“This hands-on early childhood lesson introduces young children to the daily practice of giving tzedakah. Through storytelling, discussion, and a creative Tzedakah box activity, students learn the importance of helping those in need and how small, consistent acts of kindness make a big difference. In this 30–45 minute lesson, children decorate their own Tzedakah box and practice giving a coin each day, building habits of generosity and empathy from an early age.
Learning Objectives
- The student will be able to recognize the importance of giving Tzedakah to the needy of Israel daily by contributing a coin each morning into their personalized Tzedakah box.
Materials Needed
- Tzedakah box template (see attachment) printed on cardstock
- Coins (real or plastic)
- Story (A chair for my mother by Vera Williams or the short story below)
Grade Level: Early Childhood
Objective:The student will be able to recognize the importance of giving Tzedakah to the needy of Israel daily by contributing a coin each morning into their personalized Tzedakah box.
Big Ideas:
- Giving is a daily habit.
Contributing to the Tzedakah box each day teaches consistency, responsibility, and mindfulness.
- Everyone can help, no matter how small. Even young children can participate in making the world a better place.
- Tzedakah is part of our Jewish values. Giving is not just a nice thing to do—it’s a mitzvah that connects us to our community and tradition.
Materials Needed:
- Use Tzedakah box template (see download section) printed on cardstock
- Coins (real or plastic)
- Story (A chair for my mother by Vera Williams or the short story below)
Lesson Steps:
1. Hook
- Hold up the storybook or a coin and say: “This coin can do something amazing today… Who wants to see how?”
- Then read the story, tying the coin to helping others.
2. Learning Activity
- Read Sara’s Special Coin
- Ask: How did the people help each other?
- Give students tzedakah box template to decorate
- Help them cut it out and assemble
- Give each child a coin to add to their new tzedakah box and encourage daily giving
- Regroup and ask students how they can give tzedakah or help others
3. Wrap-Up & Reflection
- Class Share: Ask each child to show their decorated Tzedakah box and share one idea for how they could use it to help someone.
- Final Thought:
- “Every coin you put in your Tzedakah box is like a little act of kindness. When we give, we make the world happier and help people in need. Even small actions matter!”
- Action Steps:
- Each morning, children put one coin in their Tzedakah box.
- Encourage them to tell a family member about it: “I gave my coin today to help someone!”
Sara’s Special Coin
It was Sara’s birthday, and she was excited as she opened her presents. After the songs and hugs, her grandmother handed her a small, shiny box.
“I have something special for you, Sara,” her grandmother said. Inside was a silver dollar. “This is for you to keep.”
Sara held it carefully. “Thank you, Grandma! It’s beautiful!”
But her grandmother wasn’t finished. She smiled and handed Sara a second coin. “And this,” she said, “is your special coin. You can use it to help someone else. When you do, you will see how giving brings joy to both the person you help and to yourself.”
Sara nodded eagerly, clutching both coins. That Friday, she went with her mother to the local market to buy food for Shabbat. As they shopped, Sara noticed a woman at the checkout counting her coins. She did not have enough money to pay for all the food and was deciding what she could do without. She looked worried and embarrassed.
Sara whispered to her mother, “Mom, she doesn’t have enough to pay for everything.”
Her mother looked at her and nodded. “Maybe your special coin can help.”
Sara thought for a moment. She realized that the woman would need more than one coin to buy her Shabbat food. She looked at her two coins in her hand: one Grandma had given her as a gift, and the other she had just received to use for tzedakah.
Taking a deep breath, Sara put both coins in the woman’s hands. “Here,” she said softly, “this will help you pay for your Shabbat food.”
The woman’s eyes filled with tears. “Thank you, dear girl,” she said. “You’ve helped my family so much.”
That evening, Sara ran to her grandmother. “Grandma! I used both coins to help someone today!” she said proudly.
Her grandmother smiled. “And how did that feel?”
Sara thought for a moment and said, “It felt amazing! But I realized the really special coin wasn’t the one you gave me to use. It was the one I took from my birthday gift. I gave it to help someone else, and that made it special.”
Her grandmother hugged her tightly. “Yes, Sara. That’s the true meaning of tzedakah. Giving from what is yours, not just what is extra, is what makes it truly meaningful.”
From that day on, every time Sara looked at her small shiny box, she remembered that real generosity comes from the heart and sometimes requires sacrifice. She had learned that helping someone in need could be joyful and powerful and that each small act could help repair the world, one good deed at a time.