Hanukkah | Feast of Dedication | Foreshadowing Jesus Bible Lesson Curriculum
Save time and shop with confidence! Watch the lesson preview video here.
❇️ This comprehensive study on the Feast Dedication (commonly known as Hanukkah) is a 4-5 hour Bible lesson unit covering the historical narrative first and then the contemporary celebration such as the lighting of the menorah, dreidel game, gelt, and eating of food fried in oil (and their connection to what the holiday celebrates). Students also learn that Jesus celebrated this feast in John 10.
✝️ Just as the Maccabees rose up in defense of their people who were mistreated by their oppressors, students are brought to the ultimate realization that Jesus is our Faithful Deliverer.
✍️ By the end of the lesson your older elementary or middle school students will understand these major concepts:
The “between the testaments” historical narrative that Hanukkah celebrates
The modern celebration of Hanukkah
The circumstances surrounding Jesus’ celebration in John 10.
Jesus is our Faithful Deliverer not just from difficult circumstances but more importantly from slavery to sin and our ultimate enemy: death
✴️ LESSON PART A ~ Introduction: Five Festive Pictures
Included in this lesson are five colorful wall posters that introduce common elements of the Hanukkah celebration: the menorah, dreidel, Star of David, gelt and food fried in oil. These pictures are just “teasers” and are referred to throughout the lesson. The time of year that Hanukkah is celebrated (winter) and its length (eight days) is introduced. Students come to realize that any holiday (no matter the era, country or culture) calls us to remembrance and they are to watch how the traditional story of Hanukkah connects to its contemporary celebration.
✴️ LESSON PART B ~ The Hanukkah Story
Students move nine colorful storyboard pictures in order as you read the historical narrative surrounding the celebration of Hanukkah. These pictures are then glued onto storyboard worksheets and brief explanations are written for each picture to gauge student understanding.
✴️ LESSON PART C ~ Modern Celebration: Are You Ready for a Party?
⭐️ MENORAH: Using the colorful posters presented in Part A, attention is drawn to the menorah ~ which includes counting the candles and remembering why the number 8 is important to the history of Hanukkah). Students learn when and in which direction the candles are lit.
⭐️ GIFTS: Gelt (Yiddish for ‘money’) are given as gifts ~ students learn that the chocolate coins in mesh baggies on sale around Christmas are considered “gelt” as well!
⭐️ FOOD: Holidays tend to have traditional food and often these foods cause us to remember what the holiday celebrates. Hanukkah is no exception. To remember the miracle of oil in the temple, the Jewish people frequently eat food fried in oil.
⭐️ GAMES: Students learn about a four-sided top called a dreidel (which means “to turn”) and that the four Hebrew letters contained on it is an acronym for “(a) Great Miracle Happened There”. A colorful game reference sheet is provided to students to assist them in playing the game later. Included is the “Hanukkah Hokey Pokey” which provides a light, humorous and all hands-on deck reminder of when to take candy in and when to take candy out.
⭐️ LET’S PARTY: Students play the dreidel game in small groups. If you don’t have dreidels, a cut, fold and glue pattern is included in the lesson that is then threaded onto a pencil. You can also bring in food fried in oil for students to taste test and present students with Hanukkah gelt.
✴️ LESSON PART D ~ Color Coding John 10:22-30
A hallmark of our Walking Alongside Jesus series is that students color code a passage in every lesson which trains them to see repeated words, phrases and important details that might be missed in a simple reading. In this lesson, students color code John 10:22-30 which draws their attention to the setting details (who, when, where, what), Jesus’ relationship to His sheep and finally the bold claims that Jesus made about Himself ~ things that only the Son of God could say!
✴️ LESSON PART E ~ ✝️ WHAT DID I LEARN ABOUT JESUS?
Three ways that Jesus delivers us is discussed (although there are many more!) including (a) our bondage/slavery to sin (Romans 6:6), (b) deliverance from afflictions (2 Corinthians 1:8-10) and (c) our final enemy, death (Hebrews 2:14-15). Jesus is Our Deliverer! The class concludes with students making their own Star of David using patterns on an included instruction sheet that is then glued to the worksheet “Jesus, Our Faithful Deliverer”.
