This year we collaborated with our fantastic friends PJ Library Bay Area to celebrate Rosh Hashanah by exploring and modeling Tashlich, cuddling together to read one of our favorite Rosh Hashanah books, Tashlich at Turtle Rock, and then creating our own Be Your Best Self in 5786 Quilt! It’s a simple and oh-so-sweet activity that really gave me all the warm fuzzies and a really uplifting perspective for this new year. It would be the perfect Rosh Hashanah activity to add to the first day afternoon.
I’ve mentioned before that one of my favorite Rosh Hashanah traditions is Tashlich. I love taking that time to look deeply inside, reflect on the past year, then toss away what we want to say goodbye to and open ourselves up to focusing on how we can be our best selves in the new year. Tashlich at Turtle Rock is such a thoughtful book that explains this ritual in a beautiful and accessible way. It was a great way to introduce and review the ritual before we explored this activity together.
What You’ll Need
- Construction paper
- Scissors
- Markers or crayons
- Glue
- Hole punch
- Yarn
Putting It Together
1. Cut rectangles out of the construction paper, at least one per person. We made two per person and used multiple different colors.
2. Cut hearts out of paper (we used white to stand out but you can use any color).
3. Read a book like Tashlich at Turtle Rock and/or review the concept of Tashlich, explaining how this is a time to think deeply, reflect on the past year and things you want to let go of and not repeat and focus on the things you want to do better with in this new year.
4. Have each person write or draw that intention on a heart, helping as needed.
5. Glue a heart on each rectangle and let dry.
6. Organize the quilt pieces (rectangles) in a way that looks lovely to you (we alternated colors).
7. Hole punch two holes on the top and/or bottom and either or both sides depending on the location of the rectangle. The quilt pieces along the edge don’t get punched on their perimeter sides.
8. Cut yarn then tie the quilt pieces together to form a quilt.
9. Hang up and enjoy your Be Your Best Self in 5786 Quilt!
Finished & Loving It!
I’m such a fan of the simplicity of this activity. You just need paper, markers, a hole punch, yarn and your family. Then take those few breaths to center yourselves and ask how you can be the very best person you can be in the new year before writing or drawing those intentions on the paper.
It’s scalable to different ages and abilities and when tied together, all those sweet pieces from the whole family make not only a beautiful Rosh Hashanah decoration, but a visual representation for your year to come ❤️
If you want to see how we created this special quilt, check out our instagram reel here!
In addition to creating your own family craft, or even using this activity for a community or classroom Tashlich-like ritual, enjoy exploring PJ Library’s High Holiday collection and resources and make sure to sign up to get your own engaging books delivered to your home all year long!
With Rosh Hashanah starting just this upcoming Monday evening, wishing you all a huge and beautiful Shanah Tovah!!
Check out our page dedicated to the High Holidays, our High Holidays Hub. It includes some of the High Holidays activities we do this year, as well as the activities we’ve done in previous years.
If you’re looking for an easy packet with a whole bunch of High Holiday activities, check out our High Holidays Activities Packet for Early Learners! Like our other holiday activities packets, this packet is over 100 pages, filled with so many amazing literacy, math, fine motor skill, play, and just plain fun activities! This would be a wonderful addition to your child’s High Holiday learning experience!
And don’t forget our Rosh Hashanah Montessori-Style 3 Part Cards, our Yom Kippur Montessori-Style 3 Part Cards, or the High Holidays Montessori-Style 3 Part Card Bundle, all a wonderful way to introduce High Holidays!
The following sites are amazing resources for learning more about this holiday:
Chag Sameach!!
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