Fun resources for Purim! By Liat Moss

Purim is an engaging holiday for young children! They dress up, give gifts to family and friends and will have a range of fun Purim activities to attend. However, when learning about Purim at school, the activities that we use often do not reflect the fun attitude that Purim has.

We have created a fun list of resources that teachers and parents can use to teach Purim to children using the wide range that technology has to offer.

JI Studio is a great open ended activity that can be used to teach children about the Purim story. Children can make digital cards to send to their friends, create their own Megillat Esther book and remind themselves of the four mitzvot they have to do over Purim. Remember to save creations to the Web so that they can be shared with friends and family.

Find out what your students already know by playing this Purim quiz we created on Tiny Tap. This game can be played on tablets or on a computer and is a great tool to find out what gaps children have in their Purim knowledge. Children can even create their own Purim game to show what they have learnt about the holiday’s mitzvot and traditions to share with family and friends.

Chatterpix is an app that can be used on any IOS device. It can be used to create a talking character from Megillat Esther. Have children introduce their character and have them talk about their role in the Purim story. Here is one that we made with Queen Esther, using graphics from JI Studio.

Another great app that can be used on iOS devices is Tellagami. This app can be used to create a news report where students can create their own ‘reporter’ and select a background relating to Purim and they can write and record a report about what was happening at the palace in Shushan. Here is an example of a Gami that we created about King Achashverosh looking for a new Queen.

Write About This is an app created for IOS devices that gives an image and a writing prompt to encourage creative writing. Use the images from JI Studio to create an original writing prompt for KS2 students to write the story of Purim.

Some UK students have started learning about Purim and have created movies on Puppet Pals using Purim images taken from JI Studio. Have a look at some of their creations here: