Play “My Menorah” Together

Download the app “My Menorah” and play it together with your child, setting the scene for the following activities on today’s theme: Generosity

Parents’ Exercise: Working the Muscle of Generosity

For each of the eight days of Chanukah, intentionally identify ways to be generous. You may choose to be generous with your time or with money- or both. One act of generosity may be directed toward a family member while another may be directed towards a stranger. You may even choose to be generous with yourself, if that is a departure from your normal routine.

Thinking Like a Giver

Children learn more deeply when knowledge is presented in concrete form, so a great way to introduce concepts about generosity is by considering the process of getting someone a physical gift. Here, you can create the opportunity for the child to more deeply understand the effort involved in giving.

Questions to Consider when trying to “think like a giver”:

• Who will the gift be for?
• What would the recipient enjoy?
• Where can I get that?
• Once it’s acquired, will it be wrapped? What kind of wrapping would the recipient like?
• What is the best way to get the gift to the recipient?

Ask your child what else goes into giving someone a gift. Is there anything missing from this list?

Switch roles

Allow the child to become a giver. S/he can choose one of the new gifts received for Chanukah, or can go to the store to pick something out. It can be given to a sibling or relative or a stranger (maybe for a local children’s shelter, etc.) It almost doesn’t matter who will ultimately receive the gift, as long as the child has gone through the process of considering other people’s feelings.