For our toddlers and infants
Temple Kol Emeth has always had a tradition of welcoming and encouraging our youngest to be in our services; this year we are working to go above and beyond. We hope that that by helping your child feel welcomed and loved, you will be able to feel more at ease and more personally present.
Join us for a special Kiddish Klub service at 9:00 a.m. on Rosh Hashanah (Thursday, October 3) and Yom Kippur (Saturday, October 12) in the main sanctuary for a toddler-friendly High Holy Day experience. We bring music, dancing with plush Torahs, stories, and even a shofar to this Holy Day service for our youngest members.
To help you stay for the main morning service, we are designating a classroom as our "Toddler PraySpace," where they can take a break to read a PJ Library book or run off some energy. The service live-stream will be available in this space, so you can stay connected to the sanctuary. This space requires a parent/guardian to be present as it will not be staffed.
Three pro tips from Rabbi Foster to help your toddler have a positive experience in the main sanctuary:
- Bring snacks... many, many snacks. String cheese and clementines are great because they break into pieces, take longer to eat, and are generally healthy. Just make sure that you wipe the yogurt from the pouch off of their fingers before they give the Torah a high-five during the Torah service;
- Bring quiet activities/toys to help your child stay busy. We ask you to be mindful of the difference between an infant babbling their personal prayer - to which we should always say "amen"- and an "I just bonked my head" meltdown. Board books and plush toys are awesome (as opposed to crinkle books and rattles);
- Narrate what your child is experiencing as the service is happening: "That is Blake playing his guitar." "Can I pick you up so you can see Rabbi Foster get a Torah from its special room?" "We just finished a prayer. Can you say Amen?"
