Costumes, groggers, and hamantaschen; make mishloach manot bags.
Children wonder and discover; you facilitate more than you lecture.
- Why is it important to stand up for ourselves and others?
- What is a hero?
- Who are your heroes?
On Purim we celebrate Queen Esther, who bravely stood up for the Jewish people. We dress up, read the megillah, eat hamantaschen, and give gifts of food (mishloach manot).
- Megillah — the Esther scroll
- Grogger — noisemaker
- Mishloach manot — gifts of food
- “Why do we make noise?”
- To blot out the name of the villain Haman and to celebrate Esther’s bravery.
- Children can tell the Purim story simply and name customs.
- Children explore courage and standing up for others.
Offer costume alternatives (a hat, a sticker) so children who dislike dressing up still join the fun.
Folktale. Queen Esther’s Courage (Megillah) — a hidden queen bravely reveals who she is to save her people.
Changemaker. Aly Raisman — an Olympic gymnast who chose Hava Nagila for her floor routine, so that the whole world watching heard a Jewish song.
I wonder about a time I was brave like Esther?
“We learned to be brave like Esther. Try at home: deliver mishloach manot to a friend or neighbor.”