Teaching your Children Hebrew
How do you teach your Child Hebrew and multiple languages in your home? Is the question I am asked by a lot of mamas...
Hebrew is not my first language and I do not speak fluently either. I know enough to teach him the basics. I self-taught myself the Aleph Bet and reading the vowel points and then I started learn loose words and vocabulary. It didn’t hurt that I already knew many prayers in Hebrew either.
So how do you start this process? From when they are babies. I would repeat many basic words in both English and in Hebrew. Eliadosh (adding a dosh to the end of a name in Hebrew makes it sweet), do you want Chalav (milk) or Mayim (Water)? Look a Sus (horse)! Do you want Od (more)? I also should add that I signed all of these words as well as repeating them in English, Spanish and Hebrew.
I would begin saying the Shema in Hebrew every single night before bedtime. To hear my sing-along version of the Shema for Children click here. You can also add Odon Olam and Modeh Ani for more variety as well.
Around age 1, I start with flashcards, not only in English but in Spanish and Hebrew as well. Do not underestimate your child’s ability to pick this up. My son did extremely well with this and for example knew his colors in English by 14 months. After repeating the Shema every single day, a couple of months before he was 2 he could say the basic beginning portion of the Shema alone. My son is 3 ½ now and he can recite alone the Shema with the V’ahavta. At some point you might wonder if my child is really learning but I can gladly tell you they do learn and I am seeing the fruits of it. He also can recite many Hebrew prayers as well. Some include and not limited to the Modeh Ani, Prayer for tzitzit, prayer for the Torah, washing of the hands, the Kiddush, the blessing of the lechem (bread) and the blessing of the candles for Shabbat as well.
No, my son is not a genius, he just has a really dedicated mama that loves learning, education and is providing him with the tools he needs to learn.
I speak a lot to my baby; babies learn really fast and are very capable to absorb tremendous amounts of information. Don’t be afraid to expose them to the world around them.
Parents, a great resource for learning Hebrew from a Messianic Perspective is the Holy Language Institute. It’s an online course and not only teaches you the letters but gives you connections in Hebrew that you cannot see in English with Scripture.
Go to amazon and purchase children’s books with a Hebrew vocabulary list, a favorite of mine is My First Hebrew Words. Use the book and show each picture to your child and say it in Hebrew, it will give a transliteration.
Put up Hebrew Flashcards around your home. If you don’t mind it looking like a classroom… Aleph Champ has 250 Hebrew Flashcards for $18. Laminate the ones you are going to put around your home for durability and tape it down. Put a flashcard for table, wall, toilet, door, chair, bathroom, etc. As you enter a room that has a flashcard on the door for the word door in Hebrew (Dalet), show and point to your child and say Dalet, Door.
Another amazing resource is Hebrew through Movement. They have a children’s curriculum that uses motions and directions to teach Hebrew. This might require more knowledge of Hebrew from the Parent as this is set up for a school with a teacher, who knows Hebrew, but nonetheless, there are lots of free documents there to download and it will help you.
As your child is old enough to use playdough, have him/her start shaping the letters in Hebrew with the playdough, hold up a flashcard of Aleph for example, and him/her try and shape it out.
Shaving Cream is also useful, have the child with their finger makes Hebrew letter shapes, or use finger paint.
You can also you long Speggi (Spaghetti) as well call it in our home to do Hebrew letters as well.
Do a matching game, take some white spoons and write out all of the Hebrew letters on the spoons. Have your child match it to the correct Flashcard.
Click below to Download this Aleph Bet Train Flashcard Set. Make sure you laminate it. My son plays with this all the time and makes an Aleph Bet Train with it.
This Book is a must! It has been crucial to learning Hebrew Prayers. My First Sing Along Siddur comes with a CD and has about 40 songs/prayers on it. When we are in the car, this is my go to CD. I played it multiple times a week and he knows the entire book with the songs/prayers in it. Yes its written by our brother Judah, but be creative. Change HaShem to Yahweh while singing, or Moshiach to Yeshua.
I now use this book every erev Shabbat after the blessings.
Of course you will need to master the aleph bet. There is a song for that and the vowel points in the Sing Along Siddur. This has also been a great learning tool.
