Help your Children Memorise the Quran FAST!

18/12/2019

Many of us dream that our children will memorise the Quran.

We hope that etching those noble words into their hearts will help to shape them as they grow up; that the Quran they learnt as children is never forgotten but is a source of support and guidance for them throughout their adult lives. We hope that memorising the Quran will raise their rank, and ours, in the next world. Ameen

Help your children to memorise the Quran fast

This blogpost contains affiliate links. See Disclaimer for more information.

“The one who recites the Quran and learns it by heart, will be with the noble righteous scribes (in Heaven) and the one who exerts himself to learn the Quran by heart and recites it with great difficulty, will have a double reward.”
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4653; Muslim, 798)

This inspiring story is from one of our readers, Sr. Sarwat Hussain, who has kindly allowed us to share her wisdom and advice on how you can help your children to memorise the Quran fast. inshallah.

All Praise is due to Allah, the most merciful and beneficent.

Assalamu Alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu, I am Sarwat Hussain.

Alhamdulillah I am blessed with two kids, Maryam and Ibrahim. Maryam is 8 and Ibrahim is 7. Maryam started memorizing the Quran at 6 and completed at 8, Alahamdulillah. It was a great journey. My both kids are homeschooled.

The first time I noticed Maryam’s interest in Quran was when she was sitting next to me holding the Quran. She started saying Subhanallah. She was just 18 months old!

How to help children memorise the Quran fast

1. HOW DO OUR CHILDREN MEMORISE THE QURAN?

Alhamdulaiilah, we just got more organized. We just made sure all necessary duties were taken care of so we could sit with Maryam without any interruptions.

With our support, she spent 3.5-4 hours a day memorising the Quran.

Maryam also used to attend the local masjid for the hifz classes three days a week. Our local Imam kindly offered us classes online too.

She use to listen Imam Misri Al Afasy audio to correct her tajweed. We established the rule to repeat every new Ayah at least TEN times before moving onto the next one.

You can listen to the Quran, and Imam Misri Al Afasy audio on Amazon Music!

After that she would connect everything together and read it back to me.

We started with three Ayahs per day. As time went on, subhanallah, she was able to do it 3 pages per day Alhamdulillah.

I always with her while memorizing new Ayas. The biggest challenge was to keep up with the Juz she had already memorized (Manzil). Now I listen to her recite two juz per day as revision.

2. LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

The children have very limited access to the TV and Gadgets. Throughout our Quran learning we have sat in a quiet room. We never sat where there were other people to distract us. We think this was the key. She had online hifz classes also and we were very strict with attending this class.

As parents, we always try to teach them that Islam is not separate from our daily life. Islam is not just about performing Salah or reading the Quran. It is a way of life. You practice it in everything. We always teach them to be good with neighbors and respect the others from the different belief systems.

How to help your children memorise the Quran

3. HOW DO WE KEEP IT GOING?

It is not an easy journey. We turned to Allah for the guidance and make dua for them whenever we face the challenges and always tell them that “You are very special, Allah likes you lot and bestowed his blessings to memorize his book, Al Quran Kareem”. We try to talk about the Angels, Jannah and the shaytaan.

Bedtime Quran stories and Seerah stories helped us lot to motivate them. We are still learning and improving ourselves to raise them as a good Muslims. Please pray for them.

May Allah make them among the most righteous of Muslims. Ameen. Ya Rabbul Alameen.

Alhamdulillah, Maryam started learning Arabic language. Inshallah, it will help her to understand the Quran with detail so that she can teach the importance of the Quran to the young generation. Inshallah, this will help to motivate and inspire them to learn and memorize the Quran.

We would love to provide some tips to the parents who are planning to choose this path.

You can follow us on Facebook page @HafizaMaryamRiyaz or Maryam F Riyaz). Inshallah we will try our best to answer your questions.

What an inspirational story! With the dedication of her parents, she memorised the whole Quran in just two years and at only 8 years-old! mashAllah!

If you are a homeschooling mother and have an inspirational story that you would like to share with our readers, please get in touch. I’d love to hear from you and we would all love to hear your story!

Have your children memorised the Quran? What advice would you offer other parents whose children are hoping do the same? Leave me your tips in the comments below!

I’m so grateful you stopped by!

Peace and Love,

Day in the Life | What Homeschooling is REALLY LIKE!

26/03/2018

Watch this video and spend the day with us! See what home education in the UK really looks like for Our Muslim homeschool!

Home education simply means to educate your children outside of the mainstream school system. What that looks like for each family is different but for us, as it does for many others, it involves plenty of time outside, sports and activities with friends and formal studies at home.

To get a better idea of what Homeschooling looks like for us, Watch this YouTube video!

Watch how we teach Quran, our swimming classes, outdoor time and a heart-to-heart chat about “What homeschooling is REALLY like!”

