Ramadan is the month of fasting in the Islamic calendar. It is the time when Muslims around the world abstain from food and drink during daylight hours. Ramadan can be a difficult concept for children to grasp. That is why I put together some printables to help your child understand the reasons for fasting.
Older children will be able to understand what it is all about and they may be able to join in with the fasting too if they are old enough. There are so many fun activities and resources available for older children, but how can we teach our preschoolers about Ramadan? What can we do to get them involved and get them excited about this special month? Here are some ideas.
Ramadan calendar
One thing young children will love to do is to count down the days until Eid. A Ramadan calendar is great for this. If your children are anything like mine, they will get so excited to open their Ramadan calendar each day. It helps them to understand that this is a special time and different to other times of the year. You can buy a Ramadan calendar or make your own using my tutorial. Fill your calendar with sweets, good deed cards or activity cards.
Decorate the house
Decorating the house will really make Ramadan feel like a special time of year. You can put up Ramadan bunting, balloons, lanterns or lights. Children love to help put up decorations and they love it even more when they can make their own. It is relatively easy to make decorations and there are lots of tutorials out there.
Books about Ramadan
When I had my first child there were very few children's books about Ramadan but now there are lots to choose from. We are so lucky! Children love to listen to stories and look at the pictures in picture books so reading to them about Ramadan is a great way to help them understand what this month of mercy is about. Create a Ramadan box and fill it with Ramadan books. Place this box in your living room so the children can see it and go and look at the books whenever they like. Make sure you read these books to them often to help instil a love of Ramadan in their hearts.
Ramadan crafts
Making special Ramadan crafts is another good way to get preschoolers involved in Ramadan. You could make decorations to put up in your house or you could do crafts based on Islamic concepts such as the five pillars or the names of Allah. Here is my tutorial for a five pillars of Islam craft.
Go to the mosque
Going to the mosque is a great way to feel the spirit of Ramadan. However, it can be really difficult to go with little ones if Ramadan falls in the summer months. If the fasts are not too long in your country, why not take your children to the mosque for iftar in the evenings? They will enjoy sharing food with friends and you can pray in congregation afterwards.
Listen to nasheeds
Young children love music. It is a great way to teach them new things and also improves their language skills too. The varied rhythm and intonation will grab their attention and the repetitive lyrics will help them pick up on new vocabulary. Why not set aside some time each day to listen to nasheeds together? You could even get some drums or shakers out and play along to the music together while singing along. One of my children's favourite Ramadan nasheeds is 'Ramadan Moon' by Yusuf Islam.
Prepare for Eid
Another fun thing to do with little ones is to let them help you prepare for Eid, the big celebration that marks the end of Ramadan and fasting. I always try to make Eid as fun as possible for my children. We spend days beforehand making Eid decorations and baking goodies. You can find out how to make Eid decorations here.
I hope this article has given you some ideas of how to make Ramadan special for little ones. We need to try our best to show them the importance of Ramadan and make it significant for them at the level of their understanding. How do you make Ramadan special for your preschoolers? Let me know in the comments below. I love hearing all your ideas!
Multicultural Kid Blogs is proud to be hosting its fifth annual Ramadan & Eid for Kids blog hop, where bloggers come together to share ideas for teaching kids about and honoring Ramadan & Eid. Don't forget to check out our blog hops from last year, 2017, 2016, and 2015. Be sure to follow our Ramadan & Eid boards on Pinterest for even more ideas!
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