DIY: Mitzvah superhero capes
Turn an ordinary dress up cape into an extraordinary Jewish mitzvah cape!
It’s fun to dress up as a superhero, but even more fun - and more special - to dress up as a mitzvah superhero! When we are kind to others, we are mitzvah superheros! This is the Jewish value G’milut Chasadim - an act of kindness that come from your heart.
Here’s a sweet way to explain this Jewish value to your child: Ask to see their hands and ask if they can make a heart with their hands, like in the photo below.
Photo credit: unsplash
You can explain that when they do something nice with their hands and with love in their heart, they are doing a mitzvah (G’milut Chasadim)!
To make your own mitzvah superhero cape you will need:
A cape - You can use a store bought cape or make your own. We made ours from a yard of felt - in sizes for babies, all the way through age 8. Felt is the perfect material for DIY capes since it does not have to be hemmed and the edges will not fray.
Felt mitzvah stickers - all the stickers represent a different way to be kind!
Here are some ideas that you can use for mitzvah stickers along with their corresponding act of kindness:
Cupcake - Bring food to a friend who isn’t feeling well
Flower or tree - Plant or water flowers and trees
Baseball, soccer ball or football - Be a good sport
Person - Be a good citizen
Heart - Hug your family
Fish - Take care of oceans and lakes
Bug - Be nice to all creatures…even the smallest bugs
3 stars - Celebrate Shabbat (Shabbat ends when you see 3 in the sky on a Saturday night)
Peace symbol sticker - With every act of kindness, we are helping to bring peace to our world and making it a better place to live. ♥
Once you have your cape and mitzvah stickers, you can put them on together. Be sure to talk about all the different ways to be kind for each sticker.
When your mitzvah superhero cape is done, you can celebrate with a special song! The melody is the same as the American western folk ballad, “Oh My Darling Clementine.” The words are:
Did a mitzvah, Did a mitzvah, Did a mitzvah today
Today I did a mitzvah, I was kind in many ways…
Helped my mommy, Fed the puppy, Hugged my friend, today*
Today I did a mitzvah, I was kind in many ways!
*Note: Change the line in bold to match your own acts of kindness!
We hope you have fun celebrating the many ways to be a mitzvah superhero! If you would like to participate in an act of kindness as a family, here’s a sweet mitzvah you can do together - delivering “little loaves of love,” and click here for DIY kindness butterfly rocks, and more on kindness to animals.
Let us know if you make a mitzvah superhero cape with your family, and share with us in the comments below some other fun stickers ideas that can be turned into mitzvah stickers!
~Jennifer
