As the High Holy Day period begins, many find themselves, as at no other time of year, thinking about their Jewish lives. If you are parents of young children, you may be paying more attention to Jewish traditions. If your children are pre-teens or teens, you are surely pondering ways to keep them involved in Jewish life. The key word, no matter what their age, is participation. Experiential Judaism is the approach that crosses all denominational lines.
Kids have to be part of Jewish holiday preparations, traditions and observances.
Since this gets harder and harder as they get older, start young. If they are already teens, you may have to drag them into the holidays, but drag away. Jewish involvement can be encouraged through Jewish books, which can teach about all aspects of Jewish life as they entertain. As always prior to the holidays, here is a brief look at selected new publications for children. This is a coloring and activity book that, in spite of some slightly confusing directions, is a good way to involve a young child in the holidays.