This video and blog-post was sponsored by WordUnited, who kindly sent me their Arabic and Phonics programs, and compensated me for my time. This blog-post also contains affiliate links. See Disclaimer for more information.

WordUnited

WordUnited is an incredible website that stocks hundreds of high-quality educational resources for children aged 0-13. They have everything you can imagine on that site, from beautiful baby toys, resources for literacy, numeracy, science, special needs and even multicultural toys section! With hundreds of new products being added every week, WordUnited is set to become the next big thing!

WordUnited kindly sent me two sets of books to review; the “Let’s Read” program, which teaching children the foundations of phonics, and the “Let’s Read Arabic” program which teaches children how to read Arabic words.

Each set consists of eight books. As your child progresses through the program, they gradually increase in complexity and build upon lessons learnt in previous books.

Learning Phonics with WordUnited — I love visual cues under each word to highlight the different sounds!

The books are small and easy for young hands to hold, as well as colourful and engaging to to children. They illustrations feature realistic high-quality images of objects that children will be familiar with in their lives. I really appreciate how the creators of these books have used visual cues to highlight the individual sounds that make up each word.

These books are ideal for home educators are they include parent guidance at the beginning of each book. This is really important to read as it clearly explains what is being covered and how to use that particular book effectively. I love it when a curriculum make it simple for parents!

The books can be purchased individually, or as a complete set.

To see my children using the books, WATCH THIS VIDEO.

Make sure you also visit their Amazing Website. You will be blown-away by the variety of products they have on offer!

CLICK HERE for the “Let’s Read Arabic!” 8-book set.

CLICK HERE for the “Let’s Read!” 8-book phonics set.

Other Products Mentioned:

Safar Qaidah (Indo-Pak Script)
Graded Steps in Quran Reading (Uthmani Script)
Digital Timer
Audible 30 FREE TRIAL + 1 FREE AUDIO BOOK

Go Outdoors Store

If you are interested in seeing what homeschool curricula we are using with our children CLICK HERE!

Thank you so much for stopping by and taking the time to watch our YouTube video. I hope it’s left you feeling inspired and given you something to think about.

Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook!

Please remember us in your duaas.

Peace and Love,

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Games and Activities to Teach Young Children a Foreign Language

28/11/2017

foreign language games and activities for kids

Throw away the workbooks! Pack away the textbooks! Teaching a foreign language to a young child requires you to think differently about what learning looks like!

The most effective method of acquiring a foreign language is the same method as a child acquires their mother-tongue; through regular exposure to the language in their daily lives.

Charlotte Mason said that young children learn languages through, “the ear, and not the eye,” (Vol 1. p.301), and so when we begin teaching young children, initially it is the ear that needs to be trained as the child becomes accustomed to the sound of that new language.

Before we jump into workbooks and expensive curricula, teach your child to speak the language at home through play and by natural exposure to the language.

This blog post has been written in collaboration with WordUnited, who gifted my family their write-and-wipe flashcards and compensated me for my time. Our Muslim Homeschool uses affiliate links in blog posts and the sidebar. Please see Disclaimer for more information.

How do we teach young children a foreign language?

Young children can learn a new language by hearing it used in their day-to-day lives, without the need to use extensive curricula.

“The child should never see French words in print until he has learned to say them with as much ease and readiness as if they were English.” Charlotte Mason (Vol. 1, p.301).

Ideally, this requires at least one of the parents at home to know this language to a basic level, or for them to employ someone else who does. However there are no end to private language tutors or classes available in most cities, as well as online.

“French should be acquired as English is, not as a grammar, but as a LIVING SPEECH. To train the ear to distinguish and the lips to produce the French vocables is a valuable part of the education of the senses, and one which can hardly be undertaken too soon.” Charlotte Mason (Vol.1 p.301).

Once your children are familiar with the words, and how to use them in their speech, you can introduce them to the written appearance of those words. Before beginning them on workbooks, I would recommend using flashcards. Flashcards are an ideal way to introduce children to the written form of any langauge, and can be used in games and activities to help keep children engaged.

At what age should I start teaching a new language?

To put it simply, children should be exposed to the foreign language as early as possible. We all know from our own children, that at the age of two years-old, toddlers may have grasped only a handful of words. However by the time they become three, they are able to hold a conversation and articulate their needs and interests with relative ease.

During these 12 months, there has been no “formal” teaching. Rather the child has heard the language spoke frequently used in the context of real-life, and that is all he/she needed to learn to speak it.

Thee ages 2 and 3 years-old are critical in language development, and thus this is the ideal time to begin introducing a new language to them.

However, whatever age your children may be, I would recommend you begin talking to them in a foreign language as soon as finish reading this blog-post!

