Dr. Emily AronoffShavuot is coming! 🌸🎶 Welcome to my Shavuot songs for kiddos collection! These songs harness the immense power of music to nurture spiritual connections through shared musical experiences. Through these melodies, little ones can discover the joy of Shavuot and forge a bond with the Jewish community. Let’s celebrate this special holiday as we sing, learn, and grow together. 📜
These songs are designed to engage children in creating meaning through music, fostering deeper connections with Torah and Jewish practices while celebrating the joyous festival of Shavuot. By incorporating strategies such as activating context knowledge, fingerplay, movement songs, and interactivity, we provide an interactive and engaging platform for children to learn about the significance of Shavuot.
If you are in a setting where showing a video clip could be appropriate, I think this Shalom Sesame Mt. Sinai Clip does a great job with a simple overview.
Shavuot Sweet Beat by Miss Emily
I wrote this song to boost engagement, geared for children about 4 and up. I wanted it to be playful and invite meaningful engagement- so please adapt the tune to best suit your learner’s needs. Encourage children to brainstorm different types of Shavuot foods and take turn being the leader of the rhythm band! Read the full song tutorial here.
Torah Learning is so sweet
Shavuot Sweet Beat by Miss Emily
Like milk and honey, its a treat
On Shavuot, these foods we eat
Can you name and tap them to a beat?
Then, take turns tipping sticks to the syllables of a dairy food:
Strawberry cheese cake
Coconut Cream Pie
Chocolate Chop Blintzes
Etc…
Torah So Sweet by Ellen Allard
I love this simple, sweet zipper song that invites all kinds of movement
Lyrics:
Torah, Torah, Torah, Torah, Torah Torah
Ellen Allard, Torah So Sweet
So Sweet (kiss)
Torah, Torah, Torah, Torah, Torah Torah
Makes me want to get up on my feet
And __ (movement) (x3)
All day long
And sing my song,
I’m gonna sing my Torah Song
Two Tablets by Elana Jagoda
I share shaker eggs to prompt engagement while sharing this song, the verses are wordy and I don’t expect the children to participate by singing those words, so I want to supply a prop that prompts additional engagement,
I love to prompt children with an animated rendition of the chorus “Oh! No! Oh! No, No!” with exaggerated movements, a surprised face and hands up for “Oh!” and shaking a head “no” looking down and putting a hand to the forehead for “No!”.
The concept of “Two Tablets” is a pretty foreign one to most of our kiddos, so I highly suggest providing a visual example of the 10 commandments on pieces of stone.
When Moses came down from the mountain
Two Tablets, Elana Jagoda
He saw the golden calf When Moses came down from the mountain
He broke the two tablets in half
Chorus: Oh no! Oh no! Oh! No, No! (x2)
The Israelites grew tired of waiting For their leader to return
When they still saw no sign from up the mountain They turned to Moshe’s brother Aharon
They said build us an idol (oh no oh no)
The Israelites rejoiced singing and dancing Offered sacrifices to the golden calf
Little did they know that up there on the mountain
Moshe was trying to lessen God’s wrath v They had built an idol (oh no, oh no)
What God saw was an abomination
He threatened to destroy the Jewish nation
But Moshe pleaded with God
Moshe pleaded with God
He said remember what you promised to Avraham
When Moses came down
from the mountain
He saw the golden calf
When Moses came down
from the mountain
He broke the two tablets in half Yes he broke the two tablets in half
10 Rules by ‘Miss Emily’
I wrote this song because young children love to count! I encourage engagement by modeling movements with my hands and fingers, inviting children to participate in a myriad of ways; they can sing, count, listen, point, or move.
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10
Rules from way up high
Moses climbed the mountain,
Got the Torah on Mt. Sinai! REPEATGod gave the rules to Moses,
Moses gave the rules to the Jews
We are the Jewish people
Cuz’ we are the people who choose (to follow..)CHORUS
I love learning Torah
Learning Torah is sweet
It helps me make kind choices
And be kind to the people I meet (I follow…)CHORUS
The rules are called commandments,
Miss Emily, 10 Rules
There’s more to learn as we grow
We’ll keep learning Torah
Because there is so much more to know (to follow…)
“Shout Em’ Out: Old School Rules” by Naomi Less
I love this adorable video with ‘SchoolHouse Rock’ vibes that offers simple (not overly graphic) depictions of the commandments that make them more relatable to young children.
