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Program Guides

What does it mean to become a grandparent? Not just in name — but in voice, values, and presence? The scripted Program Guides below invite grandparent cohorts to reflect on family identity in a synagogue classroom, swap stories around a Federation conference table, or craft puppets and planting wildflowers in a JCC multipurpose room. 

Each guide offers a structured learning experience with text, questions, and moments of reflection, and is designed to help participants connect deeply with their roles and with one another.

Facilitator training and support are available through the Jewish Grandparents Network to help you bring these experiences to life in your community. 

For more information, contact Terry Kaye, in**@***********************rk.org 

Becoming a Grandparent

Conscious Grandparenting: A 3-Session Course for Grandparents

What does leadership look like in the context of family? In this three-session course, grandparents explore their evolving role as guides, nurturers, and connectors, learning how to deepen relationships with their children and grandchildren.

Based on the principles of Conscious Leadership (developed by Jim Dethmer and Diana Chapman at conscious.is), this course offers a fresh framework for understanding ourselves and our relationships with those we love, and with the world around us. Created for adults

“Hello! My (Grandparent) Name Is…”

Names carry stories, and choosing a grandparent name can be a meaningful first step in embracing this new chapter of life. In this 90-minute session, participants engage in conversation, text study, and reflective writing as they consider what name best reflects who they are and how they hope to show up in their families. Created for adults

Opening the Heart: Becoming a Grandparent

Opening the Heart is a five-session, discussion-based course that invites grandparents to reflect on their new and evolving roles through the lens of Jewish texts, stories, contemporary essays, and creative sources such as art, music, and film. The course also integrates insights from child development and educational theory.

Grandparents explore personal stories, family history, and hopes for the future as they shape meaningful relationships with both their adult children and their grandchildren. (Each session runs 75 minutes.) Created for adults

Opening the Heart to One Another: For Multifaith Families

What does it mean to be a grandparent in a multifaith family? This three-part learning series brings together Jewish and non-Jewish grandparents of children raised in mixed-heritage households for honest, thoughtful dialogue.

Through guided conversations, participants share beliefs, values, and stories—learning how different faith traditions can coexist, strengthen, and support the evolving fabric of their families. (Each session runs 75–90 minutes.) Created for adults

Stories and Legacy

Sharing Life Stories

Experience deeper and more meaningful family conversations and cultivate stronger emotional family connections. For families with teens ages 12–15

Stories from Our Closets

Tell family stories inspired by personally meaningful and treasured objects found in our closets. For families with children ages 10–13

Grandparent-Grandchild Experiences

How to Cultivate Jewish Mindfulness

Explore mindfulness practices and learn the value of k’vod atzmi — self-respect and kindness to ourselves. For families with children ages 7–12

How to Make a Family Portrait with Hanoch Piven

Share stories with one another and with the community through a creative art experience built on the techniques of Israeli artist Hanoch Piven. For families with children of all ages

How to Make Plantable Wildflower Seed Balls

Make seed balls and plant wild flowers while learning about being shomrei adamah — caring for the earth. For families with children of all ages

Taking Photos — Telling Stories

Use photographs to tell stories in this 3-session course ending with an intergenerational program. For families with children ages 10–14

Puppeting Purim (and Other Holiday Stories)

Bring the story of Purim to life by creating and using puppet characters. For families with children ages 5–9

Holidays and Lifecycle

Hosting an Inclusive Seder: A Guide for Grandparents 

At our seder tables, family members and friends may be multigenerational, multicultural, and multiracial. In this guide, you will find ways to create a warm and memorable Passover, led with a spirit of innovation and inclusion, melding your memories of past seders with your hopes for the future. For families with children of all ages 

Developed in partnership with 18Doors.

How to Facilitate a Tallit Workshop in Your Community​

Bring teens, parents, and grandparents together to create the teen’s B-Mitzvah tallit and deepen Jewish experience and family bonds. For families with 6th and 7th grade children

See the Tallit Project for background to this guide

B-Mitzvah Family Text Discussion Cards

These 18 thought-provoking text-based activities, developed by DOROT, are designed to spark conversations among B-Mitzvah teens and their families. Each card invites reflection on a Jewish teaching and how it might shape everyday life, relationships, and personal growth. A leader’s guide makes it easy to facilitate in a variety of settings.

See all B-Mitzvah Resources