Ideas to make Shavuos exciting for kids

Tue, May 09 2017, 9:28 am

Hi all! I am looking for ideas to make shavuos more meaningful to my kids (all girls) - 10 and 5 yrs old. We may do the har sinai cake, but I was hoping for something a bit more meaningful - like a cute way to get them to think about what Torah means to them, and why we are so lucky to have it....

Any ideas from all the creative mothers out there?

Thanks in advance!!!

amother

Ivory

Tue, May 09 2017, 1:41 pm

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We do a har sinai cake with a round pan with coconut or confection sugar with green food coloring. And those flowers that are like confetti. We put two wafers for the luchos
We also make milchig flowerets and pinwheels or braided flaky dough. We make towers out of yogurts. With the cheesecake we swirl the chocolate. We make torahs out of two asprin / winkies and put paper around it.
Did I mention my mom is morah?

Tue, May 09 2017, 1:46 pm

Thanks so much! Those are so creative! I guess I am looking less for projects (which my 5 yr old will def love), but a way to make yom tov more meaningful to the 10 yr olds. Basically get them to think about why we are happy we have the Torah, etc.....

Tue, May 09 2017, 2:44 pm

I know, I plan to do the har sinai as well, just looking for other ideas since I personally am not so creative. Smile

Thanks for any suggestions!

imeinu

Tue, May 09 2017, 10:46 pm

how about reading a nice book or learning together.
either about shavuos itself, or about some torah topic that is age appropriate?
I think Artscroll has a childrens megillas rus that is very nice for both ages you mention.

lkwdmom2

Tue, May 09 2017, 11:47 pm

One year we took a green styrofoam and put flower candies and other soft colorful candies like gum drops on skewers and put the skewers in the styrofoam to look like har Sinai with flowers on it. It was a centerpiece in middle of the table and then the kids ate the candy.

salt

Wed, May 10 2017, 2:54 am

Some communities make a 'tikun leyl shavuot' for kids. Doesn't have to be throughout the night, but staying up a bit late for kids is an attraction in itself.

It would take some organizing, but bringing in someone to give a shiur or run a Shavuot-related activity - possibly divide it into groups by age/ boys/girls, whatever works for you. Of course with a little refreshments.

Ideas for the shiur or activity itself I'd leave for the more education-oriented people. Even a lively teenager/ madrich/madricha-type, could be interested in doing something like (voluntarily or a little pay)

All this depends where you live - where I live in Israel the shul is local, and most of the kids can run home by themselves at the end of the evening, or have a bigger kid walk them home. But the kids love going - they feel like they're one of the grownups.

Wed, May 10 2017, 1:38 pm

That is such a cute idea! It would totally work in a development, but in my neighborhood kids can't walk around at night by themselves....I wonder if there is a way we can adapt it, though...

Keep the ideas coming! Smile

ima22

Wed, May 10 2017, 2:51 pm

What a nice idea, to do something not necessarily food related to bring meaning to your shavuos. You could arrange an age appropriate "shiur" for each of your kids in your house or locally for the night or for during the day. Maybe a local inspiring Morah/Rebbi would agree to do it (for pay?) Or you could recruit a friend in chinuch, high school girl.

Wed, May 10 2017, 2:58 pm

That's a great idea! I would be happy to host such a gathering, but I am not so sure what to do that would be fun or educational.....Any ideas from all the creative morahs out there?

CEF

Thu, May 11 2017, 4:25 pm

You can make a paper chain of little people. Write the well-known yidden from Avraham all the way through to gedolei hador today. the last little paper person has your child's name on it. the idea is that as they unravel the people chain they can see how many doros connect us to har sinai (and further back), I.e. from son, to father, to grandfather, etc and how they themselves are part of the mesorah. Does that make sense?

Mon, May 15 2017, 10:13 am

Wow, that is such a cool idea! Anyone else? I was even thinking of getting a group of girls on our block together, but I am not sure what educational games I could play with them that would not be "preachy".... Smile