Ramadan is such an exciting and busy time of year. When you are focusing on the obligation of fasting, not to mention any older kids who might need to fast, it can be easy to forget to involve young kids in Ramadan activities. They can’t fast, but they can definitely join in many of the other Ramadan family events and projects. Some of the following suggestions are likely things you are already doing, but I hope it will be beneficial to have a list. Let’s dive in!
Join the Iftar
It did cross my mind to say help you prepare the iftar, but actually, that sounds stressful to me! If you have enough patience to do this, then that is a great idea. Otherwise, joining in the suhoor and the iftar helps them get a sense of occasion. Encouraging them to help set the table and make duaa at the time of breaking fast reinforces the idea that the focus of the month is good deeds, not the food laid out before them. In addition, lots of good questions emerge at this time of day when the family is gathered waiting for the athan to be called. It’s a special time and a great way to involve young kids in Ramadan as they are normally excited to be a part of it.
Connect with the Qur’an
It can be a bit tricky for kids to feel that it is the month of Qur’an if they are too young to read it or understand tafsir. Brief explanations of short suwar especially ones that feature stories like Surah Al-Fil are a brilliant way to focus on the Qur’an together. Stories of the Prophets can also be a great way to connect them to the Qur’an, especially if you mention some of the surahs that are named after Prophets.
To help my kids who are currently in this stage, I created the Animals in the Qur’an activity book. It contains attractive information sheets accompanied by fun activity sheets for two different age groups. Plus importantly it begins with fact sheets about the Qur’an and our belief in it.
Kids love animals and it’s a way of engaging them with the Qur’an that really appeals to their interests. Plus it is print-and-go (or you can purchase it in book from from Amazon). If you have lots of kids then the soft copy pdf is probably for you, if it only suits one child, you don’t have access to a printer or you want to give it as a gift, then the hard copy book would likely be your best choice. It’s an easy way to involve young kids in Ramadan Qu’ran study without having to adapt adult materials yourself. You can try it out and get a set of free activity sheets about the Ant in the Qur’an here.
Seek Knowledge: Read Islamic Books for Kids
Reading books to your kids is a great quiet activity for the daytime of Ramadan. Alhamdulillah, there are a variety of books out there for Muslim kids. Books on Ramadan are great but actually, any Islamic book is beneficial. It’s a great time of year to introduce the 5 pillars of Islam and focus on fasting as the 4th pillar. My son loves this picture book about the companion Al-Bara Ibn Malik (May Allah be pleased with him).
Games with Islamic Content
Depending on where you are in the world and what year it is, you may have a period of the day when you are trying to occupy the kids or distract them before Maghrib comes in. I know that those in Northern Europe are facing long fasts at the time this is being written. Beneficial games are really useful at this time. Check out this popular blog post that includes a free PDF of Islamic Studies games,
We have our own invention in my house…bucket ball. It involves well….a bucket and a ball. You set up a container and then stand at an agreed spot and throw the ball (or any soft non-fragile object) into the container. You can only throw once you have answered a question correctly. A point is awarded for every accurate throw. The best thing about this game (other than how fun it is) is how easily it is adjusted so all the family can participate. Younger kids throw from closer to the bucket and have a different set of questions. E.g. Older kids: What Surah contains the famous ayat about Ramadan? Younger kids: when do we break fast? This way you can involve young kids in Ramadan fun that includes the entire family.
Islamic Colouring and Activity Books
A common mistake of some Islamic material aimed at young kids, is that it can be a bit tricky for them. It’s important to give them information they can actually understand otherwise they will disengage or misunderstand. Alhamdulillah our Prophet (may Allah raise his rank and grant him peace) set us an excellent example in this regard. His tone and content was clearly different when interacting with young children as opposed to adults. On the other side of the spectrum lies material that is nice but not as beneficial as it could be. A colouring book with pictures of dates or a lantern for example. They are great conversation starters for the parent, but not ideal as an independent activity.
Colouring or activity books that educate through small chunks of information or whose pictures encourage the child to reflect or do good deeds are by contrast, perfect for young Muslims. They are a great way to involve young kids in Ramadan and make them feel they have their own special Ramadan project like the rest of the family. It could be a brilliant activity for them to do while the rest of the family is focused on reading Qur’an.
I’ll be using two of these activity books this Ramadan inshaAllah. One is available in my shops and all proceeds will be going to charity inshaAllah. It covers the basics of Islam for very young children and also includes some fun directed drawings. You can find it on TeachersPayTeachers and Etsy. It’s also available as a physical book from Amazon UK and Amazon US. It’s the lowest price Islamic activity book on Amazon as the aim is to benefit as many kids as possible.
The other is by Fitrah Beginnings and is of amazing quality. The colouring pages are really special and introduce a wide range of Islamic ideas through the Arabic alphabet. You can grab your copy here.
If you would like free activity pages that are suitable for the masjid (no faces), click here to download.
Involve Young Kids in Ramadan – Your Way!
I’ve referred to the pressure some parents feel to provide an array of Ramadan activities for their kids. Activities for younger kids very often involve crafts and require help from adults which can be burdensome for some parents. Others thrive on the crafts and love creating with their kids (you can get ideas for simple crafts here.) Alhamdulillah, Allah made us all different. These are just some suggestions of ways to involve young kids in Ramadan. I hope you will just take the ones that are a good fit for you inshaAllah. Whenever you read this I pray you reach the next Ramadan in good health and high eeman and leave it better than you entered it! Aameen!
If you would like to do Ramadan activities with your kids but don’t want to spend time searching and preparing, you can purchase a Ramadan Activities Unit on Etsy, the Teach Me Islam website shop and TPT. It is jam-packed with a range of activities to get young kids involved in Ramadan but you don’t need lots of new supplies.
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How to use Ramadan activities to really benefit your family this Ramadan
