How do you keep the little ones in their chairs, intrigued by the Seder?

Women share their secrets:

One year, my father decided to act out the Makkos during Maggid. He put red food coloring in all our cups and spread toy frogs all over the table and chairs. That drew us right back to the table from the toy room. He left the dining room for a minute just before Arov and came back wearing a lion costume he’d rented (that one gave us a thrill). When it came Barad, he threw ping-pong balls at us. We were screeching in delight.

After Maggid, we split into two groups. Some adults set up Shulchan Orech, while the others take the kids to another part of the house where they practice a play, a reenactment of Moshe and Aharon asking Pharaoh to let the Jews go. One of my brothers-in-law always acts as Pharaoh. He does a really good job, screaming and yelling and getting all the kids riled up. They wear makeshift costumes: hand towels on their heads; bedsheets tied to look like long, flowing robes; scarves rolled tight and wrapped around their heads, mimicking the headpieces Ancient Egyptians wore.

When I was in seminary, I went to some relatives in Bnei Brak for the Seder. The father is a mechanech and a fabulous storyteller. He tells over the story of Yetzias Mitzrayim in a really dramatic way. Even his married kids, many parents themselves, sit around the table and listen, enthralled. He recounts the story through the eyes of a little boy, so the children can really relate. Afterward, I told him he should record himself telling the story and sell it. Now that I’m married and have children of my own, I always take a look at the new CDs come Pesach time in the hope he took my advice and produced it.

One Small Thing

What’s that one small thing you did that made a big difference?

I signed up to Amazon Music Unlimited. For $8 a month (if you have Amazon Prime), you have access to millions of songs, including loads of Jewish albums.

What I love about it is that you can create your own music playlists, so you can match the music to your mood. I have a “great fast songs” playlist, a “stunning slow songs” playlist, and a “beautiful instrumental” playlist.

Plus, once a week (on Monday mornings), they update your “Discovery Channel” with 25 new songs they think you’ll like based on the songs you recently played. I discovered a number of excellent singers I’d never heard of before that way.

Having ad-free music I enjoy makes my work time more productive and enjoyable.