Teaching Chassidus to children

Gold Member Joined: Sep 04 2004 Posts: 1520

I haven't been posting in a while as I really had to crack down on what needed to get done around my corner of the world. This site, does kill time in a big way.

That said, what better place, then a forum full of Jewish and many Chassidish mothers to ask my question. So although I know sometimes preference is given to the more postery posters, perhaps you can take some time to answer little ol' me.

What resources can you recommend for teaching chassidus to kids.
I know some of whats out there for the parsha, but I mean more like concepts in tanya.
This past shabbos, yud beis tamuz, my kids all went to shule except for one. I wanted my kid to learn some chassidus in honour of the day, but realised I was lacking in resources for children. So I scratched my head, and pulled out R.L.Kremnizer's book \"The ladder up\".

We read some together till the rest of the fam came home, paragraph by paragraph. I got my child to read and then I would explain it in simpler words on a child's level.
The book is a sum up of some basic principles in Chassidus, written in simplified way, easier for the average person to grasp, yet not for a child, so to read it alone would not have been useful, yet with my explanations, we made some headway.

Often my kids ask me philosophical questions in yiddishkeit that I know are answered in Chassidus. So I attempt to explain on their level, yet sometimes run into a brick wall, when the concept I'm trying to explain, I either just don't know how to explain it on a child's level, or I myself am not so fluent with that concept. So often the answer is \"well tanya teaches us that....ahhh umm actually I'm not too good at this one..I've forgotten...better wait till your father comes home and then ask him\". Of course by the time he comes home, we have often forgotten the question and the topic gets lost.

So how about we share resources and perhaps also, we could post, philosophical questions our kids have surprised us with and how we answered them.
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Posted: Sun, Jul 09 2006, 9:05 am Post subject:

On the Im a Chassid video that my kids were just watchging the other day, I came in at the part where the girl asks her father what Chassidus is & is it only for adults. he points out books for kids - Please Tell Me What The Rebbe Says, The Rebbe Redt tzo Kinder/ Speaks to Children. The Mayon Chai series (in easy Hebrew) condenses Sichos & puts them into easy ways to understand. I'm sure there are others out there.

momof3, there is no book with a compilation of stories about the rebbeim for children (under age 5). It is frustrating looking all over for stories that are appropriate for their understanding capabilities.

check out http://tzivoshashem.org/cth/default.asp

on the sidebar click 'Curriculums', then more options will come down.
then click on "Chassidus Basics" - there is a book and workbooks u can order
http://tzivoshashem.org/cth/ArticleFiles/chassidus%20basics%202.PDF
I think u can also email them for ideas.

Silver Member Joined: Jan 10 2005 Posts: 843

Malka Touger put out a coloring book a few years ago with her seminary--the Alef Beis of chassidus with concepts like Bitul,kabolas Ol etc

Gold Member Joined: Sep 04 2004 Posts: 1520

Thanks for your responses.
I have some of what you suggested. Mayon Chai, while in easy hebrew, still needs the help of an adult for kids who don't understand.
We have the Rebbe speaks to children.
I'm also curious to know, what sort of questions your kids ask you that stun you and force you to think about concepts you yourself are learning in Chassidus.
I find it fascinating that my kids by some instinct or another tend to ask me questions about things I just so happen to be learning about at the time, and I was thinking, wouldn't it be great is we had a "lessons in tanya" for kids?
(unless there is something like that already?)
As it is, those volumes are written on a highly intellectual level with a fancy english and fancy words.

often the teaching of basic principles of chassidus is done while teaching parshas hashavua or yomim tovim etc. ie. pesach is a time of isarusa dileilo bc of all the nissim that Hashem performed. Shavuos is a time of isarusa diltato. pesach is anivus. shavuos is jewish pride.

sometimes the parsha will give us the chassidishe taitch or taam for things.

Alot of basic principles of chassidus can be taught this way.

I think Sara Rosenfeld (of MElb) has written the chassidus curriculum that roza mentioned...
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