The Festival of Booths · early & middle elementary Judaic Studies
Sukkot lesson pack חַג סֻכּוֹת
A week of meals in the sukkah, four special plants in a child's hands, and joy. 14 slides take your child from frame-and-walls of the sukkah to each of the four species in turn, all the way to the big finish — Hoshana Rabbah and Simchat Torah.
Everything you need to teach Sukkot — from building the sukkah to shaking the lulav.
English presentation deck — 14 slides, 16:9, with a full speaker script in the notes.
Hebrew vowelized deck — same 14 slides in Hebrew with full nikud, including the names of all four species.
Worksheet pack — 7 printable pages: "my sukkah," trace Sukkot vocabulary, count & circle, draw who comes to the sukkah, word match, Simchat Torah flag, reflection.
Teacher prep PDF — 14 pages; slide image on top, full Hebrew speaker notes below.
Parent guide — 11 pages including a 1-day & 7-day lesson plan, Hebrew pronunciation help, sukkah-building tips, calendar context, FAQ.
Slides 8–11 give each of the Arba Minim its own dedicated slide in full nikud, with what it looks like and what it teaches us:
Lulav · לוּלָב — the long palm branch (the tall one)
Etrog · אֶתְרוֹג — the special yellow fruit (smells like heaven)
Hadas · הֲדַס — the myrtle (small leaves, round-tipped)
Aravah · עֲרָבָה — the willow (smooth, long leaves)
Slide 12 then covers shaking the lulav in all six directions.
The arc
The sukkah, the four species, the finale.
We open with the sukkah itself — what it is, how a family builds one together, why kids' decorations matter. Then we slow down for each of the four species. Finally we land in the joy of the finale: Hoshana Rabbah, Shemini Atzeret, and dancing with the Torah on Simchat Torah.
Slides 1–6 · the sukkah
Title — Chag Sukkot
What is Sukkot? — five days after Yom Kippur, in Tishrei
The Sukkah — our home for a week
Building the Sukkah — a whole-family job
Decorating the Sukkah — the kids' favorite job
Living in the Sukkah — eat, learn, host, sleep
Slides 7–14 · the species & finale
The Arba Minim — four special plants
Lulav — the palm branch
Etrog — the special fruit
Hadas — the myrtle
Aravah — the willow
Shaking the Lulav — six directions
Hoshana Rabbah & Simchat Torah
Chag Sukkot Sameach!
Why parents love it
Built for early & middle elementary learners (K–6, ages 5–12). Written for the parent organizing the holiday at home.
No Hebrew required
Every Hebrew word transliterated. Every speaker note in English. The parent guide includes a pronunciation cheat sheet for sukkah, lulav, etrog, hadas, aravah, and the rest of the Sukkot vocabulary.
Hands-on by design
Sukkot is a tactile holiday — building, decorating, holding plants. The pack pairs naturally with whatever you do at home, from a full sukkah build to a tabletop "sukkah" made of cereal boxes.
The four species, slowed down
Each of the Arba Minim gets its own slide — Hebrew name in nikud, photo, what it looks like, what it represents. Your child meets each plant one at a time, never as a confusing four-thing bundle.
FAQ
Questions parents ask about the Sukkot pack.
Do we need a real sukkah to teach this?
No. The deck shows photos and diagrams of sukkot; your child learns the parts whether or not your family builds one. Many homeschool families use the pack to plan their first sukkah — slide 4 walks through walls, schach (the roof covering), and decorations.
Are all four species covered individually?
Yes — slides 8–11 give the lulav, etrog, hadas, and aravah each their own dedicated slide with the Hebrew name in full nikud, what it looks like, and what it teaches us. Slide 12 covers shaking the lulav in six directions.
What about Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah?
Slide 13 introduces both as the big finish — Hoshana Rabbah on day 7, Shemini Atzeret, and dancing with the Torah for Simchat Torah. Worksheet page 6 is a Simchat Torah flag your child can color and wave.
Do I need to know Hebrew to teach this?
No. Every Hebrew word is transliterated, every speaker note is in English, and the parent guide has a pronunciation cheat sheet for every Hebrew word in the pack.
What if we don't have a lulav and etrog at home?
That's fine — the pack teaches the species visually and tells you what to look for when you see one. Many homeschool families teach the lesson first, then visit a community sukkah to actually hold the four species during chol hamoed.
Is this Sukkot or Sukkos?
Both pronunciations refer to the same holiday — סֻכּוֹת in Hebrew. We use "Sukkot" throughout the lesson (modern Hebrew); use whichever your family prefers when discussing it.
Pairs beautifully with
Other packs in the Jewish Calendar Series.
Sukkot and Tu B'Shvat both honor trees — the etrog is one of the Seven Species, and Tu B'Shvat is the new year for trees. Sukkot also pairs with Chanukah, since both holidays center on a mitzvah a child can touch. Tishrei sequence: Rosh Hashanah → Yom Kippur → Sukkot all fall in the same Hebrew month, four-day gap between each. New: a free Rosh Hashanah for K–6 guide covers the first holiday of the month.
Tu B'Shvat חַג ט״ו בִּשְׁבָט
The new year for trees — including the etrog tree, one of the Seven Species your child meets on Sukkot.
Diaspora observance. Every Sukkot begins at sundown the evening before the first listed date. For halachic questions or Israel-observance dates, see our five-year Jewish calendar or consult your rabbi.