DVD's
Some children DVDS I recommend that you can use in your home for learning Hebrew. Parents, you can use this too!
Little Pim Panda in Hebrew. I have seen these at the library, so you can check them out if you can’t afford it. Also Groupon sometimes has deals on Little Pim language DVD’s.
This Aleph Bet video here is a must!!! You will learn the vowel placements and Hebrew letter sounds. It is so much fun to watch for your child. My son asks for it all the time.
Hebrew Learning Sets from Dino Lingo has an amazing 6 part DVD Set.
Of course Shalom Sesame has great Hebrew vocabulary in their videos as well.
Got a tablet? This app you can download to your device, Kids Siddur App
You will begin see over a course of time, you and your children will know more Hebrew words. Make it apart of you daily routine and your little ones will be dreaming of the Aleph Bet each night!
Shalom Chaverim (Friends)!
Amanda
English Children songs can be turned into Hebrew songs!
Boker Tov Song
Good Morning, Good Morning, Boker Tov, Boker Tov,
Good Morning, Good Morning, Boker Tov.
Hello Friends, Shalom, Shalom,
Tell me how are you Ha Yom.
I’m fine Thanks, Todah Rabah,
We welcome you, Baruch Ha abba.
Where O Where is my friend Eliad? Ani Po, I’m here!
Where O Where is my friend Ima? Ani Po I’m Here!
Where O Where is my friend Abba? Ani Po I’m Here!
Etc.
Wash your Hands Song (Great way to learn right and left)
This is the way we wash our hands, wash our hands wash our Yadaim (hands)
This is the way we wash our yadaim, so early in the Boker (morning)
Once on the right and once on the left,
Once on the yahmin (right) and once on the smal (left)
Once on the yahmin (right) and once on the smal (left)
So early in the Boker.
Baruch atah YHWH Eloheinu, melech ha olam asher kidishanu, b'm'vitzah v'tzivanu al netilas yadaim.
Alef Bet Vet (ABC)
Alef, bet, vet,(x2)
Gimmel, daled, hay (x2)
Vav, Zayin, Chet, Tet (x2)
Yud Kuf Chaf(x2)
Lamed, Mem, Nun (x2)
Tazdi, Kuf, Reish (x2)
Shin, Sin, Taf and Saf (x2)
The Itzy Bitzy Spider Tune
The itzy bitzy Ackaviash (spider) went up the mayim (water) spout, down came the Geshem (rain) and washed the akavish out. Out came the Semesh (sun) and dried up all the Geshem and the izty bitzy Akavish went up the spout again.
Bingo Tune to Yonah
There was a man inside a Fish and Yonah was his name'oh. Y O N A H, Y, O N A H, Y O N A H and Yonah was his name oh.
Old Mac Donald Tune
Mar Mc Dovid had a Kibbutz Ay, yay yay yay yay. And on his Kibbutz he had Chelev (dog) ay...yay yi. etc..
*Look up your childs favorite Animal Names and say them in Hebrew^^^
Ay Fo Rina? Where is Thumbkin Tune
Ay Fo Rina?, Where is Rina?, Ani Po, here I am, How are you today? Mah nishma Ha Yom, I am sad, Ani Atzuvah or (I am happy, Ani S’maycha)
Shaky Tushy Movement Song
You put your rosh (head) in… you put your rosh out and you shake it all about. You do the shaky tushy and you turn yourself around and that’s what it’s all about.
You put your yod Yamin (hand. right) in, you put your yod (hand) smal (left) in and you shake it all about, you do the shaky tushy and you turn yourself around, that's what it’s all about..
*For the rest of the body, find out the names... and say them. You can learn body parts this way.
Hebrew: yad (hand), regel (leg), gav (back), Goof (body).
Twinkle, Twinkle
Twinkle, twinkle kochavim,
Shining in the Shamayim.
If you say your Shema each night,
Everything will be alright.
Twinkle, twinkle kochavim, Shining in the Shamayim
Closing Song: Shalom Chaverim
Shalom Chaverim, shalom chaverim, shalom shalom
L’hitraot, L’hitraot, Shalom, Shalom.
Goodbye to my friends, well see you again, shalom, goodbye.
Click here to hear the tune.