⏰️ Timing: This is a four-to-five-hour lesson that can be spread over several sessions, stopping and starting where you left off or stopping at the labeled sections.
✔️ Included in this lesson:
Colorful 17-page lesson plan is written with clear DO/SAY/READ wording that can be adapted to fit your voice if necessary. This includes a two-page preparation guide that includes items to gather, photocopies students will need, pre-class preparations and instructions organized by "Lesson Part A", "Lesson Part B" etc.
17 pages of worksheets, answer keys and supplemental material:
Five colorful, full sized Hanukkah picture posters
Hanukkah Storyboard Pictures and Worksheet
Hanukkah Fill in Worksheet and Answer Key (with optional cover to make a booklet)
Hanukkah Dreidel Game
Hanukkah Hokey Pokey
Make Your Own Dreidel Pattern
Color Coding the Feast of Dedication and Answer Key
Star of David Directions
Jesus, Our Faithful Deliverer Worksheet
Stepping Stone: Jesus, Our Faithful Deliverer
Save time and shop with confidence! Watch the lesson preview video here.
❇️ This comprehensive study on the Feast Dedication (commonly known as Hanukkah) is a 4-5 hour Bible lesson unit covering the historical narrative first and then the contemporary celebration such as the lighting of the menorah, dreidel game, gelt, and eating of food fried in oil (and their connection to what the holiday celebrates). Students also learn that Jesus celebrated this feast in John 10.
✝️ Just as the Maccabees rose up in defense of their people who were mistreated by their oppressors, students are brought to the ultimate realization that Jesus is our Faithful Deliverer.
✍️ By the end of the lesson your older elementary or middle school students will understand these major concepts:
The “between the testaments” historical narrative that Hanukkah celebrates
The modern celebration of Hanukkah
The circumstances surrounding Jesus’ celebration in John 10.
Jesus is our Faithful Deliverer not just from difficult circumstances but more importantly from slavery to sin and our ultimate enemy: death
✴️ LESSON PART A ~ Introduction: Five Festive Pictures
Included in this lesson are five colorful wall posters that introduce common elements of the Hanukkah celebration: the menorah, dreidel, Star of David, gelt and food fried in oil. These pictures are just “teasers” and are referred to throughout the lesson. The time of year that Hanukkah is celebrated (winter) and its length (eight days) is introduced. Students come to realize that any holiday (no matter the era, country or culture) calls us to remembrance and they are to watch how the traditional story of Hanukkah connects to its contemporary celebration.
✴️ LESSON PART B ~ The Hanukkah Story
Students move nine colorful storyboard pictures in order as you read the historical narrative surrounding the celebration of Hanukkah. These pictures are then glued onto storyboard worksheets and brief explanations are written for each picture to gauge student understanding.
✴️ LESSON PART C ~ Modern Celebration: Are You Ready for a Party?
⭐️ MENORAH: Using the colorful posters presented in Part A, attention is drawn to the menorah ~ which includes counting the candles and remembering why the number 8 is important to the history of Hanukkah). Students learn when and in which direction the candles are lit.
⭐️ GIFTS: Gelt (Yiddish for ‘money’) are given as gifts ~ students learn that the chocolate coins in mesh baggies on sale around Christmas are considered “gelt” as well!
⭐️ FOOD: Holidays tend to have traditional food and often these foods cause us to remember what the holiday celebrates. Hanukkah is no exception. To remember the miracle of oil in the temple, the Jewish people frequently eat food fried in oil.
⭐️ GAMES: Students learn about a four-sided top called a dreidel (which means “to turn”) and that the four Hebrew letters contained on it is an acronym for “(a) Great Miracle Happened There”. A colorful game reference sheet is provided to students to assist them in playing the game later. Included is the “Hanukkah Hokey Pokey” which provides a light, humorous and all hands-on deck reminder of when to take candy in and when to take candy out.
