Have you ever been passionate about teaching an Islamic topic only to find your kids less than enthused? It can be heartbreaking but alhamdulillah there are lots of ways to get Muslim kids excited to learn about Islam. Sometimes it just takes a simple tweak to turn the whole lesson around. Here are some suggestions to build enthusiasm for Islamic Studies.
Show them it’s important and relevant
Have you noticed how scholars always begin their series of lessons with why the topic is important? It is from Islamic manners to teach the significance and relevance of a subject before beginning it. Kids naturally only want to learn information that they find relevant and interesting.
For example, you could explain the great reward for salah and its importance as a pillar before teaching the fiqh of salah.
I created the Virtues of the Mothers of the Believers resource pack to be taught before launching into the individual biographies. You can get your free resource pack here.
Use their existing interests
Alhamdulillah it’s easy to link kids’ natural interests to Islam. When they are naturally curious about a topic, it makes it much easier to teach. You could use their interest in animals to connect to the Quran or learn about Allah’s names. Or their fascination with heroes and bravery to teach about the 10 Promised Paradise. An interest in geography and history can be used for a unit study that combines seerah and stories of the Prophets.
Learning about Islam doesn’t need to be limited to dedicated Islamic Studies lessons. You can naturally integrate it into a range of subjects.
Lean into their learning style
If you have a child who hates writing, asking them to constantly write is definitely not going to make them excited to learn! Instead, you could ask them to make a presentation, speak for 5 minutes about the topic, create a poster or whatever would suit them best. If you are looking for fun ideas for kids to show what they have learnt about Islam, look no further!
Level it right to get kids excited to learn about Islam
Have you ever been so totally lost in a class that you just gave up or completely lost focus? It’s sadly a pretty common experience. When the level of difficulty is too high it’s almost impossible to get kids excited to learn a topic. This can be a challenge for homeschoolers in particular who often teach a range of ages at the same time. The key is differentiation, making sure that there is a variety of difficulty levels available so everyone can benefit. You can see an example of this in the free Abu Ubaidah (may Allah have mercy on him) biography pack which has 3 levels of reading passages and activities included. You can get your free copy right here.
Add in friends
It’s amazing how motivating seeing friends can be for kids. They will often happily attend a class or activity they would otherwise be reluctant to participate in,for an opportunity to play with their friends for 15mins in the break.
Inviting a friend to join Islamic Studies lessons or attending community classes together is a sure-fire way to make kids excited to learn. It also helps to build and maintain momentum as they continue to want to attend for fear of missing out.
If that isn’t possible, teaching siblings together can also have a similar effect. Younger kids are often particularly excited to participate alongside older kids. Here are suggestions for fun Islamic Studies games that involve group or pair work.
Free resources to help you teach kids about Islam
I hope you have found these tips for getting kids excited about learning about Islam helpful. If you would like to get a FREE resource to help connect Muslim kids to the Qur’an then join the mailing list here to download a fun activity pack about one of the Animals in the Qur’an, the ant, and gain access to the free resource library.
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Fun ways for kids to show what they have learned about Islam
