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Rosh Hashanah

Everything You Need for Rosh Hashanah with Kids

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is one of the two High Holidays that arrive each fall. The other is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Rosh Hashanah is often referred to as the birthday of the world. It’s a time to reflect, sing, pray, gather with loved ones, and of course, eat delicious apple treats and round challah.

Download A Time to Grow, our High Holidays family guide, to get started.

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Enjoy a playlist of videos introducing Rosh Hashanah customs and traditions.
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At a Glance

What is Rosh Hashanah?

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. In Hebrew, Rosh means "head" and hashanah means "the year," making it the "head of the year." Shanah ("year") comes from a root that means "to change."

When is Rosh Hashanah?

Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on Monday, September 22, 2025 and ends at nightfall on Wednesday, September 24, 2025.​ Jewish holidays begin at sundown because Jewish tradition follows its own special calendar.

How long is Rosh Hashanah?

Some families observe one day of a holiday, like Rosh Hashanah and the beginning of Sukkot, and others observe two days. Learn more in PJ Library’s guide, A Time to Grow.

What do people do during Rosh Hashanah?

People spend time in synagogue, listen to the sound of the shofar, braid round challah, perform a special tashlich or “washing away” ceremony, eat a meal with symbolic foods, dip apples in honey, and greet the new year.

Downloadables

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A Time to Grow
This beautiful PJ Library guide explores ways for your family to celebrate the three-week Jewish holiday season that begins with Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year).
Get The Guide
Family Conversations Worksheets
The Ten Days of Returning (including Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) are a good time for having thoughtful one-on-one conversations or a sit-down talk as a whole family. You can use these prompts to guide you.
Download
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Printable Recipe Cards
Enjoy four delicious, easy, kid-approved recipes that embrace sweet and seasonal flavors for the High Holidays.
Download
Example illustration of Rosh Hashanah Cards
Decorate Your Own Rosh Hashanah Cards
Share wishes for the New Year with friends and family with customizable card templates.
View Cards

Activities, Recipes, Audio, and More

Use the tiles to find High Holiday recipes, activity and craft ideas, song lists, how-tos, podcast episodes, and more!

Recipes
Browse kid-approved traditional recipes from around the world.
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Audio
Listen to music, podcasts, and more!
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Stories
Browse Rosh Hashanah stories
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Activities
Print with apples, wash away mistakes, make a choices wall, create a journal for the year and many more!
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More
Find more Rosh Hashanah book lists, activities, and parenting resources.
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Celebrations and Traditions

How do we greet one another on the Jewish New Year? We call out “Shanah tovah!” (shah-NAH toh-VAH) — Have a good year! — or “Shanah tovah u'metukah!” (shah-NAH toh-VAH oo-meh-too-KAH) —Have a good and sweet year! We also dip apples in honey to greet the year with sweetness. Browse the articles in this column to learn more about Rosh Hashanah traditions:

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Is There a Seder on Rosh Hashanah?
It's traditional to eat a special evening meal on Rosh Hashanah. In Sephardic tradition, the Rosh Hashanah meal is a seder with foods and blessings eaten and recited in a specific order.
Read on
A child using a shofar
What is a Shofar?
A shofar is a ritual instrument, usually made from a ram’s horn. On the holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Jews around the world head to synagogue to listen to the shofar being blown.
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A child using a shofar
What Do the Sounds of the Shofar Mean?
The shofar is sounded 100 times during a traditional Rosh Hashanah service. And a long and loud shofar blast marks the end of Yom Kippur. There are four unique sounds made during various parts of the service.
Read on
A child feeding food crumbs to seabirds
What is Tashlich?
Tashlich, which literally translates to “casting off,” is a ceremony performed on the afternoon of the first day of Rosh Hashanah. It’s a way of releasing things from the past year that we intend to do better in the next.
Read on
An example illustration of braiding challah
How to Braid a Round Challah
On Rosh Hashanah a symbol of making ourselves and the world more whole is eating a round challah. A circle has no beginning or end, so a round challah expresses our hope for a year of infinite — lots and lots of! — blessings.
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There are More Ways to Do Jewish Than You Can Count!
PJ Library's Get Together microgrant program helps you host your friends for low-prep, Jewish-themed gatherings – and we cover $100 in hosting expenses! Pretty sweet, right? However you do Jewish, you can count on PJ Library to help you enjoy Shabbat and holiday hangouts.
Learn More

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