⭐️ LET’S PARTY: Students play the dreidel game in small groups. If you don’t have dreidels, a cut, fold and glue pattern is included in the lesson that is then threaded onto a pencil. You can also bring in food fried in oil for students to taste test and present students with Hanukkah gelt.
✴️ LESSON PART D ~ Color Coding John 10:22-30
A hallmark of our Walking Alongside Jesus series is that students color code a passage in every lesson which trains them to see repeated words, phrases and important details that might be missed in a simple reading. In this lesson, students color code John 10:22-30 which draws their attention to the setting details (who, when, where, what), Jesus’ relationship to His sheep and finally the bold claims that Jesus made about Himself ~ things that only the Son of God could say!
✴️ LESSON PART E ~ ✝️ WHAT DID I LEARN ABOUT JESUS?
Three ways that Jesus delivers us is discussed (although there are many more!) including (a) our bondage/slavery to sin (Romans 6:6), (b) deliverance from afflictions (2 Corinthians 1:8-10) and (c) our final enemy, death (Hebrews 2:14-15). Jesus is Our Deliverer! The class concludes with students making their own Star of David using patterns on an included instruction sheet that is then glued to the worksheet “Jesus, Our Faithful Deliverer”.
⏰️ Timing: This is a four-to-five-hour lesson that can be spread over several sessions, stopping and starting where you left off or stopping at the labeled sections.
✔️ Included in this lesson:
Colorful 17-page lesson plan is written with clear DO/SAY/READ wording that can be adapted to fit your voice if necessary. This includes a two-page preparation guide that includes items to gather, photocopies students will need, pre-class preparations and instructions organized by "Lesson Part A", "Lesson Part B" etc.
17 pages of worksheets, answer keys and supplemental material:
Five colorful, full sized Hanukkah picture posters
Hanukkah Storyboard Pictures and Worksheet
Hanukkah Fill in Worksheet and Answer Key (with optional cover to make a booklet)
Hanukkah Dreidel Game
Hanukkah Hokey Pokey
Make Your Own Dreidel Pattern
Color Coding the Feast of Dedication and Answer Key
Star of David Directions
Jesus, Our Faithful Deliverer Worksheet
Stepping Stone: Jesus, Our Faithful Deliverer
Save time and shop with confidence! Watch the lesson preview video here.
❇️ This comprehensive study on the Feast Dedication (commonly known as Hanukkah) is a 4-5 hour Bible lesson unit covering the historical narrative first and then the contemporary celebration such as the lighting of the menorah, dreidel game, gelt, and eating of food fried in oil (and their connection to what the holiday celebrates). Students also learn that Jesus celebrated this feast in John 10.
✝️ Just as the Maccabees rose up in defense of their people who were mistreated by their oppressors, students are brought to the ultimate realization that Jesus is our Faithful Deliverer.
✍️ By the end of the lesson your older elementary or middle school students will understand these major concepts:
The “between the testaments” historical narrative that Hanukkah celebrates
The modern celebration of Hanukkah
The circumstances surrounding Jesus’ celebration in John 10.
Jesus is our Faithful Deliverer not just from difficult circumstances but more importantly from slavery to sin and our ultimate enemy: death
✴️ LESSON PART A ~ Introduction: Five Festive Pictures
Included in this lesson are five colorful wall posters that introduce common elements of the Hanukkah celebration: the menorah, dreidel, Star of David, gelt and food fried in oil. These pictures are just “teasers” and are referred to throughout the lesson. The time of year that Hanukkah is celebrated (winter) and its length (eight days) is introduced. Students come to realize that any holiday (no matter the era, country or culture) calls us to remembrance and they are to watch how the traditional story of Hanukkah connects to its contemporary celebration.
✴️ LESSON PART B ~ The Hanukkah Story
Students move nine colorful storyboard pictures in order as you read the historical narrative surrounding the celebration of Hanukkah. These pictures are then glued onto storyboard worksheets and brief explanations are written for each picture to gauge student understanding.
✴️ LESSON PART C ~ Modern Celebration: Are You Ready for a Party?
⭐️ MENORAH: Using the colorful posters presented in Part A, attention is drawn to the menorah ~ which includes counting the candles and remembering why the number 8 is important to the history of Hanukkah). Students learn when and in which direction the candles are lit.