What is the best foreign language to teach a child?

This is of course a matter of opinion! We have chosen to teach Arabic because of its connection with our faith, and French because my husband’s Mauritian heritage.

Others may suggest Spanish, Mandarin, or even Latin. I would advise that you look at your own family, where you live and what languages would be most useful for your children’s future.

Games and Activities to Teach Young Children a Foreign Language

To see these activities in more detail, and watch my family playing these games…

WATCH THIS VIDEO!

1.Daily Language Time

For one hour everyday, have your family speak ONLY in the new language.

If they need something from you, they will have to ask for it a foreign language. Likewise, when you speak to them, speak to them in the new language. By doing this, you are putting the language in a real-life context that helps young children to learn.

Charlotte Mason tells us that “…the child thinks in sentences” and so the most effective way to learn a new language is to have the words put into the context of sentence and place.

2. What’s in the Box?

Fill a box with items you have in your home. Then pull one out at a time and ask your child (in the new language), “What’s in the box?” Pass the object to them and they should give you an answer in that language, in a full sentence if possible.

Why not put cutlery or plastic animals in the box, or try different vehicles, fruit and veg or other household items. The possibilities are endless!

3. At the shops

When shopping with your children, read out the shopping list in a foreign language and ask them to retrieve the items for you. If your child is older, they could even write out the shopping list in the new language for you.

This simple activity makes learning fun and interactive. Your children will not even realise that they’re having a language lesson!

4. Colour-hunt

Call out the colour in the new language, and ask your children hunt for something that colour in the room and bring it back to you. Once they get used to that, you could begin to include numbers and other vocabularly: “I want three red cars, ” or “I want two balls.”

5. Get Moving!

This game is one of my favourites!

Make sure that your children have plenty of room to move about as you call out a command, such as “Run!” or “Jump!” in the foreign language. The children will then have to do that action until you call out the next one.

6. Sing along

Children have an incredible ability to retain songs, so use this innate ability to help them learn the new language!

Sing nursery rhymes and children’s songs in that language. If you don’t know any yourself, look on Youtube! There are so many in different languages that you can listen to for free.

7. Bi-lingual books

Read you children’s favourite bedtime stories to them in a foreign language. This is an easy and enjoyable way to add exposure to the language with very little effort on your part. You will be amazed at the selection of bi-lingual books available at the library for you to take out.

8. Flashcards

Once you children a comfortable understanding and using certain vocubulary in the context of their lives, you can begin to teach them how these words look in the written form and encourage them to write them themselves.

For this stage in the process, we use Write-and-Wipe Flashcards from Word United.

The Word United flashcards are available in English, Arabic, French, Spanish and German; teaching the alphabet, numbers, colours, shapes and actions in each of these languages.

Each card shows the word or letter along with a beautiful high quality photo on one side; whilst the other side has that word written out, followed by a tracing and hand-writing exercise. These high quality cards are kept in a magnetically closing box, along with two wipe-able board pens.

These beautiful flashcards introduce children to the foreign language in it’s written form, and allowing them to have hands-on practice spelling the words too.

If you are interested in purchasing the Write-and-Wipe flashcards for your family, visit their website (www.wordunited.com), or visit the Word United Amazon Store .

You also find them on Twitter and Instagram.

Remember, very young children learn language through their ears, and not their eyes!

Hold back on workbooks and textbooks until you children are starting to understand the spoken language. The ages 2 and 3 years-old are critical in language development, and thus this is the ideal time to begin introducing a new language to them.

When your children are ready to move onto the written form of the language, try using bi-lingual books and flashcards, like the ones from Word United.

This will your children with a solid foundation with which to master another language and help them in their further study of that foreign language.

If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments below. I would also love to hear how you have successfully taught your children another language.

Let us know in the comments below!

In need of your duas.

Peace and Love,

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Easy Arabic Alphabet Cupcakes!

12/06/2017

Children are never too young to start learning Arabic! One of the first steps for children is to master the Arabic alphabet.

In our homeschool we like to find creative and fun ways for children to learn. Recently we decided to make cupcakes an decorate them with the Arabic letters. The kids loved this hands-on approach to learning and I think your family will too!

Our Muslim Homeschool uses affiliate links in posts and sidebar ads. Please refer to my Disclaimer for more information.

Cooking together teaches your children important life skills, as does all the cleaning up afterwards! Younger children love mixing and pouring ingredients together, whilst the older children improve their maths skills by measuring out and weighing out the flour, butter and sugar.

Similarly, this tactile and sensory approach to learning was very successful in helping my younger children learn their Arabic alphabet. Not only does it require them to identify the letter in their mind, but also focus on how the letter is formed when making their own with icing.

