Yom Kippur Play & Learning Activities for the Young (and Very Young)

We've dipped our apples in honey (maybe even double dipped, but shh, don't tell!) and that means Yom Kippur is just around the corner. This seemingly somber occasion does not immediately give way to images of playfulness as we imagine a day of feeding and entertaining little ones while simultaneously trying to fast and atone for a year's worth of bad behavior when we were hangry. Yom Kippur is, nonetheless, an important and even joyful holiday. It is a beautiful opportunity to connect with Hashem on a very deep level as we prepare for the year ahead. As with all holidays, I like to teach about Yom Kippur through play and introduce children to the important symbols and customs of the holiday. Here's a peek at some of my favorite play and learning activities for Yom Kippur for the young (and very young):




 For starters, with young children, we focus the teaching of Yom Kippur on acting with chesed, being a good friend and, when we make a mistake, saying we are sorry. Since I am not a parent (or teacher) who forces apologies "in the moment," but rather teaches empathy through modeling and assisted problem solving, I like that Yom Kippur introduces a time to talk about apologies in a general sense. I love books like Sammy the Spider's First Yom Kippur by Sylvia Rouss and The Hardest Word: A Yom Kippur Story byJacqueline Jules for preschool aged children. Additionally, books that teach about managing strong emotions are another good choice for this time of year. I particularly like When Sophie Gets Angry--Really, Really Angry and When Sophie's Feelings Are Really, Really Hurt by Molly Bang. Incorporating discussions about friendships and kindness are appropriate at this time of year.

Giving extra tzedakah (charity) is also a common practice before Yom Kippur. For the very young, this DIY toy tzedakah box is a fun activity to introduce fine motor skills to teeny tiny hands:

A recycled cocoa powder container and plastic coins make a fun toy tzedakah box. Be mindful of small pieces with very young children. Older children can also decorate a tzedakah box to actually use and fill with money.

 Speaking of the very young, I love using discovery baskets with infants and young toddlers for play. In corresponding to a Yom Kippur theme, I might fill a discovery basket with household objects and toys that are white to introduce the idea that we wear white on Yom Kippur. Older babies and children might like to use a sensory bin with white filling (such as cotton balls, shredded paper, plain rice or shaving cream).

I also introduce the story of Jonah and the Big Fish during the Yom Kippur season as it is read during the holiday services each year. I water down the story for young children (pun intended) and I particularly like the free printable version and activity pack available at A Jewish Homeschool Blog.

We had a lot of fun last year with this balloon big fish/whale craft. S colored a paper plate blue and I blew up a balloon with a Lego man Jonah inside! I drew on a face and cut/attached the fins for a playful version of the big fish with Jonah in its belly! Do supervise young children with balloons as they can be a choking hazard if they pop.

The very young can also enjoy a balloon big fish! Y loved kicking and swatting the balloon from his back and later on his tummy. I made a new set of balloon big fish this year just for that purpose!

Our sensory bin is set up with a simple invitation to play about Jonah and the big fish, complete with a ship, a toy "Jonah" and a whale (big fish). Just add water and you're ready to play! 

This paper plate fish craft is a fun one for toddlers. Little ones can color two paper plates (we chose blue) and an adult can help with cutting/assembly and any additional details (like eyes and a mouth). Cut a circle out of the "body" plate and cover with clear contact paper or packing tape, sticky side up. Little hands can scrunch and stick on tissue paper to the center.

The story of Jonah and the Big Fish also lends itself to some great science experiments and explorations. You may wish to take the opportunity to study whales like we did in this post. You might also explore the mechanics of boats as we did in this post. Sink and float experiments are a great addition to your play and learning this time of year. You might even have your own boat building/testing contest!

A blast from the past!

And while we're on the topic of water, if you haven't had a chance yet to do tashlich and teach/play about it, it's best to do so before Yom Kippur. I love this paper plate craft, done in a similar fashion to the whale craft above. Hollow the center of a white paper plate and cover with clear contact paper or packing tape, sticky side up. The outer plate can be decorated to look like the outside of a pond and the inside can be filled with blue tissue paper "water" and fish cut from paper in the colors of your choice. This helps teach the concept that we do tashlich in an area with water and fish.

If you're feeling particularly ambitious, you might even take a trip to your pet shop and buy a goldfish of your very own. S loved that part last year. It's a great way to teach young children about the responsibilities of caring for a pet (that luckily doesn't cost more than 33 cents since in spite of the price, they are rather challenging to take care of sometimes!).

