Homeschool is not for the faint of heart. It’s a serious commitment and responsibility. When you are tired or just craving a little “alone” time it can be easy to lose sight of the many MANY amazing features of a Muslim homeschool. Or maybe your kids are in school and you wonder how and quite frankly why some mothers choose to homeschool. Sometimes if you ask, you get a very valid answer about the harms of mass education and poor environments. However, there are lots of positive inspiring advantages to a Muslim homeschool that are often overlooked when the focus is on the harms of the alternative. Here are 10 unique features I love about Muslim homeschooling and I hope you do too!
Parents feel at peace with their priorities
Taking care of your responsibilities isn’t always glamorous but it is always necessary! Paying your bills is definitely not as exciting as purchasing something you’ve been dreaming of but it’s essential for your family’s long term success. It will catch up with you if you don’t. Plus you never feel 100% at ease, there’s a gnawing anxiety that you haven’t taken care of your business. Conversely, that sense of peace and satisfaction when you prioritised things correctly is priceless.
Your kids are a blessing and your role as their parent is one of your most important roles. As such, their education and upbringing are key priorities in your life. When you dedicate your time and effort every day to the development of their character and understanding, you know with certainty that it’s a worthwhile investment. You are striving where you are meant to be striving (even on the days when you aren’t achieving what you’d like to be achieving)!
Your kids learn the purpose of their creation
After fulfilling your purpose, comes teaching your kids about theirs. Did you think children would come first? The most important person in a Muslim homeschool is the parent/teacher. Whenever you read a book or listen to a class about parenting in Islam, they always start with choosing the correct spouse and focusing on your own eemaan first. We’ve seen it time and time again, your kids don’t do as you say, they do what you do!
And I (Allâh) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone).
(51:56)
Teaching kids that they were made to worship Allah isn’t a one-off class. It’s showing them that this is the focus of every day of their life. It’s easy to do when you can plan and shape your home and homeschool around that statement. This can be a series of seemingly small choices that add up to a core value: start with Qur’an, stop for prayers, Islamic Studies everyday, Islamic manners in lessons, using curriculum that supports your values.
Islamic Studies is a daily affair in a Muslim homeschool
Education systems around the world reflect the culture and values of the various countries. There is an emphasis on maths and rote learning in China, in Japan they focus on manners and good citizenship before any formal learning, in Brazil they value family mealtimes so school finishes by noon, in the US students regularly give oral presentations whereas in the UK they teach writing from a young age. A Muslim homeschool naturally reflects your own values and as such Islamic Studies will likely be a daily subject.
Consistency of values
It can be very confusing when you are listening to two different points of view all day long. Even more so when those views are coming from authority figures and you are a child! In a Muslim homeschool, you can ensure consistency between the values kids learn at home and those promoted while they are learning.
Islamically Integrated Education
Learning about Islam doesn’t have to be limited to one subject slot on your timetable. In a Muslim homeschool, Islam can be naturally incorporated into other subjects. Just as a Muslim brings their Islamic values to their work, hobbies, and daily life, so you can bring the same values to your child’s education. Teaching how to write a biography in English? Write about the Noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). Teaching world geography? Teach about the continents and how Islam reached different countries (you can find unit studies on Africa and Islam and the Arabian Peninsula and Islam here). Teaching reading comprehension, try this free Islamic reading comprehension based on miracles of the Messenger (may Allah raise his rank and grant him peace).
You can learn all about Islamically integrated resources in this blog post.
A home full of blessings
Abu Hurairah and Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah raise his rank and grant him peace) said, “When a group of people assemble for the remembrance of Allah, the angels surround them (with their wings), (Allah’s) mercy envelops them, Sakinah, or tranquillity descends upon them and Allah makes a mention of them before those who are near Him.”
[Muslim, Riyad as-Salihin 1448]
When you make remembering Allah through daily Qur’an recitation, Islamic studies and mention of him throughout the day, you bring untold blessings to your home.
Reinforce learning all day long in a Muslim homeschool
Do you correct your kids one time and they never do it again? That’s funny, me neither! Character development and manners take a lot of time, effort and refinement. A Muslim homeschool offers loads of opportunities to give gentle reminders throughout the day. One child finding it hard to share? Encourage them to share colouring pencils during an activity, share food at lunch, and share what they have learned in lessons. It won’t happen overnight but more opportunities to remind and reinforce quickens up the process considerably. (Consistency is key here, my personal nemesis, may Allah make it easy for us all!)
Personalise learning to suit them
Have you ever seen a luxury product advertisement that used the words ‘bespoke’ or ‘tailor-made’? It is a sign of a high-quality product, it’s personal and made just for you. That is what a Muslim homeschool provides, a bespoke education. Is your child very passionate about birds? Great! Let’s study the anatomy of birds in science, their habitats in geography, how to write an informative passage on birds in English and the tafsir of various ayat about birds in the Qur’an. They will learn SO much more when they are actually interested in what they are learning.
You can also design lessons around what they need. Kids having trouble with being completely truthful? Let’s learn the importance of honesty through hadith, seerah and other sources. You don’t need to wait until it appears on a planned curriculum, no matter how great it is. Just skip to it now and focus on what will serve you and your family best.
Take your time
Teaching and learning at your own pace relieves so much pressure! You don’t have to worry if they are not ready for a phonics screening at age 6, if their spelling needs some work, you know that they will get there inshaAllah and you can dedicate time and effort to getting them there in your own time.
Without the pressure of targets there is vast freedom to not only study and prioritise the things that matter most to you but also to celebrate your kids for their achievements. You no longer have to focus on how they are not measuring up but instead, you can genuinely celebrate that they know all their letters now even if it has taken longer than you first envisioned.
Kids are a massive blessing. Just a thought about all the people who desperately want kids but haven’t been able to have them reminds us of this. A Muslim homeschool that takes its time helps you to be grateful every day for your kids and their strengths without a constant worry about their supposed weaknesses.
Teaching kids what they can understand is a Prophetic teaching practice. This golden series of classes titled Prophetic Guidelines for Parents and Educators dives deeper into this principle and other methods of teaching used by our Messenger. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
The sky is the limit!
Additionally, you can go as quickly as you want! Parent to a maths whizz? Don’t limit them to their year or grade level. Keep challenging and engaging them.
Help them achieve their dreams at a young age. Teach your budding entrepreneurs about business by helping them to start their own online shop, they can design their logo in art, write their product descriptions in English and calculate profit in maths. Plus you can do all this while teaching them the Islamic ethics of business, describing products accurately, charging a fair amount and staying clear of any riba transactions.
These are just 10 amazing benefits of a Muslim homeschool. Are there any that I missed out? Comment below with your thoughts!
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2 Responses
Asalamu’alaykum wa rahmatullah sis,
this is a beautiful, and most important reminder. Jazakiallahu khair for taking the time to write such a great article that I think any Muslim homeschool mama would find useful!
Wa alaikum asalaam wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh,
Jazakallahu khair for leaving such a kind comment. It really made my day especially as I have benefitted from so much of your writing over the years.