Not only is this activity really fun, but it also works really well and is an effective way of teaching children the Arabic alphabet. ….And you get delicious cakes to enjoy afterwards too!

Arabic Alphabet Cupcakes

These cupcakes were very easy to make, and older children may be able to follow the recipe will minimal help from you!

I decided to top each cupcake with butter-cream icing, because it’s just so delicious! Then on top on that we added the Arabic letters, made from Ready-to-roll icing.

You will need…

Equipment:

12-hole Muffin Cake Tin – Buy HERE
Cup Cake Paper Cases – Buy HERE
Arabic Letter Play Dough Kit -Buy from Amazon or Ibraheem Toy House

Ingredients:

110g/4oz Butter, softened
110g/ 4oz Caster sugar
110g/ 4oz Plain flour
2 tsp Baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla paste (Alcohol-free) – Buy HERE

For Decorating:

140g/5oz Butter, softened
280g/10oz Icing Sugar
1-2 tbsp Milk
Ready-To-Roll Icing (Several Colours) – Buy Here (Vegetarian)

Cupcake Recipe

Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F / Gas 4.
Line the muffin tin with paper cases.
Put the butter and sugar in a bowl. Beat it using an electric whisk until pale and fluffy.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into another bowl.
Beat the eggs and vanilla separately.
Mix all the ingredients together.
Spoon the mixture carefully into the paper cases.
Bake for 18-20 minutes until risen and firm to the touch.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes.
Remove from tin and allow to cool completely before decorating.

Icing Recipe

Using a whisk, beat the butter until soft.
Continue to whisk whist slowing adding the icing sugar.
Add the milk and mix well.

Let’s Decorate!

Apply 1-2 tbsp of buttercream icing to the top of each cupcake. You can pipe it on yourself, or let your children do it using two small spoons.
Flour your kitchen surfaces to prevent sticking in the next step.
Roll out the ready-to-roll icing to approximately 5mm (1/2 cm) thick.
Use the Arabic letter cutters from the play dough kit to cut out any letters from Arabic alphabet you wish to learn/revise.
Carefully use a butter knife to lift the letters onto the top of the cakes.
Continue until all the cakes are decorated.
Enjoy!

Tip: If your ready-to-roll icing gets too warm, it will be difficult to cut out the letters. To prevent this, keep the icing in the fridge until you are ready to use it.

I hope your family enjoy making and eating these Arabic alphabet cupcakes! They would be a great addition to any children’s party, iftaar or Eid celebration!

Have you ever used cooking to teach your children an Academic subject?

What other creative ways have you used to teach the Arabic Alphabet?

Please tell us about it in the comments below!

Peace and Love,

Teach Your Kids Islamic Studies…ONLINE!

06/03/2017

Teaching your children about Islam can be a daunting prospect! Where do we start?

How do we teach the material?

Once they do start learning the various Islamic sciences, how do we keep up the momentum and maintain their enthusiasm.

How can we encourage our children to want to learn about Islam?

What are the best online resources available to help parents?

This blog post was sponsored by aliandsumayaschool.com. See disclaimer for further details.

I was recently introduced to the Ali and Sumaya school, an online Islamic school, that teaches children the principle Islamic sciences, from the comfort of my own home.

It has been such a blessing to incorporate it into my children’s Islamic education, and I am so excited to share it with you.

What is an Online Islamic School?

When we first logged on, I was so impressed! It’s like an Islamic version of ABC Mouse! mashAllah! Instead of teaching phonics or maths, it teaches children Quran, duaas, Arabic, and more!

The children absolutely adore it, and really look forward to doing their lessons! I have seen an incredible shift in their attitude towards learning the Islamic sciences. When I announce that it’s time for Ali and Sumaya school, they rush to get to the computer and watch one another do their lessons.

They even recognize the characters in the school from the Ali and Sumaya DVDS, which only adds to their enthusiasm!

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What does it teach?

The Ali and Sumaya school currently teaches:

Memorisation of Quran (Hidfh)
Reading Arabic
Prophetic Duaas
Salah
Wudu

However since we began the programme, about 2 months ago, they have continued to offer more levels,and add more learning material to their website every month!

How does it work?

Most lessons offered involve your child watching a short animated video, where the material is explained. These videos have been made to a very high standard! The audio is clear, with beautiful recitation of Quran, and the animation is amazing!

Then after practicing what has been taught, they complete a short quiz to ensure they have understood the lesson.

They way the school assesses memorisation is very simple, but very clever. The teacher will recite part of an ayah or duaa, and then conceal part of it with a “beep”. The child then has to decide what is missing from the duaa, and select the correct answer from a number of options.

If they pass the quiz, they are awarded a “badge.” The badges are the equivalent to virtual stickers, and my kids love collecting them!

A nice feature on the site is the presence of a leader board. For every lesson you complete, you are awarded points, and the students with the highest number of points will feature on the global leader board.