With preschool aged children, there are a variety of sorting games and activities that can help teach some of the practices and customs of Yom Kippur. I like to use pictures or photos of Yom Kippur symbols to play:

On Yom Kippur We Do and We Do Not:

Using pictures or photos (with or without written text), and a large piece of chart paper or a large space on the floor, have your child(ren) help you sort things we do on Yom Kippur from things we do not do on Yom Kippur. You can tailor your selection to meet the customs Byour own family. You might include:

We Do:

• daven to Hashem
• go to synagogue
• wear white/wear a kittel
• give extra tzedakah
• act with kindness/ahavat yisrael
• say we are sorry

We Do Not:

• eat or drink (adults only)
• wear leather
• wash our hands or bodies
• drive cars, use electronics, etc.

I also like to introduce the concepts of "before," "during" and "after" to older preschoolers in this activity:

Before, During and After Yom Kippur:

Using pictures or photos and a large sheet of chart paper or space on the floor, have children help sort activities that are done before, during and after the holiday. You might include:

Before Yom Kippur, we:

• give extra tzedakah
• do kapparos
• light Yom Tov candles
• eat a seudah (special meal)

During Yom Kippur, we:

• fast (adults only)
• wear white
• wear non-leather shoes
• go to synagogue
• daven to Hashem

After Yom Kippur, we:

• hear the shofar one last time
• make havdalah
• celebrate the new year ahead and break our fast with a festive meal
• begin to build our sukkah for Sukkot

Younger children can also get in on the sorting fun. Just grab your families selection of non-leather shoes (if you're like us, you have crocs in all colors and sizes!) and play a game of shoe/slipper match-it!

Lastly, teaching young children about kapparos can be a great opportunity for a cute little craft, like this chicken stick puppet S and I made last year. We do not happen to use actual chickens where we live for kapparos, but S had a great time swinging this feathered friend around his head last year! I prepped a cut the shape of a chicken and S got to glue on the feathers. Attach a craft stick handle and you're in business!

Yom Kippur is one of the most special and sacred holidays of the year. It is not always an easy one for adults, but through the lens of our children's wonder and curiosity, we can learn again how to approach this time of year with joy, and, as always, through play!

Happy Playing!

Funday Friday: A Peek Inside Our Sukkot-themed Playroom Plus a Quick Yom Kippur Wrap-up!

Ah, to sum up the Jewish month of Tishrei in a few simple words: Cook, Pray, Eat, Repeat! Yes, we are busy here bouncing between preparing for holidays or Shabbos, observing holidays or Shabbos and squeezing in as much homeschool learning about them and fun play activities in between. We finished up learning about (and made it through) Yom Kippur early this week with a couple of activities based on the story of Jonah and the Whale that is read each year at Yom Kippur services. I introduced a more kid-friendly version of the story to my son.
(You can find a great one with activities for kids here.)

We added a cute craft and some Mad Science Monday Fun with a waterplay sink or float activity in the kitchen (while I got some cooking for before and after the fast done):

My son colored and decorated the paper plate we used for fins on this balloon whale. Inside (though not so visible) is a little Lego Jonah! My little one had lots of fun playing with the balloon "Big Fishy." He also had fun playing with the new Tinker Toys we got to parent entertain him on Yom Kippur. Actually, my husband also had fun with the Tinker Toys; he built a helicopter and subsequently popped the balloon. Shhh..my toddler hasn't noticed it's gone yet...

So I set up the whales and one toy man to play the part of Jonah. Apparently all the people of Nineveh needed a quick dip--the toddler got all of his other Fisher Price Little People to add to the fun!

And now on to my FAVORITE holiday of the Jewish year. Sukkot is coming! Here's a peek in our playroom at what we're doing so far:

Green scraps of tissue paper, construction paper and cardstock were great for sticking onto clear contact paper for this toddler friendly lulav craft. Adult assistance is required to roll it up at the end and the masking tape can then be recycled into the bottom portion!

Completed contact paper lulav and in-progress esrog made from Model Magic. Once it's dry we will paint it yellow!

For some more independent-play friendly activities and great Sukkah or indoor holiday decorations, a paper plate can be hollowed out in the center and covered over with packing tape or contact paper. Here is an invitation to stick on Autumn colored fabric leaves but the same can be done with paper scraps or tissue paper. To add a protective second layer (especially if your custom is to hang decorations in the Sukkah), you can staple on a second hollowed out paper plate prepared in the same manner over top.

