.  Use them for place cards.
    • This year I prepared “Egyptian Slave hats” for each guest.  I want to remind everyone that WE were slaves in Egypt!
    • Play Passover music as everyone gathers for the evening to help set the scene. Do lots of singing: both serious and silly!  Need help? Use a CD.
    • You can buy “plague bags” or masks in the supermarket or make your own. I order frog erasers; bugs; and wild animals from Oriental Trading Company.  Use ping pong balls for hail; sun glasses for darkness; etc.

 

  1. Tradition, Tradition, Tradition…
    • The Seder is the time to remember family traditions from the past.  I use my husband’s family’s “good dishes” for my Passover Seder place settings.  I use the afikomen bag my daughter made in preschool.
    • My father asked the Four Questions in Yiddish when he was a little boy.  He, though the oldest at our Seder, continued this custom to the delight of his Grandchildren.  Now that he is gone, we try to remember the Yiddish.
    • The Seder is also the time to create new family traditions.  We always end our Seder singing Ehad Mi Yodea, Who Know One.  Everyone sings a different verse.  Some are in Hebrew and some in English.  We follow the Order of the Seder by singing the Seder (order) with hand motions.
    • Some families place a Cup of Miriam on the Table and fill it with clear water.  Others include an orange on the Seder plate.
    • As a child, my family included a Matzo of Hope at our Seder to remember the Jews of the Soviet Union. This is the time to remember the oppressed people throughout the world.
    • Friends ask everyone what makes them feel free. You can also ask about memorable events and customs from previous Seders.