Playing with the dreidel is a traditional Hanukkah game played in Jewish homes all over the world. The dreidel, a four-sided top, has a Hebrew letter on each of its sides. Nun, Gimmel, Hey and Shin.
I came up with this idea a couple years ago, as I wanted my preschoolers to take home a fun Hanukkah gift other than the typical Chanukiah we usually make. I got my inspiration from an old blog post where I had made personalized coasters. I had my preschoolers paint their dreidels first, however for this blog post, I skipped painting all together.
This post is part of a Hanukkah blog hop…so please be sure to read the post to the end for more Hanukkah ideas.
Materials:
–Wooden Dreidels
-Mod Podge Gloss Lustre
-Mod Podge Acrylic Shine
-Paint Brush (sponge brush will work best)
-Scissors
-Photos
-Paint (optional)
Instructions:
Before you do anything…try downloading a free alefbet font. The reason you should do this first is because you may need to restart your computer in order for Picmonkey to find the font. (at least that’s what I had to do) This font will be used to create the dreidel.
Now you can go into Picmonkey.com and choose the collage button. Please note that I have no affiliation with Picmonkey and this is not a sponsored post…it’s just what I used for this project.
Then go to the left hand side and click on the icon with 3 boxes (note where my mouse is pointing in the photo). 
Place your mouse on top of the Square Deal and choose the far right collage template. This template has 25 squares that are the perfect size for the dreidels once they are printed. 
Next click the icon with the mountains and sun (on top left) which will allow you to add images from your computer. Choose the photo you would like to print out for the dreidel. Once uploaded…drag the photo onto the collage.
Then you will select the send to Editor button at the top of the screen.
Once the photo is in the Editor section, choose the Tt icon to go to the Text area. There you will see the words Ours and Yours. Choose Yours so that you can access your alefbet font that you downloaded. Then add the letter Gimel to your photo. I decided to type it out in English as well, since my children can’t read Hebrew.
Once you are finished…you are ready to hit the export button at the top and save the file onto your desktop.
The best way to make the other three sides of the dreidel is to Google photos of the letters and repeat the above steps. Once you add the photos…send it to the editor again so you can add the English wording above each Hebrew letter.
Finally…save and upload these files to get them printed. I got them printed as a 5X5 photo.
Once you get the photos, cut them out. If you are wondering how I was able to cut out the letters…I cut out my children’s pictures first, and then I put it over the letter and used it as a marker for cutting. 
Next I used Mod Podge to adhere the photos onto the dreidel.
Add a coat under the photos and attach them to the dreidel. Then add another coat on top of the photos. Don’t worry the Mod Podge will dry clear. Make sure you Mod Podge 3 sides first, and once those sides our dry, then do the 4th side.
Once the Mod Podge dries, take the dreidels outside and spray it with Mod Podge Clear Acrylic Sealer. Again spray all 3 visible sides first, wait till they dry, then finish the 4th side last.
Wait for it to completely dry before touching…you don’t want any of your fingerprint imprints to go onto the dreidels.
Here’s what it looks like up-close and finished!
It’s a pretty cool gift, and a much more fun way to play the traditional game during Hanukkah.
Now you can play the game!
Rules:
- Each player starts with an even number of pieces (10-15 pieces of candy, pennies or whatever you choose)
- At the beginning of each round every player puts a piece in the center (“the pot”)
- Every time it’s your turn you spin the dreidel once, depending on the outcome you give to or get pieces from the pot. If you get “Nun” (for “Nischt” meaning Nothing) then you do nothing. If you get “Gimmel” (for “Gantz” meaning “Everything”) then you get the entire pot. If you get “Hey” (for “Halb” meaning “Half”) then you get half the pot. If you get “Shin”(for “shtetl”) it means add a piece to the pot.
- If you have no game pieces left, then you’re out. You can ask another player for a “loan” if you wish.
- When one person has the entire pot, the game is over!
Welcome to our fourth annual Hanukkah for Kids blog hop! Be sure to visit all the participating blogs for create ways to share this special time of year with kids. Plus you can find all these and more on our Hanukkah Pinterest board! (And don’t miss last year’s blog hop, 2016, and 2015!)
Participating Blogs
All Done Monkey on Multicultural Kid Blogs: The Ultimate List of Hanukkah Crafts for Kids
Moms & Crafters: Hanukkah Window Clings – Faux Stained Glass
Melibelle in Tokyo: Channukah and a Case for Light
Coffee and Carpool: 8 Days of Hanukkah Kindness Activities
Mommy Evolution: Hanukkah Books for Preschoolers
Juggling with Kids: Personalized Dreidel Gifts