by Tasha Raymond

Created on: November 19, 2009   Last Updated: November 21, 2009

Dreidel cards as essentially the Christmas cards of Hanukkah. Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Light, is one of the main holidays of Judaism and is a time when family is reminded to let others know that they are thinking of them. Cards are a wonderful surprise to receive in the mail when you can't be with your family for such a wonderful holiday. There are many ways to make Hanukkah cards, and all of them can get the children involved.

Crafty Cards

Materials Needed
- Paper
- Scissors
- Crayons, markers, pencils, paint, etc.
- Glue
- String, sequins, glitter, fabric scraps, etc.

This form of card creating is a really simple one. All you have to do is make sure the paper gets folded to a size that can fit in an envelope and let the kiddos go at it! Letting them wander in their imagination and create the dreidel cards in any manner they please is something that is not only fun for them, but an interesting learning experience to see what your child can do artistically.


Potato Stamp Cards

Materials Needed
- Potatoes
- Paring knife or exact-o knife
- Paint
- Paper
- Crayons, markers, pencils, paint, etc.

1. Cut the potato(es) in half. Using a marker, draw the outline of the dreidel that you want to stamp onto your cards. Use the exact-o knife or paring knife to cut away about a 1/4 inch of the potato around the shape, popping it out above the rest of the potato. (Parents: make sure you do the cutting for younger kids! The older ones may be able to do this with supervision.)

2. On a scrap piece of paper, pour out a small pool of paint. Lightly press the potato stamp into the paint and then onto your card. What is left so be a wonderful stamped dreidel.

3. Allow your card to dry for about half an hour to make sure that you don't smudge the paint. Finish decorating the card with your other supplies.


Dreidel Cards on the Computer

Materials Needed
- Computer paper or computer card-stock
- A tech. Savvy person at the controls

For those more computer literate kids that like to flex their skills in technology, creating dreidel cards on the computer can be a fun way to have a beautiful masterpiece to help celebrate the holiday. Because of the complexity and variety of programs, there is hardly a computer out there without the capabilities to print dreidel cards. The directions, aside form the process of finding pictures, designing the card, and making sure there's ink in the cartridge, are easy:

1. Create your design for your dreidel card.

2. Print and sign your dreidel card.

3. Mail it to your family and friends.

The added benefit to this is that you can also send your designed card as an e-card if you're running late getting them into the mail in time for the holiday.

Learn more about this author, Tasha Raymond.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.