About a year ago, after running around trying to find songs, games, recipes and other activities to teach my kids about Chanukah, I decided to come up with Appy Holidays–a one-stop shop to provide parents with all they need to teach their youngsters about Jewish holidays. I joined forces with Tzvia Bader and Julie Silverman, who come from a technological and educational background, respectively, to set up a series of iPad applications that focuses on Jewish tradition. 

Two weeks ago we launched Appy Chanukah–an iPad app that provides a comprehensive, educational and fun experience learning about the Festival of Lights. The first thing we focused on was the Hebrew language and making sure kids ages 2-8 absorb as much Hebrew as possible through the app. The main focus of the Appy Chanukah app is for kids to:

  • Learn about the Chanukah story and tradition using an interactive ebook
  • Understand, pronounce, read and write Chanukah key words in Hebrew, such as menorah, sevivon, etc.
  • Learn Chanukah songs, such as “Mi Yemalel” and “Maoz Tzur,” record themselves singing with background music and send the video to family and friends
  • Play interactive games, such as “Light a Menorah” and a three-level Chanukah puzzle
  • Send personalized greeting cards to family and friends on email or Facebook

We made a short video for you to get a flavor of the app, and to do some dancing and singing while you’re at it!  

One of the important guidelines we used while creating the app was to ensure it can be experienced by parents and kids together, as well as by kids on their own. Learning about Chanukah together as a family was a top priority while creating this app, and we invite you to download the app and experience it together with your little treasures. 

Providing parents with great ideas on keeping their little treasures busy with Chanukah activities was a top priority as well, and so in parallel to the app you will find the Appy Holidays blog, which provides daily ideas and guest blog posts offering recipes, art projects, books and games to make sure your kids absorb as much Chanukah as possible. 

Have an Appy Chanukah!

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