How to Make Your Own Seder Plate

Sedar plate illustration

It’s almost time for Passover! If you’re hosting the seder, a festive meal that kicks off Passover this year, you’ll need a special centerpiece – your very own seder plate.

A seder plate holds symbols of the Passover story. Karpas — a green vegetable, often parsley — is dipped in salt water to remind us of the tears of the enslaved Israelites. A sweet fruit paste called charoset (from the Hebrew word cheres, “clay”) is like the mortar that the Israelites used to construct buildings for the Egyptian empire. Maror, a bitter herb (usually horseradish), recalls the bitterness of slavery. It is sometimes joined by hazeret, a second bitter herb. A roasted lamb shank bone, zeroah, is a reminder of the offering the Jews made before leaving Egypt. (Vegetarian families will sometimes use a beet instead). Lastly, the beitzah — a roasted or hard-boiled egg — stands for the offering made on every holiday in the days when the Temple stood. That’s one powerful centerpiece!

This Activity Works With These Books:

Pippa's Passover Plate
Company's Coming
More than Enough: A Passover Story

Supplies

  • Large paper plate
  • 6 mini cupcake liners
  • Glue
  • Markers

Directions

  • Glue the cupcake liners around the edge of the paper plate.
  • Use the markers to label each liner with the name of one of the seder plate items, and add colorful drawings around the rest of the plate (this is a celebration, after all).
  • Fill the plate with the seder items.
  • Display proudly at your family’s seder.

More

7 Passover Books to Read With Your Preschooler
Getting Kids Involved During Passover
Planning a Child-Friendly Seder
Printable Paper Passover Scene

Find more Passover crafts and activities on the PJ Library Passover hub.