⭐️ GIFTS: Gelt (Yiddish for ‘money’) are given as gifts ~ students learn that the chocolate coins in mesh baggies on sale around Christmas are considered “gelt” as well!
⭐️ FOOD: Holidays tend to have traditional food and often these foods cause us to remember what the holiday celebrates. Hanukkah is no exception. To remember the miracle of oil in the temple, the Jewish people frequently eat food fried in oil.
⭐️ GAMES: Students learn about a four-sided top called a dreidel (which means “to turn”) and that the four Hebrew letters contained on it is an acronym for “(a) Great Miracle Happened There”. A colorful game reference sheet is provided to students to assist them in playing the game later. Included is the “Hanukkah Hokey Pokey” which provides a light, humorous and all hands-on deck reminder of when to take candy in and when to take candy out.
⭐️ LET’S PARTY: Students play the dreidel game in small groups. If you don’t have dreidels, a cut, fold and glue pattern is included in the lesson that is then threaded onto a pencil. You can also bring in food fried in oil for students to taste test and present students with Hanukkah gelt.
✴️ LESSON PART D ~ Color Coding John 10:22-30
A hallmark of our Walking Alongside Jesus series is that students color code a passage in every lesson which trains them to see repeated words, phrases and important details that might be missed in a simple reading. In this lesson, students color code John 10:22-30 which draws their attention to the setting details (who, when, where, what), Jesus’ relationship to His sheep and finally the bold claims that Jesus made about Himself ~ things that only the Son of God could say!
✴️ LESSON PART E ~ ✝️ WHAT DID I LEARN ABOUT JESUS?
Three ways that Jesus delivers us is discussed (although there are many more!) including (a) our bondage/slavery to sin (Romans 6:6), (b) deliverance from afflictions (2 Corinthians 1:8-10) and (c) our final enemy, death (Hebrews 2:14-15). Jesus is Our Deliverer! The class concludes with students making their own Star of David using patterns on an included instruction sheet that is then glued to the worksheet “Jesus, Our Faithful Deliverer”.
⏰️ Timing: This is a four-to-five-hour lesson that can be spread over several sessions, stopping and starting where you left off or stopping at the labeled sections.
✔️ Included in this lesson:
Colorful 17-page lesson plan is written with clear DO/SAY/READ wording that can be adapted to fit your voice if necessary. This includes a two-page preparation guide that includes items to gather, photocopies students will need, pre-class preparations and instructions organized by "Lesson Part A", "Lesson Part B" etc.
17 pages of worksheets, answer keys and supplemental material:
Five colorful, full sized Hanukkah picture posters
Hanukkah Storyboard Pictures and Worksheet
Hanukkah Fill in Worksheet and Answer Key (with optional cover to make a booklet)
Hanukkah Dreidel Game
Hanukkah Hokey Pokey
Make Your Own Dreidel Pattern
Color Coding the Feast of Dedication and Answer Key
Star of David Directions
Jesus, Our Faithful Deliverer Worksheet
Stepping Stone: Jesus, Our Faithful Deliverer
FAQS:
What Christian perspective is used for these Bible lessons?
I am an evangelical Christian who writes Bible curriculum for older students, and I do not take this tremendous responsibility lightly. Each lesson has a clear focus on what God says in His Word and the lessons are presented age appropriately, thoughtfully and biblically.
What translation of the Bible is used? 99% of the time I use the ESV although on rare occasion I might use another translation such as the NIV.
How can this Bible lesson be used?
Each lesson unit in our Walking Alongside Jesus series is divided into five sections, each section takes between 30 minutes to an hour. This allows homeschool and Christian school teachers to use it daily in the classroom (thereby completing an entire unit in a week) OR in a Sunday School classroom or youth group once a week (thereby completing an entire unit in a month). These lessons are flexible enough to be used in the following settings:
Children's Sunday School class
Youth Group
Private Christian school Bible class
Chapel for Christian schools
Children's Church
Homeschool Bible class
Family Bible time
