by Tasha Raymond

Created on: November 17, 2009

As with any religion, one of the hardest things to get children to do is memorize the words that are the most important. Ask any child to list off words that their parents never want to hear and they will be successful. Ask them to recite a verse of sacred texts and they look at you as though you were form Mars. When it comes to the holiday of Hanukkah, there is no exception. However, there are a few things that you can do to help teach your children the Hanukkah blessings.

One of the first things you should do before the upcoming holiday is sit with your child and explain to them what the Hanukkah blessings mean. Don't tell them the actual blessing alone, but the importance behind it. Every child wants to know the why or things. That's part of the wonder that is a child: the wonder the child has. Make sure that you don't treat this as a chore, however. Do it when you feel the time is right, when you yourself are feeling in the holiday spirit. Sometimes simply hearing the meaning behind something is enough for a child to begin learning the blessings on their own.

Next, say the blessings with your child. Help them practice forming their words and pronouncing the Hebrew. In this day and age, speaking in Hebrew is almost as common place as speaking in Swahili and may take your child plenty of practice. (Aside from that, it can't hurt to practice it yourself!) Do get discouraged with them when they stumble or mispronounce something; don't let them get discouraged. Religion is something that should be somber, but not burdensome. As soon as your child feels that is a burden, they will cave and not try.

Setting the blessings to song is another possibility. As long as the tone and inflection that you are using is appropriate (we wouldn't want to use Saturday Night by the BeeGees or anything of that sort), than the blessing can remain respectful and still have their meaning. For some children, the sound of the tone that is combined with the blessing may mean more to them than the words themselves. From an early age we learn to combine emotions more so with sound than with the literal meaning of words.

If you have a household with multiple children, or have other young family members or friends that are learning the blessings, having them say it together at the same time may help. This removes any possible cause for embarrassment. If one child forgets the words, they have another to fall back on. This also helps to build a sense of connection to others during this holiday of solidarity.

While the three blessings of Hanukkah may seem simple enough, they hold with them a lot of meaning. It is important that anyone celebrating the day do not only know the meaning behind the words, but know the meaning by heart. When we remember something to the point that we can recite it without help from others, than we know that it is coming from within. For children, knowing these blessings will help them feel more apart of the ceremony and will help them build a stronger connection with the day itself and its historical and religious meaning.

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