At Har Sinai by Eliana Light
I love that this song is all about using our senses! I use Ellen Allard’s “God, God, God” generously, and like to use it as a warm-up for this tune.
613 Commandments by Debbie Friedman
This one is a nostalgic delight for me, and while it is definitely a bit wordier than the songs I typically choose for young children, I explain that I’ll share a story through the verses while they take a listening turn, and ask them to help me share the chorus, explaining that word and teaching that musical concepts as the part of the song that happens again and again.
I lean into the emotions conveyed in the song, prompting participants to make a ‘mad’ face like Moses might have when he saw the calf, a ‘surprised’ face like the people might have had when Moses lost his temper, or the ‘joyful’ face of being given another chance and getting the Torah.
Lyrics:
CHORUS
Well there were 613 commandments that Moses handed to us
As we stood at the foot of the mountain of Sinai
Our dear Moses started to fuss
He threw two tablets onto the ground
And much to our surprise
The ten commandments broke into pieces
And we couldn’t believe our eyes.
Because the Torah was much too long to describe to all the Jews
Our God decided to write ten commandments that said the don’ts and do’s
Every commandment talked about the way we have to live
When we work or play, cook or clean, borrow, take or give
Cause there were….CHORUS
As we stood at the bottom of the mountain and listened to Moshe
He asked how many wanted the Torah and a bunch of us said, “Yah”;
We thought about the way life was and the way life ought to be
Without the Torah we would have been lost and stuck with idolatry
Cause there were….CHORUS
So when it’s time to celebrate Chag HaShavuot
We all rejoice ’cause the Torah’s ours to study, teach and quote
Had we not made a promise to be chosen and to choose
Remember that there wouldn’t be a people called the Jews
Cause there were….
I’m On My Way to Freedom Land (trad)
The traditional spiritual “On My Way to Freedom Land” connects the moment in the story of Exodus with modern pursuits of freedom. The Jewish people received the Torah at Mt. Sinai after leaving Egypt, journeying toward Israel, their Freedom Land. Revived by the civil rights movement in the 60s, this spiritual resonates with adult participants, reminding them that while we enjoy freedom, there are still people worldwide who do not. Encourage students to understand this through the song’s ‘call and response’ style, which can be found in various renditions and recordings.
Torah Tziva Lanu Moshe by Abbie Strauss
I appreciate the simple song because it encourages children to simply echo the hebrew words that are heard weekly at synagogues around the world “Torah Tziva Lanu Moshe”. I’ll introduce this song by asking what the Torah is and how the Jewish people got the Torah…that way, I a) get a better understanding of their background knowledge so I can customize my presentation to best meet their needs and b)provide an opportunity for the children to build confidence and reinforce what they are learning. Then, I’ll translate the words one at a time, using my Moses puppet and a plush Torah. Moses gave us (the Jewish people) Torah!
As I sing the song and ask them to echo me, I’ll walk around the space with the Moses puppet, handing children the Torah and holding up the prop when we say the corresponding hebrew word.
Her song features the entire verse from our final Torah Portion, “Torah tziva lanu Moshe, morasha, kehillat Yaakov” which means “Moses gave us the Torah, it is an inheritance to the nation of Jacob.” but I don’t include that part of the song in early childhood settings. Use it if it works for you!
Lyrics:
Abbie Strauss, Torah Tziva Lanu
Torah (Torah)
Tziva (Tziva)
Lanu (Lanu)
Moshe (Moshe)
Sweet As Honey by Dan Nichols
Sweet as honey, sweet as honey, sweet as honey on our tongue
Sweet As Honey (La’asok b’divrei Torah, Dan Nichols
Sweet as honey, sweet as honey, sweet as honey on our tongue
Ba-ruch A-tah A-do-nai
E-lo-hei-nu Me-lech ha-o-lam
A——-sher k’-di-sha-nu b’-mitz-vo-tav v’-tzi-va-nu
La-a—-sok b’-div-rei To-rah T
La-a-sok b’-div-rei To-rah
Throughout our exploration of these captivating songs, we can weave a beautiful tapestry of Jewish learning, engaging our children with themes from gratitude to Torah teachings. This experience has illuminated the power of music to connect our children, families, and wider community to our Jewish heritage and to their own spiritual development. May these songs continue to echo in our hearts, guiding us on our journey of nurturing and celebrating the richness of Jewish life for years to come.
Seek Support Songleading For Kiddos
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