What age does my child need to be?

There are no specific requirements for age or experience. The only thing I would recommend is that your child should be able to comfortably use the mouse or a tablet, otherwise they may struggle to complete their lessons.

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Are their sources reliable?

There are so many different ways people practice Islam today, especially with regards to worship. The creators of the Ali and Sumaya school consulted a number of religious teachers from Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

If you have any further questions about the scholars and sources that were used, you can email the Ali and Sumaya school directly. Click HERE for their contact details.

How long are the lessons?

The time each lesson takes does vary between subjects and levels. However, the makers of the Ali and Sumaya school recommend that children spend 10-20 minutes on each lesson, as few times a week to get the most out of the programme.

We have chosen to use these online classes slightly differently. Instead of everyday, we have been using the Ali and Sumaya school as a reward for good behaviour or academic achievement! They enjoy using this online school so much that they will actually work towards it! They really do love it!

Benefits of Online Learning

Personally, I think the biggest benefit of using an online school like the Ali and Sumaya school, is that the kids enjoy it! Subhanullah, what a difference it makes to your child’s learning when they are having fun!

When a child is self-motivated and interested in learning the material, they will retain that information more effectively than if you are forcing them to do their lessons. The Ali and Sumaya school is a fantastic way of nurturing a positive attitude towards studying Islam.

One of the biggest challenges we face as parents today, is the constant struggle we have with limiting screen time. This internal battle happens in almost all of us everyday. Many of us feel guilty at the amount of time our children spend watching TV, or playing on other electronic devices. What is wonderful about the Ali and Sumaya school, is that that guilt is gone! My children can go online, and do their lessons, and learn something really beneficial! Alhumdulillah!

The Ali and Sumaya school provides a halal alternative to the mainstream media. Furthermore, it is a safe and wholesome way for children to spend beneficial time online.

How do I enroll my children?

The creators of the Ali and Sumaya school only take in a limited number of students each term so that they really get to know those pupil’s needs, and assist them as much as possible.

If you would like to secure your child’s place for this terms intake, you can visit their website: AliandSumayaschool.com for more details.

If you have any questions about the Ali and Sumaya school, and how we use it in our home, please leave them in the comments section below!

Peace and Love,

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Homeschool Favourites | September 2016

15/09/2016

I can’t believe it’s September already!

In this blog-post I will share some of the products and books we have been enjoying in our Muslim homeschool this month.

I’m thrilled to show you a really great science kit, some art equipment that my son loves, and even an app that my youngest son plays!

We also have a GIVEAWAY running this month, so if you’d like to enter, please scroll down to the bottom of this post to the Rafflecopter widget.

Homeschool Favourites | September 2016

To get a better look at all the products mentioned in this blog-post, WATCH THIS VIDEO:

Table Art Easel

This table-top art easel is made by the company Winsor and Newton. We decided to give this to my eldest as an Eid gift, because he is developing an interest in art.

Well…needless to say…HE LOVES IT!

Muslim homeschool favourites table easel

Thanks to its beautiful leather handle, he seems to be carrying it around everywhere!

Our bay window has become his “Art Studio!”

Inside the easel there is room to store lots of arts supplies, and the adjustable arms means that it can be used with a wide range of canvas sizes.

If you have a child who loves to paint, but don’t have the space for a full-sized easel, then this table easel might be a great for your family!

Almost done!

Magnetic Science Kit

The boys have really enjoyed using this Magnetic Science Kit by Thames and Kosmos to supplement our science curriculum.

We have been learning about magnetism and this kit has been a fantastic resources. It contains all the specialist equipment you need for 33 experiments (including loads of different magnets, iron fillings, magnetic discs, a compass and loads more!) and a instruction manual.

The experiments in this particular science kit teach children the basic principles of what is magnetic, why its magnetic, how compasses work, and introduces electro-magnetism. There are also instructions for some fun games you can do with the magnets!

Migo and Ali: Love for the Prophets

My kids are really enjoying this collection of stories about the Prophets of Allah. This books contains stories about fifteen different Prophets (A.S.), with a large section at the back dedicated to stories about Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.).

The stories are short, well-written and each section end with a dialogue between Migo and Ali as they talk about what they learnt.
The illustrations are beautiful! It is worth noting that there are no depictions of the Prophets or Sahaba in the pictures.

They have also made the effort to have the book approved by scholars of Islam.

This wonderful book is suitable for children aged 3-8, and is one of those books that your family will pick up again and again to read together.

I got my copy from IbraheemToyhouse.com

Gambian Mommy Arabic Worksheets

In Our Muslim Homeschool, we have been making an effort to teach my youngest son the letters of the Arabic alphabet. In my quest to good educational resources, I was introduced to these worksheets by Gambian Mommy.

