Dr. Emily AronoffAre you excited to celebrate Rosh HaShanah with your little ones? Let’s get ready to embrace the sweetness of the new year through meaningful music and activities! If you’re looking to engage your children in the joy and significance of the Jewish New Year, keep reading and learn how to incorporate these delightful songs and tips into your Rosh HaShanah celebration.
1) L’Shana Tova
by Josh Shriber (@jamtonejosh)
I like to have a few thematic echo songs in my backpocket for all occasions. This tune works for all ages. Once we’ve established that this is a “taking turns” song, I might use this to “bookend” the lesson or service- I like to end programs with a tune that is thematic and familiar. Remember to be playful when you call “l’shana tova” for the learners to echo- start with your normal voice but present it with diverse musical styles as the learners build confidence in their role to imitate you and respond.
2) Toot Toot
by Lisa Baydush (@lisabaydush)
Toot Toot by Lisa Baydush became a fast favorite when I heard it because it is so immediately engaging. Children use their hands to pretend they are holding up a shofar and practice “tooting” fast and slow on the first verse, high and low in the second. This creates a great opportunity to build musical vocabulary as you playfully lead shifts in dynamics and pitch.
3) Five Little Apples
by Emily Aronoff aka Miss Emily
This Rosh HaShanah songs written for babies and toddlers is simple song takes a familiar frame and favorite activity (counting) and adds familiar New Year’s items and ideas: apples and sharing. Apples are typically easy enough to acquire- I highly recommend procuring 5 (maybe 6 in case some kid snags a bite of one) to use as props. This song uses names quite intentionally- it is a fun game for the kids and gives the community the opportunity to learn about one another (if you don’t know the names of your students yet, consider supplying name tags until you do).
5 little apples from a tree
Ready to dip in sweet honey!
I gave one to ________ for a New Year's treat.
How many are left for us to eat??
4 little apples...
4) Happy Birthday World
by Eliana Light (@_elianalight)
Super singable and simple with a touch of silly! A perfect combination. The words “HaYom HaRat Olam” mean “Today the world was born”. I appreciate the way she models the interactivity this song encourages.
5) Busy Like a Bee
by Stephanie Leavell (@musicforkiddos)
“Busy Like A Bee” by Stephanie Lovell is a delightful movement song encourages children to explore the process of honey-making while engaging in large motor movements. With their ‘wings up’ (elbows in the air, arms bent), little ones can buzz around the room like bees, while large paper flowers serve as playful props. As you sing along, seize the opportunity to educate both children and adults about an interesting fact: the Hebrew word for honey, ‘devash,’ originally referred to date honey, not honey from bees!
6) The World is a Circle
by Craig Taubman
I distribute scarves and lead this song as a large movement activity- this works in groups of participants from about 5 kids with at least one other grown up (multiple models of participation is the ultimate behavior management strategy) to groups of 100. If you are working with a large group, ask helpers to distribute the scarves and make sure that your sound system can emit a volume that works when your learners are moving across a large space.
Movement Prompts & Lyrics:
start by walking in one direction, moving around the perimeter of your room holding hands in a circle
Lyric
The world is a circle, a never ending circle,
A never ending circle going round and round.
The sun goes up and the moon goes down, and the world goes around and around and round.
I am a part of the circle, a part of the circle going round and round
Movement
Pause at ‘never ending circle’ then each person in the circle spins their own body on ‘round and round’
Feet stay planted, stretch high/throw scarf on words ‘goes up’, catch and stretch to floor on words ‘go down’
Each person spins again
group holds hands to make a circle moves as a whole, spinning on words ‘round and round’
7) Apples Dipped in Honey
I sing this simple song in English and in Hebrew and ask the kids to tell me what they know about Rosh HaShanah snacks.
I use a real jar of honey and basket of apples to cue singers when to they should sing the words “apples” and “honey”
8) Shananananananana Tova (TTO Hal’l’l’l’l’luah
I re-purposed the melody to one of my favorite tunes- Hal’l’l’l’l’luah to make it work for the High Holy season:
Shananananananananana Tova, Shanananananana tova! (x2)
Wave hello to someone far away from you, wave hello and say “Happy New Year…. Shananananananananana Tova, Shanananananana tova! (x2) Give a high five to someone sitting near you- give a high five and show them your smile….
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9) Shana Tova Fingerplay
This song is perfect for tickles and cuddles!
Lyrics for Fingerplay:
Shana Tova, It’s a new year
Let’s have a year thats sweet
Let’s spread the sweetness all around From your head to your feet!
Shana tova to your _________ (literally anything can fill in this blank!)
Shana tova to your shoulders, Shana tova to your toes
Shana tova to your tummy, Shana tova to your nose!
Shana tova to your polkies, shana tova to your hips
Shana tova to your ears, shana tova tova to your lips!
10) Shofar Blast
by Ellen Allard (@ellenallardmusic)
This has become the classic Rosh HaShanah song of this generation, it is a brilliant tune! As we conclude the song, I repeat the final “happy happy happy new year” a few times. For the last chorus, I’ll prompt “Grand finale- sing to me!” then sing that last part again…
”happy happy happy new year” this time turn to a friend and tell them…
“happy happy happy new year” sing it so loud the neighbors hear….
“Happy happy happy new year!”
Sing sweet songs your kids will love
This list of Rosh HaShanah songs for babies, toddlers, and kids is by no means exhaustive, just a collection of a few of my tried and true favorites. Whatever way you choose to share Rosh HaShanah in early childhood, I hope you and your munchkins enjoy. Shana Tova!
