Family Learning Resources

SCHECK HILLEL COMMUNITY SCHOOL

FAMILY LEARNING RESOURCES The Magic of Family Play Play facilitates family togetherness, promotes social emotional learning skills, fosters executive function, and makes memories for life! This resource provides tips and ideas to unleash the magic of play.

Tips for Play on Shabbat and Jewish Holidays

Prepare your games before the start of Shabbat and holidays, keeping in mind laws that restrict writing, tearing, or using electronics. Activities followed by an asterisk are Shabbat-friendly.

No Power? No Worries!

For hurricane closures and other stay-at-home days, a little preparation can deliver fun surprises for kids and adults alike. These ideas for creative play and learning fun can be used when the power is out, windows are shuttered and all screens are dark.

Play is the highest form of research.

-Albert Einstein

Shabbat friendly games

BOARD/TABLE GAMES

Games invented in Israel/by Israelis

Board games enhance vocabulary, encourage higher-level thinking and teach good sportsmanship. Many of the games suggested below offer “junior” versions for preschoolers and lower elementary ages.

Sequence*

Set* Ages 7+

Ages 8+

Underlying skills: Strategic thinking

Underlying skills: Visual perception

Rush Hour*

The Game of Life* Ages 8+

Ages 8+

Underlying skills: Reasoning and planning

Underlying skills: Making life choices, facing adventures and consequences

Scrabble*

Rat a Tat Cat* Ages 8+

Underlying skills: Word formation, vocabulary, counting, scorekeeping

Mancala*

Ages 6+ Underlying skills: Timing and basic mathematical concepts

Checkers*, Chess* Ages 6+

All ages

Underlying skills: Mathematical, strategic thinking

Underlying skills: Spatial orientation, strategic thinking

Settlers of Catan*

Ticket to Ride* Ages 10+

Ages 8+

Underlying skills: Usage of resources, strategic thinking

Underlying skills: Strategy, geography

Scheck Hillel Community School | Family Learning Resources

Shabbat friendly games

BOARD/TABLE GAMES

Othello*

Games invented in Israel/by Israelis

Pictionary Jr. Ages 7+

Ages 7+

Underlying skills: Strategy

Underlying skills: Vocabulary, creativity

Jenga*

Story Cubes Ages 6+

Ages 6+

Underlying skills: Physical skill, pre-engineering

Underlying skills: Verbal, creative, writing skills

Battleship*

Lego* Ages 7+

All ages Underlying skills: Creativity, motor skills, spatial awareness

Underlying skills: Strategy

Bananagrams

Rummikub* Ages 7+

Ages 8+

Underlying skills: Spelling skills, strategy

Underlying skills: Mathematical, observational skills

Taki*

Mastermind*

6+

Ages 8+

Underlying skills: Resembles UNO

Underlying skills: Code-breaking, logic

Ages

Scheck Hillel Community School | Family Learning Resources

CREATIVE/ACTIVE GAMES • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Charades* Write short poems and share in a family poetry jam Riddles and brain teasers Put together a family songbook with lyrics of favorite songs Dance without music Create and perform a skit/dramatic play* Create a treasure hunt at home or in the neighborhood Start a family book club. Choose an appropriate book to read together; family members take turns selecting reads all can enjoy.* Word scrambles Design your own board or card game Assemble “care bags” for homeless or needy persons Write someone a letter Make gratitude chains Jigsaw puzzles* Bake-off competition Family albums and related family stories

Look for the Jewish editions of these popular games:

Games to play with a deck of cards:

• • • • •

• • • • • • •

Sequence* Spot It!* Apples to Apples* Monopoly Jerusalem Edition* Bananagrams Hebrew*

Concentration matching game* Math facts * War* Go Fish* Crazy Eights* CBT 1-2-3* Mad Dragon*

Games to play with dice: • Math facts* • Number match* • Number sequence*

Scheck Hillel Community School | Family Learning Resources

TABLE TOPICS* These are “sharing and caring” conversation starters that can be used flexibly.

Family Trivia

• Where did mom and dad meet?

• Who was the first member of the family to go to college?

• What was Bubbie’s maiden name?

• Why is cousin Ziggy named Ziggy?

These questions can lead to storytelling and sharing.

Weekly Parasha Flyer

Look in your child’s backpack for topics and stories related to the weekly Torah portion. Take turns around the Shabbat table reading and relating the parashah to core values and life lessons.

Would You Rather

Would you rather be an eagle or a cheetah? Why? Come up with choices in any category (living things, machines, famous people, characters in Chumash) and encourage open-ended conversation about making every day choices.

Tell Me More

When children bring up a sensitive subject or issue, use this simple phrase to encourage conversation: “Tell me more.” Ask open-ended questions that encourage depth and trust. Remember that as parents we don’t always have answers to every question. We admit this and offer support and care as maturity develops.

More Conversation Starters (Thank you to VeryWellFamily)

Imagination • If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?

• If you wrote a book, what would it be about?

• If your pets could talk, what would they say?

• What color is the happiest color?

What makes it happy?

Empathy • Did you have a chance to be kind to anyone today?

• How do you think other people feel when you’re kind to them?

• Who gets teased at school or in your activities, and why?

• How do you think kids who do the teasing feel about themselves? How do you think kids who get teased feel?

• Does anyone else ever step in to stick up for the kids being teased?

Confidence • What are you most proud of?

• What is something you are good at?

• What are some things you can do to make a difference in the world?

• If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?

Scheck Hillel Community School | Family Learning Resources

Juda and Maria Diener Lower School Samuel and Henrietta Scheck Middle School Ben Lipson Upper School

From early childhood through Grade 12, Scheck Hillel Community School educates and inspires students to become exemplary global citizens with enduring Jewish identity, values and a commitment to the State of Israel, through a college preparatory curriculum and meaningful co-curricular experiences, guided by Orthodox teachings and set within a nurturing, diverse community. Scheck Hillel is one of the world’s largest Jewish community day schools and a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.

19000 NE 25 Avenue, North Miami Beach, FL 33180 eHillel.org