Ngaima Sesay designed and produced these worksheets, as she was becoming increasingly frustrated at the lack of resources available to teach her own children Arabic.

Arabic alphabet worksheets Gambian mommy

As a homeschooling mum herself, she recognised the need for good quality teaching material, and set about producing an incredible selection of Arabic worksheets for other mothers.

The worksheets she has put together are brilliant! There is so much variety! Whether you child learns visually, or by writing, or is an auditory learner, there are worksheets for everyone! There are even games for the kinesthetic learners amongst us!

Some worksheets are in black and white, and others in colour…they’re so pretty! It is clear that a huge amount of time and thought that has gone into these worksheets.

Each pack has instructions on how to use them, a phonics section to help parents pronounce the letters correctly, and a dictionary section to explain the meanings of words.

If you are looking for interesting and fun ways to teach young children the Arabic alphabet, I would highly recommend you
on the Gambian Mommy store on TeachersPayTeachers.com.

Alif Baa app

When I asked my 4 year-old son what he thought of this app he said, “It’s cool!”

I totally agree with him! The Alif Baa app teaches children the letters of the Arabic alphabet, as well as some Arabic vocabulary.

There are four games to chose from:

– Flashcard style game: Where cards with each letter are shown, and sounded out, along with a new vocabulary word .

– Find the letter: The game says a letter and the student has to find it in amongst the other letters.

–Put the letters in order: The student has to put the letters of the Arabic alphabet in order in the quickest time.

– Trace the Letters: Students are shown how to write each letter and then have to trace along the dotted lines.

This app is a wonderful way to make learning Arabic fun and enjoyable for young kids.

For more information on this app CLICK HERE.

SheCasa Hijabs Prayer Dress

When you stand on your prayer mat, in the presence of your Lord, it is nice to present yourself in something clean, and beautiful…something special!

SheCasa Hijabs is a shop on Facebook and Instagram that specialises in handmade Prayer dresses and Tasbeehs.

The material they use is so soft and luxurious, and they look so beautiful!

I have had prayer dresses in the past from abroad, and they always fray at the seams and the material seems cheap.

However the prayer dresses from SheCasa Hijabs are a great quality and so well made mash’Allah. They are beautiful!

GIVEAWAY

It’s GIVEAWAY TIME!

This September I am so happy to share THREE of my favorites with one of you!!!

I will be giving away:
– 3 Worksheet Packs from the Gambian Mommy (RRP: $12.00)

– 1 AlifBaa app (RRP: $1.99) – iPad or iPhone only.

– 1 Prayer Dress and 1 Tasbeeh from SheCasa Hijabs

The September 2016 Favourites Giveaway will run until Friday 23rd September 2016 at 12AM GMT.

The giveaway is open Internationally.

All entrants under the age of 18 must have parental permission to enter.

Please aware that if entering overseas, you may be liable to pay customs tax (or the equivalent), so please check beforehand.

You can enter by following the directions in the Rafflecopter widget posted below (click HERE is you would like to know more about Rafflecopter).

I’ll announce the winners on THIS blog post and contact them directly through email.

The winner has 24 hours to respond, otherwise I will have to select another winner.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
=

I hope you found it useful to see what we’ve been enjoying in our homeschool this month.I’d love to know what your family has been using this September 🙂
Please let us all know in the comments below.

Make sure you don’t miss the next blog post by Subscribing to my mailing list.

For a daily look into our homeschooling day follow me on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

See you next month insha’Allah!

In need of your duaas.

Peace and Love xx

You Might Also Like:

Muslim Homeschool Curriculum Kindergarten 1st grade

CLICK HERE

Teach ARABIC with PLAY DOUGH!

01/03/2016

This post is sponsored by Desi Doll Company Ltd

Every child loves play dough! Make learning Arabic fun for
your kids by teaching through play….Teach Arabic with Play Dough!

Teaching Arabic to young children can be done in two ways:
through natural exposure to the language (conversations, story books, songs etc.) and
through play.

In my humble opinion, workbooks and written curriculum have limited
value in young children. Instead, for preschool and kindergarten children,
Arabic can be learnt through play.

Here are 5 ways to teach
Arabic with play dough:

Letters

An obvious place to start is teaching your child the Arabic letters.

For these activities, it helps if you have a poster or book displaying Arabic letters nearby. We used a wooden puzzle to help the children visualise the letters.

The play dough can be moulded into the shapes of the letters:

Alternatively, you can now get play dough cutters in the shapes of the Arabic letters. This set by Desi Doll company was fantastic!

The letters came out really clearly and my kids found them very easy to use. On top of that, the play dough smells like candy!

We began by doing a ‘Letter Hunt’ where all the cutters were placed in the middle, and I would call out a letter and the kids had to find it!

