What brachas do your 3 year olds know?

raleighima

Tue, Aug 07 2018, 3:25 pm

I didn't come from an observant family and became observant a while ago, but I'm always nervous I'm not doing enough at home with my children. I'm wondering what your three year olds know for daily routines, Shabbat, and chagim?

Any tips on getting the food brachas memorized? Games? Simple modeling over time?

Thanks in advance.

pesek zman

Tue, Aug 07 2018, 3:27 pm

Al netilas yadaiim and mezonos are pretty much the only brachos she knows

Why do you need your 3 year old to memorize brachos? Way too young for that!

mha3484

Tue, Aug 07 2018, 3:28 pm

My kids learn all the food brachos in 3 year old preschool also the bracha on his tztizis. DH and I and my 7 year old try to model it as well. Also you can get boruch learns his brachos by shmuel kunda its super cute.

LovesHashem

Tue, Aug 07 2018, 3:49 pm

They'll also learn from you, hearing it around the house.

amother

Maroon

Tue, Aug 07 2018, 3:57 pm

Kids adapt to what they see are home. I make brachos with my babies from when they're little & at 3 they mostly know the brachos. But we all try to say aloud, young and old. Did she learn brachos yet in school? She should be at the level of the class.

rgr

Tue, Aug 07 2018, 4:07 pm

Whatever you do teach, make sure it's pressure free

amother

Lilac

Tue, Aug 07 2018, 5:12 pm

My 2.5 year old home with me, knows all.
It comes with time.... constant teaching etc.
They just absorb if you’re consistent.

agreer

Tue, Aug 07 2018, 5:29 pm

NONE!!! He just knows to say amen (sometimes)...and that's totally fine with me :-)

amother

Taupe

Tue, Aug 07 2018, 8:14 pm

amother wrote:

This. I would say the bracha for her when she was a baby.
She feels sooo big knowing which bracha to make. Sometimes when she's in a mood she will refuse to make a bracha. I remind her once that it's a big mitzvah and she can put a brick on the bais hamikdash. She Usually gets excited and starts. If not, then I let it slide.

She turned 3 right before purim and at this age she pretty much remembers all chagim.
Lots of yom tov educational cds, coloring books and mini chagim toys help too.

She knows all about shabbos. It comes once a week! And we make some traditional foods every week on friday like potaote kugel and chicken soup with noodles.
Summer time she goes to sleep at her regular bedtime before shabbos starts so I feed her shabbos food for Friday supper.

On shabbos morning she knows it's shabbos because I put her on special shabbos pj's on friday night so in the morning it reminds her it's shabbos and she knows not to take out the muktzah toys, coloring books and markers/crayons. Also, she loves checking to see the white table cloth and candle sticks on the dining room table shabbos morning.

Really at 3 she knows what she sees at home and what she learns in daycare/playgroup/preschool.

At this age, it is about getting into habits creating nice memories of shabbos and yom tov.

Most days my kids don't see their daddy. Shabbos is the only time he gets to make this them breakfast, to play a game with them.
It's not about the bracha (although it's good practice if you can do it) But about creating a love of yiddishkeit.

amother

Blonde

Tue, Aug 07 2018, 8:41 pm

He knows all food brachos, knows how to wash negel vasser on his own and asks for Shabos cereal when he wakes up on Shabbos morning.
All from gentle, gradual modeling.

amother

Cerise

Tue, Aug 07 2018, 8:50 pm

My 3 yo can say brachos along with me but does not know any independently. I'm totally not concerned. My older kids all picked it up at some point in preschool with enough repetition at home and at school. I don't make them do anything, I just say the bracha aloud and they usually join in. If not, move right along. Dh and I both ffb yeshivish.