Vision for Conservative Early Childhood Programs: A Journey Guide

Tefillot – Formal Ways to Invite God into the Classroom
Jewish prayer, tefillah, is a combination of keva – the written prayers – and kavanah – the
intention and spirit that we put into our prayer experience. Here are suggestions for
tefillah in early childhood programs for the keva of the tefillah. It is up to the teacher to
add movement, music, discussion and other whole-body experiences to create the
kavanah and deepen children’s understanding, enjoyment, and connection to tefillah.
As we all know, children have different attention spans as they grow. It is appropriate to
add more tefillot to children’s routines as they get older. Creating a scaffold of tefillot to
be built upon each year will give your school-wide tefillot a clear sense of development.
The tefillot lists presented here include many options, so each school may decide which
tefillot they wish to include. Of course, this is not an exhaustive list. A school may
certainly decide to include selections from the liturgy that are not included here.
It should be noted that ending the school week with tefillot for the coming of Shabbat, as
well as celebrating havdalah on Monday mornings, are wonderful ways to invite God into
your school. Some Shabbat tefillot are listed below. Friday night blessings and havdalah
are more fully presented in the Ritual Observance section of the vision.
• Potential Daily or Circle-time Tefillot
God is a part of daily life. It is important to begin the day with gratitude.
Saying Modeh Ani and Shema connects us to Jews all over the world. Closing our eyes
while we say the first line of Shema helps us focus even more on our connection to God.
Modeh Ani
Modeh ani l’fa-ne-cha, melech chai v’kayam,
she-he-che-zar-ta, bi nish-ma-ti,
b’chem-la, ra-ba emu-na-te-cha.
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I thank You, living, enduring Ruler, for You have returned my soul within me in
kindness, great is Your faithfulness.
Mah Tovu
Ma tovu, oha’lecha Ya’akov
Mish-k’no-techa Yisrael.
How lovely are your tents, O Jacob
Your dwelling places, O Israel.
Vision for Conservative Early Childhood Programs: A Journey Guide
USCJ Department of Education
Maxine Handelman
Handelman@uscj.org
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