15 ways to make Ramadan
special for your kids this year
With barely a few weeks left,
there ’s little time for us to
prepare kids for Ramadan. Here
are a couple of ideas to help
make it special this year.
1. Hold a family meeting about
Ramadan
A week before Ramadan, hold a
family meeting to explain what
Ramadan is, that the sighting of
the moon indicates its beginning,
what Muslims do and how the
family ’s schedule will change.
Also ask for suggestions of what
everyone would like to do during
the month. For instance, would
they like to take a trip
somewhere, eat a specific type of
food, etc.
2. Welcome the month with
balloons, banners and more
Say “Ramadan Mubarak” with the
standard party fare: balloons, a
great banner and decorations
galore. Get the kids to help
decorate the place and ask for
their ideas and suggestions so
they feel included.
3. Tell a Ramadan story during
bedtime every night
Don’t just rely on children’s
books about Ramadan to share
stories. Describe what Ramadan
was like when you were a kid.
You can also make some tales up
with your child as the main
character in a Ramadan
adventure!
4. Let them fast even a quarter of
the day and celebrate
Kids often want to fast as they
see their parents and older
siblings do. This year, let them
fast for a couple of hours.
Prepare a special “Iftar” for them
when they break fast with a
couple of their favorite foods.
5. Make Ramadan loot bags for
their class
Get their teacher’s permission to
make loot bags with Ramadan
Mubarak written on them for the
class. Fill it with candy, small toys
and a little card explaining in two
or three short sentences what
Ramadan is. Have your child
distribute the bags to their
classmates.
6. Make a presentation about
Ramadan in their class
7. Make Ramadan arts and crafts
at home
Art is a great way to learn more
about Ramadan. Have the kids
make the different shapes of the
moon and show which one
indicates the beginning of the
month, which one the middle
and which one the end; make a
collage of some of their favorite
foods for Iftar; have them make
special Ramadan placemats for
the dinner table.
8. Make a family trip out of
sighting the moon
Once the kids are dressed in their
pajamas, herd them into the car
and take them to where other
Muslims in the city are gathering
to sight the Ramadan moon. Do
the same at the end of the
month. Bring a telescope or
binoculars.
9. Invite their friends over for a
kids-only Iftar
Let your kids come up with the
guest list and menu. Also, have
them make some of the food.
You can pick some kid-friendly
recipes or they can help with
preparing the parts of Iftar that
don’t require using a stove or
cutting with knives.
10. Invite grandparents or elder
community members over for
Iftar
After everyone’s eaten, hold a
storytelling session where the
guests describe what Ramadan
was like when they were
growing up. Ask them to be
descriptive. How was Iftar time
announced? In some countries,
they use a drum. In other places
a verbal announcement on a
loudspeaker is made. What kind
of food did they eat? What
games did they play during
Ramadan?
11. Make a Ramadan 2010
scrapbook
Take plenty of photos of
everyone during Suhur (now
that ’s entertaining!) and Iftar
time, as well as while they are
fasting and pieces of decorations
used, interesting stickers, etc. to
make a scrapbook about this
Ramadan. Each child should bring
three mementos he or she would
like to include.
12. Remember the poor
Arrange with the kids to
volunteer at a soup kitchen for a
few hours on a Saturday or
Sunday. If possible, try to find
one that has children as its
clients so they see that not only
adults, but kids like themselves
also suffer from hunger.
13. Make and send homemade
Ramadan cards
Before the month starts, have an
arts and crafts session to make
Ramadan Mubarak cards for
siblings, grandparents, aunts and
uncles. Send the cards soon
though, time ’s running out!
14. Play Ramadan halaal songs/
Nasheeds
When the kids are playing or
involved in some leisure activity,
turn off the usual fare and put
on some beautiful Ramadan
songs in English and your own
language if available. Maybe you
can ask the kids to memorize one
song by the end of Ramadan or
compose one of their own.
15. Take them to Tarawih prayer
so they feel they ’re part of a
community
Nothing teaches community
spirit like congregational prayer.
Take the kids with you to the
mosque for Tarawih prayer on
Friday and Saturday nights when
homework isn ’t an issue. Also,
ask them to bring some of their
allowance to give in charity while
they ’re there.
http://
islamgreatreligion.wordpress.com/2009/08/14/15-
ways-to-make-ramadan-special-
for-your-kids-this-year/
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