Keeping Your Kids Learning, Connected and Engaged At Home

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By Jonathan Hughes, M.Ed.

You are stuck at home! Your kids are driving you up the walls! They haven’t seen their friends! They are missing your congregation’s children and youth programming! What are you to do? Don’t worry! We have some ideas to keep them learning, connected and engaged at home!

Build a Virtual Parents’ Community

Jewish hospitality and community is well known! Working together, solving problems together and sharing life together! This is what we do! This is why the first thing you can do, to help your kids make the most of the time at home, is reaching out to see what other families are doing. The congregation I attend created a Facebook group called, “Put the Social Back In Social Distancing.” In this group, families coordinate virtual play dates, share ideas of activities to do with their kids and offer support to each other. Go ahead and create your group today, invite families and start sharing ideas!

Hebrew

This is a great time for you to keep the Hebrew learning going, or if your kids have never started the worthwhile journey of learning Hebrew, now is a great time to start!

  • Duolingo: a great resource to learn Modern Hebrew. It plays like a game and has features for you to challenge your friends to stay at the top of the practice leaderboard. (Free) 

  • Learn to Read Hebrew: This simple web-based app is for anyone who hasn’t learned to sound out the Hebrew letters. You will quickly go from reading individual letters to reading full Hebrew words. (Free)

  • Living Language Courses: great resources for learning not only Biblical Hebrew but also Koine Greek. They offer book and CD programs, as well as online courses. (Paid)

  • Shalom Sesame: Have little ones you want to start getting familiar with Hebrew, Israel and Jewish Life? Why not have them learn by watching Shalom Sesame? And if you are feeling really adventurous, search for Rechov Sumsum, the all Hebrew Israeli version of Sesame Street. (Free)

Bible and Jewish Life

  • Bimbam: a treasure trove of quality videos on Jewish practice and Torah, all geared towards kids (and kids at heart). (Free)

  • PJ Library Family Activities: The same people who send out free Jewish themed books each month have also amassed family activities to keep your kids busy during this time. They are doing virtual story and craft time at their Facebook page, new activities throughout the day. (Free)

  • Jewish Kids Website: Packed with videos, games, stories, music and information about the Jewish holidays. Check out Chabad’s Jewish kids website for hours of free Torah learning. (Free)

Offline Activities

Interested in some offline activities? We have just what you are looking for!

Bible

  • Have your kids dress up as their favorite Bible character and tell a little bit about their life.

  • Read a story from the Bible and then allow your kids to choose an activity from our Choice Activities menu to show what they learned.

  • Make a nature journal to record all the beautiful and interesting things God has made.

  • Re-enact a Bible story with sock puppets.

Gospels

  • Read a story from the Gospels and have the kids act it out. It will be funny and meaningful!

  • Challenge your kids to memorize the words of Yeshua and make a celebration when they are ready to recite it.

  • Write a children’s book or create a cartoon about one of Yeshua’s teachings (i.e. giving tzedakah, caring for the needy, praying to God, etc.) 

Prayer

  • Create a gratitude journal and have your kids write a few things each day they are thankful for. Encourage them to pray and thank God for all the things He has given them. This is a great bedtime activity.

  • Teach them how to pray the Tehillim/Psalms for the sick. Tehillim 6, 9, 20, 30, 41, 88, 103, 121, 130, 142 are usually selected as prayers for the sick. As a family, dedicate time each day to pray these Tehillim together. 

Holidays

  • Have each kid choose a Jewish holiday and create a poster about it. Take turns presenting what they learned.

  • Encourage them to help plan the Shabbat menu and create table decorations. Create a theme for each Shabbat (i.e. pirate Shabbat, Shabbat in Paris, under the sea Shabbat, etc.)

  • Learn the songs for Pesach. Record a song and post it to social media to share with your friends. Tag it with #passoversongs2020

And if you run out of ideas, you can always get those kids working on that Pesach cleaning! 

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Jonathan Hughes, M.Ed. is a member of the UMJC Educators Committee, and the director of Sparks of Messiah Online Torah School, an online Torah school for young disciples of Yeshua. Sparks of Messiah has been delivering quality Torah education through distance learning for almost two years and would love to share our experience and help your congregation transition your children and youth programming to the virtual world. Access our Guidance for Messianic Congregations on Distance Learning White Paper and sign up for our free distance learning training.

He is also the founder and director of Behold! Messianic Jewish Education, a Messianic Jewish curriculum company which has created Learning Maps to help you select resources to teach Hebrew, Torah, discipleship to Yeshua, Jewish practice and holidays.

Special thanks to Yoshi McLeod for his input on activities.

Monique Brumbach