Passover is an eight-day festival to commemorate the freedom of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. Passover 2017 begins sundown on April 10th. Take time to talk about this holiday with your child since there are a lot of new terms used during this holiday that your child may not be familiar with (i.e. seder, matzah, chametz, and charoset). I have created a free Passover matching game that incorporates important terms used during the festival. Please download it here: Passover Matching Game.
How to play
The game consists of 24 picture cards (12 pairs). Please print out the cards on cardstock paper or laminate the cards so they are more durable. Depending on your child’s age, you can use some of the cards or all of the cards. Place them face down on a table in rows and take turns flipping over two cards at a time. If you or your child turn over two cards that are the same, you get a match and get to go again. Whoever has the most matches at the end of the game is the winner.
How to incorporate language skills into the game
Vocabulary
Review the cards with your child prior to playing. Talk to them about the cards and explain how they are relevant to the Passover holiday. After reviewing, see how many cards your child is able to label.
Expanding utterances
While you are playing the game, have your child tell you what cards he flipped over. For example, “I found matzah and a haggadah”. If your child has difficulty producing sentences, help model one for him.
Turn-taking
Take turns with your child while playing the game. Have your child request for his turn by saying “It’s my turn”. You can also have your child remind you when it’s your turn “It’s your turn”.
Have fun and Chag Sameach!
Buzz Speech 