If your family is conducting a Seder for the first time, you may want to contact your local Jewish community center or Habad house, where Passover activities are probably already underway. This is a good way to accumulate some information on the holiday, and to involve your kids in some activities that will get them geared for the fun and good food they are about to experience. Some families may already have special Seder prayer books that hold sentimental value or are family heirlooms. It is a good idea for each participant in the Seder to have a Haggadah he or she can follow along in, which will keep individual interest sparked. For younger children this may mean a book prepared by hand at school, or a colorful book with lots of pictures, hand-picked at the book store. Adults may prefer prayer books with thorough and captivating explanations of the Seder and its rituals. This type of Haggadah is especially helpful for those conducting the Seder.

She suggests using toy bugs when portraying the plague of lice, and raspberry syrup mixed with water for the plague of blood, as examples. Ilona also finds that older kids may enjoy preparing a skit to be performed at the Seder; they can act out the plagues, or any component discussed in the Haggadah. A good way to keep conversation and communication flowing between family members of different ages is to have older participants (including older siblings) ask questions of the younger ones. All members of the family can prepare questions regarding Passover in advance and place them in a decorative bowl, and each participant draws a question, making a game (with prizes prepared in advance for smaller children) out of a learning experience.

Parents also may wish to involve the entire family in the physical preparations for the Seder. Ilona stresses that it's important to remember to assign age-appropriate tasks when doing this. For example, small children often enjoy helping in food production, and the preparation of the traditional Charoset (a chutney-like dish reminiscent of the mortar that was once placed on the bricks by the slaves) is ideal. The kids can enjoy grinding the nuts and apples while pretending they are making mortar. Older kids with artistic flair might want to arrange the table and the traditional Seder plate.

The Seder plate itself lends a beautiful quality to the table. Some families use antique plates that have been in the family for centuries and choose to set the table in a complimentary way, perhaps with older, refined china. Rachel, a mother of four, enjoys setting the table with her grandmother's china that has been handed down. "It gives me the feeling that my family's traditions continue right along with the traditions of our ancestors," she says.

Becca recalls past Seder meals at her grandparents' house. "My grandmother had this huge selection of decorative wine cups," she says. "All the grandchildren got to pick a favorite for the four ceremonial cups of wine (in our case grape juice). Now that I host the Seder, I have re-instituted the same custom." Other families will opt for a more modern approach, perhaps using a Seder plate crafted by young children. They may even enjoy creating personal place cards, with Passover themes, for all participants.

However one chooses to celebrate Passover and the Seder night, it is an opportunity for families to come together, share thoughts and ideas, and enjoy the unity of family while celebrating the unbreakable bond of tradition.