One way to make Passover family-friendly is to get everyone involved. PJ Library, best known for sending free storybooks to Jewish families with young children, has lots of resources designed to get kids of all ages excited about Passover.
“Passover is the perfect holiday for engaging with kids because there’s an exciting story, an immersive sensory gathering and endless topics and tools for accessing the holiday through whatever might be most meaningful to a family or a kid,” Jessica McCormick, director of family experience at PJ Library, told The Journal. “It’s also a holiday that encourages asking questions – something kids are really good at – and we always want to encourage curiosity and a love for learning, especially around Jewish topics.”
PJ Library helps families connect to Jewish values and culture by making Jewish traditions and values fun and accessible. Their newly updated Passover hub includes a guide to the holiday, along with books, articles, activities, music, podcasts and more. They also have a ton of easy recipes, such as Passover-friendly egg noodles and charoset breakfast balls; these are not just for the seder but meals throughout the holiday. Their recipe for banana bread granola is below.
“PJ Library families span the diversity of Jewish life,” McCormick said. “Our hope is that families can use our resources to build holiday traditions that work for them, whether they’ve hosted a seder every year, or they’re starting for the first time this April.”
When asked when is the best time to get kids involved in Passover prep, McCormick said, depending on how you celebrate, you can start around a week or week and a half before or even the day of the first seder. Whenever you get started, there’s plenty to do.
“Making a shopping list, carefully packing up dishes, picking out a new Passover tablecloth, reading PJ Library Passover stories or simply putting up decorations are all great options,” she said.
One particularly fun way to get kids involved is through the search for chametz aka leavened bread.
“The night before the seder, after the whole house has been cleaned and the bread products removed or sold, there’s a fun tradition of hiding small breadcrumbs around the house, then using a feather, wooden spoon and a candle to find them and sweep them into a container,” McCormick said. “It’s like an in-the-dark scavenger hunt.”
Kids can also help with the seder plate, whether it’s making the charoset or the placement of the prep and placement or saltwater parsley and egg. For charoset, which is a mixture of chopped nuts, apples and spices, older kids can do the chopping while younger ones are in charge of mixing.
“During the seder, some kids may learn Passover songs at school or Hebrew school to share, others may be interested in acting out their PJ Library books,” McCormick said. “They can bring all that to the seder to entertain you and access their creativity during what can otherwise be a long ritual meal.”
She added, “Of course, they can even help “lead” with assistance from the PJ Library Haggadah.”
For more Passover kid-friendly food, recipes and activities – including chametz scavenger hunt instructions – visit PJ Library’s Passover Hub at pjlibrary.org/passover.
Banana Bread Granola
Recipe by Lori Hoch Stiefel with inspiration from The Minimalist Baker’s “Simple Grain Free Granola”
3 cups matzah farfel, or broken up pieces of matzah
1 cup walnuts (or any nuts that you like)
1/2 cup pecans (or any nuts that you like)
3 Tbsp sugar (any type, white works well)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 Tbsp cinnamon (you can add in other warming spices like ginger and nutmeg)
1 Tbsp flax seed
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp agave syrup (maple or honey work well too)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 medium ripe banana, mashed (~1/2 cup)
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Prepare the dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine the matzah, cinnamon, sugar, salt, flaxseed, and nuts. Stir well to evenly distribute the ingredients.
Make the Wet Mixture: In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the coconut oil, maple syrup (or agave/honey), and vanilla extract. Stir occasionally until fully melted and combined.
Incorporate the Banana Puree: Remove the saucepan from heat and whisk in the banana puree until smooth and well blended.
Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Pour the warm liquid mixture over the dry ingredients in the bowl. Stir thoroughly to ensure everything is evenly coated.
Spread and Bake: Evenly spread the mixture onto one or two baking sheets, making sure it’s not overcrowded to allow for even crisping.
Bake to Perfection: Place in the oven and bake for 23-28 minutes, or until golden brown. Keep an eye on it, as the coconut oil helps it crisp up but can cause it to brown quickly.
