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Childhood Milestones

The first haircut, the first lost tooth, the first day of school. Childhood is full of firsts—milestone moments when parents pause and realize how quickly time passes and how grateful we are to arrive at each small landmark. These prayers and blessings sanctify such moments, bringing holiness to the everyday business of raising children. 

Photo by Jordan Cassway

From our Forefathers

A blessing for a son, drawing inspiration from our forefathers [more]

Found In: Bar / Bat Mitzvah, Covenant & Naming Rituals, Childhood Milestones

Tags: torah

Upshirin Ceremony

The ceremonial first haircut for a child at the age of three. [more]

Found In: Childhood Milestones

Tags: shehekheyanu , upshirin

The Voice of a Mother

A mother's prayer, written for her son's Bar Mitzvah [more]

Found In: Bar / Bat Mitzvah, Childhood Milestones

Birthdays, Jewishly

An article about the meaning of birthdays in Jewish tradition and how to make birthdays more meaningful, Jewishly [more]

Found In: Milestone Birthdays, Childhood Milestones

Tags: birthdays, upshirin

Placenta and Tree Planting

This ceremony marks a child's first birthday with the planting of the placenta which nourished the child in utero. [more]

Found In: Childhood Milestones, Parenting Day-to-Day

Tags: birthdays, placenta

A Prayer When Children Wear New Shoes

Turning the mundane into the profound [more]

Found In: Childhood Milestones

First Day of School

Various rituals for the first day of school, going back to school, the end of the school year, and playing hookey [more]

Found In: Childhood Milestones

First Haircut

Description of the first haircut in Jewish tradition [more]

Found In: Childhood Milestones

Tags: upshirin

Tooth-Losing Ceremony

To be recited with your child at the moment of tooth loss [more]

Found In: Childhood Milestones

Tags: shehekheyanu , tzedakah

Honey Ceremony [Video]

A ceremony celebrating a child's first day of kindergarten [more]

Found In: Childhood Milestones

Tags: shehekheyanu , torah