We are so excited to celebrate our bar mitzvah and really want the celebration to focus on him and his favorites, which is why I made a B’nai Mitzvah Brainstorming Printable to help jumpstart and then record all these thoughts! I wanted to make sure we had his favorites and priorities at the forefront of our planning so that we can work together to create the most meaningful experience for him.
And to make it even better, my bar mitzvah and I had a one-on-one date (you know how rare those are!) where we talked about this big lifecycle event and had the time and space for him to complete the printable. It was such a special time together (even though it started to rain and we had to finish in the car, ha!) and I love that I now have more clarification about what HE loves. This will be so helpful when planning how to celebrate his special day.
What You’ll Need
- B’nai Mitzvah Brainstorming Printable
- Writing utensil
Putting It Together
- Print out the free B’nai Mitzvah Brainstorming Printable. There is a separate worksheet for a bar mitzvah, bat mitzvah and a b’nai mitzvah; choose the one that works for your child.
- Sit down with your B’nai Mitzvah and go through the prompts with them. Help them brainstorm and record as needed.
- Save the worksheet and use it to inform your decisions about the venue, food, programs, and so much more!
Finished & Loving It!
It is really important to me that my kiddo’s bar mitzvah celebration reflects what he wants, values and would enjoy. He’s worked so hard and deserves a huge celebration, but one that’s right for him. While he knew that this worksheet was for his bar mitzvah planning, I stressed that I did NOT want him to think about how his answers might be used in a celebration. This was just a brainstorming exercise–I wanted him to record absolutely all ideas and answers that came to mind! Later on we can look more closely and see which ones might work in a celebration.
Having a better understanding of what his current favorites are will help inform our decisions when planning the celebratory event. My kiddo is excited to celebrate with friends and family, but I could see some B’nai Mitzvah kids interested in a smaller event. Understanding your child’s favorites can also allow for some creativity in the party. Is your child not a fan of dancing? Make that a minimal part of the event (and maybe you don’t need to hire a DJ!). Is your child’s favorite food pizza? That sounds like it has the potential to be a really simple and easy spread!
Talking about his favorites was so enlightening. I knew he wasn’t a big sweets guy (I have a much bigger sweet tooth than him!) but the only dessert he could think of that he liked was candy. Hmmm … perhaps a candy bar will happen! I’m also excited about the challenge to incorporate some of his favorites into the weekend celebration–pinball, history, video games, and reading … surely, I can come up with something creative, meaningful, fun, and that works for him!
I look forward to using this tool for some of the big decisions (venue, activities, etc) but also the smaller ones too (color scheme for party, programs, and kippot). Happy planning to us!!
Check out our B’nai Mitzvah Planning page! On it you will find inspiration, knowledge and helpful tips all about the b’nai mitzvah process!
And did you know that PJ Library has a podcast that talks about b’nai mitzvahs? Check it out here!!
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