Dreidel Games for Preschoolers

Dreidel Games for Preschoolers

Materials

• Homemade or store-bought dreidel
• Pennies, dried beans, raisins, or other tokens for each player

Directions

1. Each player puts one item from his pile of tokens into the center, making a pile called the pot.
2. The first player spins the dreidel; the letter that comes up determines what to do:
   (noon) or N--the player does nothing
   (gimmel) or G--the player takes the pot and everyone puts in one more item before the next player spins
   (hay) or H--the player takes half of the pot
   (shin) or S--the player puts one item into the pot.
3. When the pot is empty or only one token remains, every player puts one item in before the next player spins.
4. The game is over when one player has won everything and everyone else has nothing.
5. Letters of the Hebrew alphabet also have number values, and older children may enjoy keeping score.
6. Noon equals 50, gimmel is 3, heh is 5, and shin is 300.
7. Each player in turn spins the dreidel and wins the number of points corresponding to the Hebrew letter that lands upright.