The littlest members of the family can get into the holiday spirit with a new collection from PJ Library—The 2020 Quick Guide to Celebrating Rosh Hashanah with Kids.

With different sections for Under 5, Ages 5 and Up, and Tweens, there are ideas, crafts, activities, and book suggestions for the younger set. The most popular ones for my family were baking a round challah and creating honey-scented play dough.

As usual, any book that PJ Library highlights is super. Tracy Newman has covered every Jewish holiday, Shabbat and life cycle events in her writing career. I can honestly say that all of her books are worth buying. Rosh Hashanah is Coming will not disappoint.

For taschlich, there’s an excellent article for families that want to try bread alternatives. (Really nice if you’re gluten free or just want to try something new.) Bread crumbs can be replaced with small stones, bark chips, and/or bird seed. Pretty neat, huh?

Another article I liked shared 5 Ways to Keep in Touch While Social Distancing. Elderly relatives are suffering the most during the Pandemic; being separated from their grandchildren is literally breaking their hearts! Remember that many do not feel comfortable with texts and video apps. We need to make a special effort to reach out and include them. Call on the phone during dinner so they can feel connected. Have the kids color holiday pictures. Old fashioned methods still work, even if they take a little more effort.

How is your family celebrating this year?