Raising Mini Moon-Lovers: Rosh Chodesh & Beyond

Have you ever looked up at the sky on a clear night and felt a little thrill of recognition — just by seeing the crescent moon, you knew a new month had begun?

For millennia, this is how our ancestors marked time. Each month when the sky fell dark, they knew that the month had come to a close. And when the tiny crescent moon reappeared, they celebrated the arrival of the new moon (Rosh Chodesh) with prayers and dancing.

Modern Jewish women have been at the forefront of reviving this new moon celebration through Rosh Chodesh gatherings and Well Circles. 

Now, many moms are beginning to pass these ancient traditions on to their children, gathering as a family each month on the night of the new moon to set intentions together. 

What’s beautiful is, your children’s relationship with the moon can be nurtured all month long! With the help of our child development experts Janine Okmin and Fraidy Aber, we’ve put together some activities you can do with your kids to get started:

1. Play “spot the moon.” Turn it into a game to play each time you’re driving in the car or out on a walk. Who in your family notices the moon first?

2. Have a lunar picnic. Bring dinner, snacks, or dessert outside and eat by moonlight. Try it out at different times of the month and notice how much light you have to see by.

3. As Shabbat ends: When you look for three stars in the sky before you begin Havdalah blessings, look for the moon, too. How has it changed since last week, or since yesterday?

4. Keep track of the moon phase: Print out a moon phase chart, and use it to identify the phase of the moon when you see it. (You can download one for free here!).  Does what you see in the sky line up with the date on your Hebrew Calendar? (Remember, the days on the Hebrew calendar begin at nightfall!)

‍The truth is, our ancestors used all of the moon’s phases, to keep track of time all month long. 

During the months of the special week-long pilgrimage festivals, like Passover and Sukkot, this was particularly important:

🌓 The first quarter moon meant it was time to start preparing for the trek to Jerusalem.

🌕 The full moon meant the festival-time had arrived.

🌗 The last quarter moon meant the festival was ending and it was time to return home.

It’s no wonder they crafted their calendar around the lunar phases! It was as if the Divine set the moon in the sky to be a time-keeper for us. (In fact, keeping time by the moon is the very first commandment our ancestors received in the Torah!)

‍Even though today we have modern calendars and smartphones, marking time just like our ancestors did helps us feel more grounded in time — and more connected to this wise history.

Happy moon-spotting!

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The At The Well team worked closely with child development experts to create a series of guides for each month of the Jewish year, which explain the month’s theme in kid-friendly language and connect it with a research-backed teaching about child development. Each guide also contains thematic activities for children ages 3-5 and 6-10 to help them learn the month’s lessons through their bodies, feelings, and senses.

If you’re just dipping your toe into the water, you can download this free printable with the dates and themes of each month, plus a moon chart you can hang on the wall!