by Sheyenne Abraham, Adath Israel
There are many different ways that people can learn. Some learn best through lectures and others learn best when actually doing examples of what is being taught. On December 4, we met in person to learn about different ways we can get children engaged in learning, and having fun while doing so. We first started out with an activity where we rolled a die and read the word in the Hanukkah blessings that corresponded with the number that was facing up on the die. After this, we went to different stations to learn about the tools that we can use to engage children. There were games such as bingo or a memory game, blocks and puzzles, and a table with fidgets, and we made our own fidget out of pipe cleaners.
We worked with Suzanne Gold, who helped us to learn how to best get children engaged in learning. She taught us to use different manipulatives, games, and most importantly, to get the children moving. As an aid working with children on Shabbat, it is really helpful to know that there are various activities that one can use where writing, drawing, or coloring is not involved. As aids generally, it is valuable for us to learn how to create activities that will grab children’s attention, as well as teach them something. It was really fun to see everyone in person and to learn about the different activities we can use to help teach various ideas, concepts, or lessons to children of a wide range of ages.