“Find me the letter Raa!”

“Find me the letter Meem!”

Then we used the cutters themselves to make the individual letters of the Arabic alphabet.

The children were eager to write their names in the play dough… as well as all their friends!

Colours

Whilst the children are playing with the play dough it is very easy to casually teach the colours as you go along.

“What colour is this?”

“Shall we make it in Burtaqali (Orange) next time?”

“Where is Azraq (Blue)?”

Numbers

Play dough makes a great manipulative, and it is easy to mould into counters.

We used simple ball shapes, but you could use any shape/animal that appeals to your child.

We used these counters to count to ten in Arabic and then ask:

“How many balls are there altogether?”

“How many ball are Asfar (Yellow)?” etc.

Shapes

Using the shape cutters and knives in our play dough kit, we were able to make a variety of shapes to to help the kids learn their names in Arabic.

Spell out Vocabulary

This activity was by far the most successful of all!

We used the letter cutters to spell out new vocabulary words; such as the parts of the face and body, food, animals etc. My five-year old really enjoyed spelling out the names of the Prophets (Peace be upon them).

Combining the sensory experience and manipulation of the play dough, with a purposeful spelling exercise, seemed to massively improve their memorisation of new words. This technique would be particularly effective for children who are tactile learners.

On top of that, it was so much fun! The children get so excited when I bring this play dough set out!

Play dough is also a great way to increase hand strength in preschool children, and improve their fine motor and bilateral coordination skills; so they will be ready to learn to write in the coming school years.

If you are interested in buying the play dough set we used, visit DESI DOLL COMPANY for more information.

Fun Dough Arabic Letters

How have you used play to teach the Arabic language?

What games or toys have you found useful?

Please share your thoughts with us in the comments below 🙂

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In need of your duaas.

Peace and Love.

HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM CHOICES 2015-2016

19/07/2015

Year 1 and Preschool

It’s that time of year again…and I love it!

It’s time to plan next year’s Curriculum for Our Muslim Homeschool!

Like most homeschooling families, I started planning for the next year of home education at least 6 months ago, and have been slowly collecting different resources as I find them. This is what we are going with this year!

This blog-post contain affiliate links. Please see Disclaimer for more information.

My children are 5 and 3 years old.

Below I have listed the curriculum we will be using for M as he starts Year 1 (Kindergarten) from September. For A, my pre-schooler, we will not be following a set curriculum, but will draw ideas from few different books, which I also have listed below.

The books listed below are the ‘main’ texts we will be using, but we will also draw from many other resources that we have at home; as well as online and from our library.

We also enjoy frequent field trips!

If you are interested in any of these books, just click on the title of the book for a link to Amazon or the relevant website.Please note: This does not include our reading list, i.e books (fiction) that M will read or will have read to him.

I hope our curriculum helps to inspire other Muslim Homeschooling Families, as so many others have inspired me!

YEAR 1 / Kindergarten Curriculum

Islamic Studies

It is my opinion that religion should not be taught as an academic subject, but rather it should be something that children witness as part of normal life, learning from your example and other good company. However there are some books that we will use for activities and to stimulate discussions:

My First Quran Story Book by Saniyasnain Khan & Maria S Puri

I Love Islam Textbook: Level 1 (With CD)

Available to purchase from the HOMESCHOOL SHOP

QURANIC MEMORISATION

At Home

ARABIC

Dino Lingo

First Thousand Words in Arabic

Language Arts

READING

The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading

PHONICS:

Modern Curriculum Press Phonics, Level A

SPELLING:

Spelling Workout, Level B by Modern Curriculum Press

HANDWRITING:

Copy-work from some books of Hadith into these Handwriting school exercise books

Math:

Saxon Math

History/Geography/Social Studies

For this year we will follow an interest-led approach for the humanities. By this I mean that we will have a relaxed approach to these topics, studying what-ever M wants to learn about using books from our local library.

Science:

We will be primarily doing the study of nature this year. However when the weather doesn’t allow us to go outdoors, we will use the latter two book for fun science experiments:

Looking at Nature: Bks. 1-4 by Elsie Proctor

Usborne Spotter’s Guides:

Trees

Woodland Life

Bugs and Insects

Birds

Mudpies to Magnets: A Preschool Science Curriculum

Everybody Has a Body: Science from Head to Toe

Sport:

Football
Trampolining with home-ed group

Bike rides / country walks / trips to the park

PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM:

These books provide me with ideas for preschool activities and learning games. They are a great resource!

Where Is Thumbkin?: 500 Activities to Use with Songs You Already Know

Slow and Steady Get Me Ready

If you would like more ideas for Curriculum choices, particularly for older children, I would recommend visiting Noor Janan HomeschoolandIman’s Home-school; both great resources for Muslim Homeschoolers.

