Keep kids engaged at the shabbos table

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Forum -> Yom Tov / Holidays -> Shabbos, Rosh Chodesh, Fast Days, and other Days of Note

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amother

Sun, Jan 10 2021, 2:35 pm

Does anyone have a book suggestion which includes stories/ riddles to keep kids engaged at the shabbos table? Kids are 8 and 6....and some weeks let's just say don't go so well...

Hashem_Yaazor

Sun, Jan 10 2021, 2:41 pm

Is your goal to keep them there the whole meal? If so, I can't help.

Our goal is to make shabbos a day that my kids are excited about. So when they're at the table, they're contributing or eating or both, and when it's too much for them and they have completed both those goals, we happily let them leave to play.

amother

Sun, Jan 10 2021, 2:45 pm

Is your goal to keep them there the whole meal? If so, I can't help

No.We let them go off to play. I just looking for a book which we could use to prepare short stories for when they are at the table

Aylat

Sun, Jan 10 2021, 2:57 pm

The Midrash Says or The Little Midrash Says.

amother

Mustard

Sun, Jan 10 2021, 3:01 pm

Torah Tots has a Parsha Parade you can print each week. It has a binch of little lessons, and you can choose.

They used to have a fabulous game called "Replace the Pickle" that I don't see anymore, but you can do your own. Basically, it's a fill in the blank mini quiz about the parsha. You would say, "Moshe's stick turned into a PICKLE!" And they would replace the pickle with "snake". Because it's silly, it works.

amother

Rose

Sun, Jan 10 2021, 3:28 pm

Do you have kid friendly food
When my kids were little I use to make rice with little hotdogs
The kids would pick out all the hotdogs

amother

Taupe

Sun, Jan 10 2021, 4:01 pm

We get silly parsha questions from Rabbi Mottel Friedman, the kids love them! He also sends out a parsha poem. I read the lines, and have them guess the end rhyming word.

amother

Sun, Jan 10 2021, 4:04 pm

How do I get hold of these rhymes? They sound great!

amother

Taupe

Sun, Jan 10 2021, 4:23 pm

https://parshasheets.com/newsl.....emos/
https://parshasheets.com/newsl.....emos/

amother

Sun, Jan 10 2021, 4:52 pm

amother [ Taupe ] wrote:

https://parshasheets.com/newsletter/parsha-poems-silly-parsha-questions-for-kids-shemos/
https://parshasheets.com/newsl.....emos/

Thanks a mill. Fab!

amother

Bisque

Mon, Jan 11 2021, 7:49 am

I offer “parsha nosh” if they say a dvar Torah or answer parsha questions. I tell them they can have it for dessert after they eat the meal.
My husband often has a good story prepared but you can tell the story too. There are so many books with short , inspirational stories you can read from.
We often ask challenging questions from the midrash and whoever gets it right wins a gift card to sprinkles (ice cream store). There’s zemiros to be sung and sometimes my husband who happens to have a good voice to lead will give the kids a part to sing themselves.
I just saw advertised that there is something called shabbos table cards. It seems to be a game of questions asked at the table to kids.
And I’m the type who makes franks’n blanks, mini carrot muffins, I put out plates of pickles and buy a shabbos drink all for the kids to look forward to and enjoy each week.

amother

Scarlet

Mon, Jan 11 2021, 8:20 am

Rabbi Yitzchok Zilberstein - What If... Volume 2: Fascinating Halachic discussions, for the Shabbos Table

amother

Natural

Mon, Jan 11 2021, 9:07 am

There’s a Hebrew book called “sippur l’shabbos “ has such beautiful stories( not necessarily related to shabbos)
Had pretty much the same problem where the shabbos table was a chaotic place to be. Bh my kids love listening to my husband translate the story in yiddish

amother

Seashell

Mon, Jan 11 2021, 10:17 am

I've been doing stories from Living Emunah- the ones for kids- my 7 year old loves it and brings it to the table for me to read.
I ask them questions (there are questions as part of the story) and they all get a chance to share their thoughts. I'm so happy I started doing it.

amother

Aubergine

Mon, Jan 11 2021, 1:38 pm

Just a gentle warning. I grew up (granted there was additional issues) where each boy was expected to have a dvar torah prepared and were ordered to say it at the table. And if they didn't have one, then they were in for it. Let's just say the end of the story is that not all of those boys are now frum. I'm not saying that was the only reason, but I can't help but feel it definitely didn't help.
Please, please, please, don't force your children to say dvar torahs at the table. In my house we have discussions. We try to keep it to torah things and no one is asked for a dvar torah. We discuss the parsha and what happened, dh usually brings interesting midrashim that the kids enjoy.

amother

Slategray

Mon, Jan 11 2021, 1:46 pm

We read tell me the story of the parsha, my first parsha reader, and the little midrash says,. My older kids take turns reading.

amother

Mustard

Mon, Jan 11 2021, 3:15 pm

amother [ Aubergine ] wrote:

If a kid in my family brings home a dvar torah with instructions to tell it over, if they don't want to say it at the table, they can tell me privately later. Or I check off their completion for participating in a conversation.

We also have one kid who doesn't tend to want to give over, and doesn't like that he doesn't know as much to contribute to conversations as the others. So when we have parsha questions, or when this kid brings home questions, they ask the questions to everyone else and lead that part, rather than having to know it themselves.

amother

Royalblue

Mon, Jan 11 2021, 3:37 pm

"My Very First Parsha Reader" book. Easy to read, plenty of pictures, and questions at the end of each parsha.

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