Show and Tell Ideas for the Aleph Bais
Parents of toddlers and preschoolers all over know the feeling of waking up and finding out that your child needs to bring something (anything!) for show and tell. Jewish parents do it twice- both for the ABCs and of course, for Aleph Bais letters. Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links.
*Edited 5-18-2020 to add FREE PRINTABLE Aleph Bais Show and Tell Ideas list. See end of post to download!
Countless times, I see posted on online forums, Facebook Mommy groups, and asked among my friends “what should I send for show and tell for the letter Samach? For Lamed?” Every time I have the question, I wished there was a list that I could check when I was rushing last minute to send something with my son or daughter to school.
After doing a lot of Google searches and coming up empty, I knew I had to create one on my own.
One of my pet peeves when it comes to show and tell is when children bring in toys that start with the same sound as the Hebrew letter, but in fact are words from the English language. A huge part of learning Ivrit is about the letters, the sounds and how they play out in the Hebrew language.
For young toddlers a toy or item that really has the sound coming from the ABCs isn’t a big deal since they really don’t know the difference. But for preschoolers, it makes a huge difference. Giving them a solid foundation in the Hebrew language will make all the difference for all their schooling in the future.
I’m sure some of you are laughing at me right now, saying “Show and Tell isn’t that big a deal. So what?” It may seem like a silly game that teachers play to pass the time, but as someone who was once a teacher myself, show and tell is another form of reinforcement with the Aleph Bais letters your child is learning. It gets the kids involved and excited and is an all-important part of learning in the classroom.
That’s why this list has all Hebrew or Yiddish words for every letter of the Aleph Bais. Some have more options and some have less, so if you have any suggestions for the words that are lacking, please reach out and let me know!
Show and Tell Ideas for the Aleph Bais
The goal of this list, aside from everything being a word in either Hebrew or Yiddish, was to make it easy for you to find things around the house to send to school, without stress. All the items are either household items, toys or food. When sending food to school, be sure that it is nut-free or allergen friendly in accordance with school policies.
Aleph
- Aryeh (toy lion)
- Aviron (toy airplane)
- Agas (pear)
- Abba & Ima (send in pictures!)
- Esrog (great for when show and tell for the letter Aleph comes out right after Sukkos!)
Beis
- Bubah (doll)
- Bayit (house- send in a drawing of a house, a picture of your house, etc.)
- Bisli or Bamba (beware of allergies!)
- Banana
- Beged (send in doll clothes or real!)
- Barvas (duck- a rubber duckie from the bath is perfect!)
- Bakbuk (bottle- send in a water bottle or a baby bottle, whatever you have on hand!)
Gimmel
- Glidah (ice cream- the fake ice cream that comes in many kitchen sets is great!)
- Gamal (camel- if you have a play animal set at home!)
- Gezer (carrot)
- Garbayim (socks- mismatched and colorful will have all the kids laughing.)
- Gelt (send in some fake money or a few real pennies.)
Daled
- Dov (teddy bear or gummy bears)
- D’vash (honey)
- Duvdavon (cherries or cherry candies would work well)
- Dag (fish- more specifically, jelly fish!)
- Daysah (oatmeal)
- Degel (flag)
Hey
- Havdalah (send in b’samim or a havdalah candle)
- Hatzalah (send in a toy ambulance truck)
- Hamantashen
- Hagaddah
Vav
- Vered (rose)
- Varod (anything pink!)
Zayin
- Zayis (olives)
- Zanav (any animal figurine or stuffed animal with a tail)
- Zeidy (send in a picture of Zeidy)
- Zahav (send in something gold)
Ches
- Halva
- Chumash
- Challah
- Chanukiyah (a.k.a. a menorah)
- Chum (anything brown!)
- Chultzah (shirt)
- Chidah (puzzle)
Tes
- Tallis (this teddy in a tallis is adorable)
- Tichel
- Telephone
Yud
- Yarmulka
- Yerakot (vegetables)
- Yarok (anything green!)
- Yerushalayim (a picture or keepsake from Jerusalem would be beautiful.)
Kof
- Kifafot (gloves)
- Kovah (hat)
- Kaf (spoon)
- Karit (pillow)
- Kesef (money)
- Kador (ball)
- Kos (cup)
- Kachol (something blue)
- Kallah (a picture of a bride or a veil)
Lamed
- Lavan (something white)
- Lulav
- Leveinah (bricks- LEGO or DUPLO or anything similar)
Mem
- Mezonos (crackers, pasta, cookies)
- Mitz (a juice box)
- Melafafon (cucumber)
- Mayim ( a water bottle)
- Matzah
- Melech (salt)
- Mazleg (fork)
- Menorah
- Me’il (coat)
Nun
- Ner (candle)
- Netilas Yadayim (a negel vasser cup)
- Na’alayim (shoes)
- Nachash (toy snake)
Samach
- Siddur
- Sukariyot (candies)
- S’vivon (dreidel)
- Sefer (any sort of book)
- Segol (anything purple)
Ayin
- Ugiyot (cookies)
- Agvaniah (tomato)
- Anavim (grapes)
- Adashim (lentils)
- Eparon (pencil)
- Et (pen)
Peh
- Parah (cow- also from an animal set. It can be very useful to have toy animals at home.)
- Perach (flowers)
- Parsha book
- Pe’ah (an old wig from the dress up box)
Tzaddi
- Tz’vaim (crayons)
- Tzimukim (raisins)
- Tzadik (a picture of a learned man)
- Tzalachat (a plate)
- Tzatzu’ah (toys)
Kuf
- Katan (something small)
- Kufsah (box)
Reish
- Ra’ash (something noisy, like one of those electronic toys that never shut off)
- Rechev (toy vehicle)
Shin
- Shokolad (chocolate- yes, please!)
- Shachor (anything black)
- Shofar (if you have a toy shofar, this is great for show and tell)
- Sha’on (a clock or watch)
Tuf
- Torah (the classic plush Torah toy)
- Tefillah (prayer- a siddur would work well)
- Tavlinim (spices)
Download your free printable Show and Tell Aleph Bais Ideas List here:
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This is a free download – that means that you can enter $0 in the price field to get it for free. Donations do help us keep this blog going as at the time of writing this we still don’t have ads. They are totally optional.
This download is for personal or physical classroom use. Please do not pass on digital copies, even for classroom use. Share this post or the download form if you want to use it in virtual classroom settings.
Show and tell can be a lot of fun for kids, but a bit stress-inducing for Mommies. (Especially when the note is sent home the day before!) Don’t let it stress you out! Just bookmark this page and reference it every week for the new Aleph Bais letter.
