Mar 11

Mar 11 DIY: Puffy matzah necklace

Celebrate Passover with littles with a happy matzah necklace

Have you baked matzah for Passover yet? It’s one of our favorite ways to get ready for the holiday! Passover is also known as Chag HaMatzot - The Festival of Matzah. You only need two ingredients - water and flour - to make your own!

DIY bake your own matzah for passover — Learn how to bake your own matzah here!

Another fun way to make matzah, is by “baking” a little puffy matzah necklace - a special keepsake for Passover! This sweet necklace is made of felt, cotton balls, yarn and thread and decorated with pony beads. It has a little sprig of parsley on top to remind us that Passover comes during spring, when the land is lush and green.

This is a simple sewing project for parents to do with littles, and for older children to make with a little adult supervision. So let’s go make a puffy matzah necklace!

Puffy Matzah Necklace

Here’s what you’ll need for each necklace:

2 - 3” squares of felt
Small rectangles of felt in black (eyes and smile) and pink (cheeks) and green (parsley sprig)
Sewing needle
Embroidery floss
Necklace cording (about 36” - we used yarn)
2 Cotton balls
Straight pin (optional)
Scissors
Craft glue
Pony beads

Here’s how to make this cute necklace!

1. Cut 2 - 3” squares of felt, eyes, cheeks and parsley sprig.

2. It’s time to “bake” the top piece of matzah by adding golden bumps and edges. To do this, we sewed several lines of running stitches on the top square. This is also a fun way to practice hand sewing. Set your square aside.

3. Unroll the cotton and place it on top of the second felt square. Fold the necklace cording in half and place the center under the cotton as shown below. I like to secure the cording with a drop of hot glue (adults only please).

4. Place the first square on top of the unrolled cotton and line the edges up. If you’d like, you can use a straight pin to hold the squares together. Sew a running stitch all around the inner edges of the square.

5. Glue on the eyes and cheeks, and the little sprig of parsley too. This is my favorite step - when the necklace becomes a little “baked” matzah with a sweet and happy personality!

6. Now it’s time for decorations! Grab some pony beads, fabric flowers (for spring), and invite your little to string them onto the necklace!

That’s it! We’re all done with this little “baked” matzah necklace!

Your little can put it on and act out a very cute action rhyme for Chag HaMatzot - The Festival of Matzah! It goes like this:

Bake a matzah, pat, pat, pat. (pat your knees)

Bake a matzah - just like that. (put hands in the air)

Bake a matzah, pat, pat, pat. (pat knees)

Try to make it flat, flat, flat. (pretend to roll with a rolling pin)

Bake a matzah, pat, pat, pat! (pat knees)

Bake a Matzah, just like that! (put hands in the air and clap and give a hug)

We have more fun ways to celebrate Passover and spring with littles - including a cardstock version of this matzah necklace (no sewing required)! Visit our Passover Round-up to make a yummy mud pie to “grow” parsley for your Seder, bake your own matzah, make an art canvas with spring rain, make an afikomen bag, Baby Moses sock doll, Baby Moses mini diorama and more! There’s so much to do! Let’s get started!

How does your family celebrate Passover and Chag HaMatzot - The Festival of Matzah? Let us know in the comments below, and let us know if you make a puffy matzah necklace or try any of these other activities! We wish you a very happy Festival of Matzah!

Happy Passover!

~ Jennifer