To make sure you don’t miss the next in the series, please Subscribeto my blog, or follow me on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.

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If you have any questions, or any ideas for future posts, please leave them for me in the comments below. If you have a blog post about you homeschool curriculum. please feel free to link it below. I’d love to know what your using!

Thanks for stopping by!

Peace and Love.

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Teach the Arabic Alphabet to Preschool Kids

12/06/2015

Teaching the Arabic alphabet to kids in the West is often done after the English alphabet, as a second language. Despite this, there are so many way we have found to make learning Arabic fun and enjoyable for your preschool kids.

Below I have listed my favorite resources and activities to help kids learn the Arabic alphabet and have fun doing it.

These recommendations are primarily for young children (under 4s) but could be used for any child new to the language.

Arabic alphabet for kids. Activites, games, books and resources.

This blogpost includes affiliate links. Please see Disclaimer for more information.

If you have children older than 4 years-old, CLICK HERE to see my recommendations on how Teach Children a Foreign Language.

1 Arabic Alphabet Montessori Cards

As I was beginning to discover the Montessori method of education and browsing through the plethora of information online, I stumbled across a great website, ‘Noor Janan Homeschool’. In amongst her free printables, I found these lovely Arabic Letter Cards. After printing and laminating them, we have used them a multitude of ways. I ask Dino boy to name the letter, or to pair with matching letter, put them in order or we play a memory game with them.

Learn Arabic with Playdough

On the same website (Noor Janan Homeschool) there are Arabic playdough cards, where you mould the playdough into the shape of the letter on the card. Dino boy was not interested in these, so after laminating them, we now use them as colouring in sheets, and simply wipe clean after.

As he is colouring in, we talk about the letter, its sound, words that begin with this letter or what its shape reminds us of.

Tell your kids a story

I came across this method on Youtube on the safida34 channel where you tell a story with the letter. For example with Ba, Ta and Tha:
“Ba, Ta and Tha are three boats. One sunny day, they decided to go out on the seas and catch some fish. Ba was not a very good fishing boat, and he left his fish in the water (Where the fish are representing the dots on the letters). Ta did very well mashAllah and caught two fish and Tha, who had the longest fishing rod (sticking your tongue out to make the sound of the letter) caught three fish.”

4. Arabic Alphabet Puzzles for kids

We have been fortunate to receive a few puzzles, wooden and card, of the Arabic letters. These are available from amazon and many Islamic bookstores.

I use these when I want to kids to do some Arabic, but they are not in the mood for anything ‘heavy.’

5. Online Resources for kids

This website Islamic Playground is a recent discovery of mine. Although I do try to limit screen time for my kids, there are occasions when they deserve a treat! There are two lovely games on this site
– Drag and match game where the player has to match the letters and as they do it the letters sound is played.
– A journey through the Arabic alphabet. The player has to walk along the letter and as they reach an obstacle on the path they will be asked an ‘Islamic’ question to get past. Although this one does require mum or dad’s help, it is well worth it.

6. Painting Activities

Sometimes the simplest things work the best! Either write out the letters yourself, or ask you child to, and then paint them . Simple but it holds their concentration!

7. Arabic Alphabet Workbook

The website rahmahmuslimhomeschool has a wonderful FREE workbook for ages 3+ to help your child recognise and begin writing the letters. My son LOVES this. I’ve put it in a ‘grown-up’ folder for him which only adds to his excitement!

8. Learn Arabic with Youtube Videos

There are many songs and videos on Youtube to help you child become more familiar with the sounds and shapes of the letters. These are our favourites:

Arabic Alphabet Nasheed

Arabic Alphabet with Zakih

The main thing that I always need to remind myself of is, that at this young age, it should be fun.

Make it light, frivolous, smile and make happy memories!

Do you like to bake? Check out my Easy Arabic Alphabet Cupcakes HERE!

I would love to hear how you have taught your little ones the Arabic alphabet. Please leave your comment in the box below.

In need of your duaas.

Peace and Love,

Arabic

1. HOW DO OUR CHILDREN MEMORISE THE QURAN?

2. LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

3. HOW DO WE KEEP IT GOING?

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Letters

Colours

Numbers

Shapes

Spell out Vocabulary

Year 1 and Preschool

YEAR 1 / Kindergarten Curriculum

Islamic Studies

ARABIC

Language Arts

Math:

History/Geography/Social Studies

Science:

Sport:

PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM:

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1 Arabic Alphabet Montessori Cards

Learn Arabic with Playdough

Tell your kids a story

4. Arabic Alphabet Puzzles for kids

5. Online Resources for kids

6. Painting Activities

7. Arabic Alphabet Workbook

8. Learn Arabic with Youtube Videos

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