Preschool Learners: From Slavery to Freedom
WENDY GERSON
RONA MILCH NOVICK
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The Passover obligation to see yourself as if you were personally redeemed from slavery into freedom may be easier for preschoolers than for adults. When young children ed play at being teacher, doctor, parent, they become that role, mimicking language, mannerisms, and behaviors. Preschoolers regularly blur the line between current reality and their imagined worlds, telling us “I’m a butterfly”, or “I’m Moshe Rabbenu”. Abstract concepts like slavery, redemption and freedom, however, are difficult for young children to understand. Our sages wisely filled the hagaddah with concrete actions, leaning while we eat, dipping in salt water, to interest youngsters and help them understand the Pesach story. Recognizing the sensitivity of preschoolers to negative and traumatic events, the three activities provided offer a non-traumatizing way to understand slavery and experience the contrasting wonder and blessings of freedom. Families can use any one or all three activities at the seder, or continue the learning with these activities any time during Passover. l TEACHING TIP : Preschoolers learn best by doing. When teaching about things that happened long ago or that are abstract, acting out the story helps make it real. Many families use props such as robes or a mock red sea. A creative teacher xeroxed different types and sizes of footprints to help her students “stand in the shoes” of others.
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ON THIS NIGHT WE ARE ALL TEACHERS
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