her peer group to receive a smartphone. Would you be
book that became an animated television series from
PJ Library, which sends free, developmentallyappropriate Jewish children’s books and music to families across the world every month. We know that something magical happens when parents sit down together to read with their children. PJ Library shares Jewish stories that can help your family talk together about values and traditions that are important to you. Suitable books for newborns
Universal Kids, about a tech-savvy girl named Dot, who
through 9-years-old.
able to deal with this as the author did? She notes that parents have now organized to support each other. There are group such as Wait Until 8th (WaitUntil8th.org) and ScreenSense (ScreenSense.org). Randi Zuckerberg, former director of market development and spokesperson for Facebook, wrote a
learns to unplug. Both are titled Dot. (including the dot).
Free resources to keep in mind: Reading is very popular activity on a Tech Shabbat. If you are raising Jewish kids and would like to build a library of Jewish books for them, for FREE, consider joining either:
PJ Our Way, which is for children ages 9-12. It is kid-driven - they choose their own books, creating a totally tailored experience based on their own interests and reading level. In the Rhode Island area, contact Lyndsey Ursillo: LUrsillo@JewishAllianceRI.org to register for PJ Library.
Teens When he was a teenager, one of my sons would often
circumstance” since Tiffany set the rules for the family,
meet friends at the Dwares JCC to play basketball on
you may want to consider what other teens think. Using
Shabbat afternoons. Apparently, that habit really started
Catherine Price’s book, ninth graders “broke up” with
at Temple Emanu-El. During Kiddush lunch one year, he
their phones for a 24-hour “trial separation.” Through this
would disappear with a few others. They were shooting
link, you may find out what some of them thought of the
baskets in the synagogue’s/day school’s gym. For a
experience.
couple of preceding years, I had noticed that young adults gathered in the synagogue’s vestry to play games, such as The Settlers of Catan. More recently, prepandemic, some younger children and parents would meet in the same room Shabbat afternoons for cards and board games. Shlain lists activities for teens though some of those listed for adults may also be of interest. She
padlet.com/annie_matthews/tyobhvyw576pogbs?utm_ source=Educator+Toolkit&utm_campaign=6a3a4fe164
For example: “I just felt better throughout the day and like I was enjoying each moment and not under the control of an inanimate object.”
shares some of her eldest daughter’s observations
“One thing I learned that I can take away from the
about growing up with Tech Shabbat for most of
‘breakup’ is that phones are useful when you have a
her life. However, should you think she is a “special
purpose to be using them, but they are even better 13