Our custom is not to hang decorations inside the Sukkah, but we love hanging them indoors. The whole family got in on this collage last night to build and decorate our own Sukkah. My husband definitely got into the popsicle sticks (he's very much in the sukkah-building mindset this time of year!) and my toddler was VERY into the glue!

Well, our actual sukkah may not be finished yet, but here's our fabulous play suikkah! My little one has had a lot of fun in here so far!

Here we are today--same homemade felt lulav and esrog!

Here's a little blast from Sukkot past: my little one's first Sukkot with his very own handmade felt lulav and esrog

Think Outside the Box Thursday: Yom Kippur for the Very Young

Every year after the sticky, sweet, honey-drizzled fun of learning about Rosh Hashanah passes, we quickly enter the time to explore a bit of a heavier topic--learning about Yom Kippur. In actuality, both of these holidays are occasions of immense joy that hold a great deal of weight. Yom Kippur, although a seemingly somber day of fasting, asking for forgiveness and committing to improve ourselves, is truly also a day of sweetness. It is a day on which we honor and celebrate the beautiful relationship we have with our Creator and how much stronger a bond can grow when a heartfelt apology is made. This is likely why so much of children's literature on the holiday focuses on the words "I'm Sorry." These two words are so very hard to say and yet so powerful when said with full intent.

Reading Sammy Spider's First Yom Kippur by Sylvia Rouss
Yes, he's in pajamas and his bumblebee hat from Rosh Hashanah...

When I've taught outside of the home, I strongly adhere to a policy that is sometimes seen as unconventional: I do not make children apologize when they are resolving conflicts. When a conflict arises, I model empathy, particularly for a child who may have been hurt. I offer language for strong emotions, such as "wow, you look so sad," or "that must have made you feel so angry," but I do not say "now tell her you're sorry." I do not force children to "hug and make up." How many times in our adult lives do we find ourselves stuck in strong emotions and conflict? Many of those times an apology would go a long way, but what if we don't feel sorry? What if we're not ready yet? How helpful is it to either party to apologize when that apology is not heartfelt? I teach students about apologies. I teach them that "sorry" is something you say, but also something you feel and do. When you apologize for something, you feel remorseful inside and you do differently in the future. I teach them in these moments to ask how they can make it better or I offer ideas of how to do so. I do not force an apology when emotions are escalated because in the heat of the moment, children, too, may not feel ready to say (or hear) those words. In my earlier days of teaching, I became increasingly skeptical of the common tendency to enforce an apology the more frequently I saw children use the words as they simultaneously knocked over a block tower or begrudgingly utter them as a means to move on from an unpleasant interaction. Sure, we have taught them that "sorry" makes it "OK," and when it is a heartfelt apology, it often does help both parties to heal and move forward. But sorry does not always make it OK. Hurts still hurt and what we truly hope to teach our children (and learn ourselves) is the deeper skill of feeling empathy and being able to recognize and respond to our own strong emotions and the strong emotions of those around us. Initially, I cut out the "now say that you're sorry" part of my conflict support as an experiment to see how children might respond differently. Rather than telling them what to do to solve their problem, I asked them what they thought they should do. Many independently came up with "say 'I'm sorry,'" to which I always respond that if it's something they feel inside, it's a wonderful thing to say. Many also inherently came up with ideas to repair their relationships, which coming from their hearts were more meaningful and sustainable than any tool an outsider (myself) could give. My students taught me a great deal about relationship repair and what it truly means to make amends!
Yom Kippur is a wonderful time "outside of the moment" when we can teach our children, even very young ones, about the power of an apology as well as how to name and manage strong emotions. So in addition to telling the story of Jonah and the Whale and the many cute crafts and activities that can accompany that, I also incorporate some activities and literature about feelings. Here's a little peek at what we've been doing so far:

Tashlich, or the ritual casting away of last year's not-so-good-moments into a body of water with fish is typically done on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, but can be done until Yom Kippur. Here's a fun paper plate craft showing a pond full of fishies! Cut the center out of a white paper plate and cover from the back with clear contact paper or packing tape. Blue tissue paper "water" and construction paper fish can be stuck in the center by even very little hands for a fun holiday decoration.

To add another dimension to our learning about Tashlich, we also took a field trip to our local pet shop and brought home a couple of new additions to our tank!

This is a one of many books I love on teaching about anger. We are definitely in the terrific twos here at home where emotions of all sorts run on only one setting: HIGH. Many times those moments are not the ones that are most teachable, so we look for the quieter and calmer times to reinforce and expand on the language and problem-solving skills of dealing with anger and frustration.