Teaching Tip #20There is a well known saying, "you remember 10% of what you hear, 20% of what you see, but 90% of what you do." Whether the numbers are accurate or not, the point is keep kids engaged and active or they will forget it by lunch. If there's a message to be learned, have them either figure it out themselves or at least personally verbalize it.
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About This SiteA couple of years ago, I was elevated from the position of regular shul group leader to Parsha Man. This meant that Read More
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Shemot
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Discussion: Moshe saw the burden of his fellow Jews and tried to help them. More importantly, he was able to figure out what they needed without anyone telling him. (Granted it seems pretty obvious to us reading about it, but still.) Activity: Split the kids into teams. Each team needs to act out a scene where they are in need of help, but without talking. They keep going until someone who's not acting jumps in and does what they need. If they're wrong, the actors just nervously shake their heads and keep acting until someone else jumps in. Scenes can include we're in a boat with no paddle, we're all taking a test but no one brought a pen, we're doing construction but the scaffolding is falling, etc. |
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Props: - * slips of paper containing scrambled phrases of various ways to help around the house. For example, cooking dinner, reading a book, singing a lullaby, etc. Discussion: Shifra and Puah were told to kill the babies in the homes they entered. Instead, they did the opposite. They helped the babies live. How can we be more helpfull around the house? Do our parents and siblings want us be around, or can't wait until we leave? Activity: Hand everyone two scrambled words. They need to arrange themselves so they're standing in alphabetical order of what their words would be once they're unscrambled. But wait a second, I have two! Correct, trade until your two are next to each other alphabetically, and then stand in order. |
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Activity: According to the midrash, Batya's hand stretched out to collect Moshe from the water. One person (or two or three depending on the size of the group) stands in the middle, and everyone else stands on the outsides. The "monkey" has to inercept the ball as everyone else throws it to each other across the circle. Whoever threw it when the monkey catches it trades places and becomes the monkey. Watch as they stretch their hands above their heads trying to intercept the ball. Feel free to make a Space Jam reference too. |
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Props: - Basket - Something to represent Moshe (a doll, a stuffed animal) - *Optional: Baby Moshe "birth announcement" Activity: Put on a skit of Batya finding Moshe in the water. Cast includes Miriam, Batya, Batya’s servent, and Paraoh. Courtesy of Ellen H. |
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Props: - Building blocks Activity: Give each kid a few blocks, and instruct them to build a certain specific thing. Everyone's should look exactly the same. Then instruct them to reclaim their block and instead build whatever they want. They can combine, use their shoes as part of the buiding, whatever they like. Discussion: Now, which was more fun? Doing exactly what I told you or building it youself? Really? building it yourself was more fun? but when I told you what to build, it was so easy, right? You said you'd rather do things that are easy! Ohhh, because you got to use your imagination, decide for yourself, and that makes it more fun. So too, even though being a slave may be "easier," it's no fun to spend your whole life doing only what other people tell you. That's why the Jews hated being slaves so much. What kinds of things might they have wanted to do that the Egyptians wouldn't let them? |
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