Ramadan is a month of spirituality and moral values and is a great opportunity for parents to teach their children ethics and values. You can take advantage of this holy month by implanting the beauty of the month of Ramadan in your children’s hearts and minds. During Ramadan, children build important memories which will influence how they feel about Ramadan and other Islamic traditions in later life. Let us try and create meaningful memories and habits by making the MOST of Ramadan WITH our kids.
Launch Your Homeschool is an online course that will hold your hand and walk you through the beginning stages of homeschooling, built upon the framework of the Charlotte Mason philosophy.
I teach you how to choose the right subjects for your homeschool, how to choose the right resources and plan out your year to create a homeschool experience that aligns with the values and beliefs of your family. Whether you are homeschooling in the UK, or elsewhere in the world, this programme will help you give your children an incredible education at home.
I show you the essential teaching techniques that you’ll need to know to get started. There’s even an entire module on how to manage your time so you can still cook, keep the house tidy and take care of yourself, all whilst homeschooling your children!
Each week we’ll be reading a beautiful Islamic children books together.
Join thousands of other families across the world, as we do Ramadan activities together, that are themed around each book, and share them in the Ramadan Book Club facebook community.
Your children get to meet the authors in four LIVE story time events. The authors will read their book aloud to you kids, and answer their questions. How incredible is that?! And for those who can’t make it to the live event, don’t worry! The story time sessions will be recorded. insha’Allah
So what are you waiting for? Create a meaningful Ramadan for your kids and SIGN UP NOW!
When kids experience Ramadan, they do more than watch their parents fast and help with iftar. During Ramadan, children build important memories which will influence how they feel about Ramadan and other Islamic traditions in later life. As parents, it’s our responsibility to do our best to make these memories and feelings positive, to show an Islamic lifestyle is exciting and fascinating.
Here at Our Muslim Homeschool, we are introducingthe Ramadan Book Club! Aimed at kids aged 4-9, we have gathered stories and activities for you to enjoy with your children throughout the month of Ramadan. Each book and activity has been selected to help you get the most out of this month without adding to your stressful workload!
This blog post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see Disclaimer.
Children respond positively to stories – as do most humans. For centuries, cultures around the world have used stories to instil important lessons and sentiments in their communities. For this reason, stories are a powerful resource when trying to teach our children Islamic principles. But how do we find the time to use stories in an efficient way and still make the most of Ramadan for ourselves?
We have carefully chosen 4 books for your family to enjoy together during Ramadan – one for each week. Each book wonderfully encapsulates important aspects of Ramadan for your kids to absorb, discuss, and reflect on.
If you register with The Ramadan Book Club, you receive specially designed book packs which guide you through a range of activities linked with each story we read together. Ramadan can be filled with busy days, and these book packs have been designed to help you bond with your children in a way that will bring minimal stress to you. So, don’t worry; you can pick and choose which activities suit you and your family, or you may just want to enjoy the books. It’s completely flexible – do as much or as little as you’d like!
By registering, you participate in an online community as we all share our experiences with the book packs. You’ll even be able to join a virtual meet-up with the authors of the books!
A welcome pack with a calendar and lunar tracker for your children, as well as valuable advice on how to read aloud as a family, no matter how old your children are!
Four separate book packs with a variety of activities based on each book
Invitations and details to special “Story Time” virtual events
Remember, this event is completely FREE to join! I pray these resources benefit you and your family and bring you closer to each other as well as closer to Allah during this blessed month, inshaAllah.
Ramadan is coming! Mothers everywhere are trying to find a way to create a meaningful and worthwhile Ramadan experience for their children. But honestly, it can be a little overwhelming! I’m here to tell you that you can create lasting and beautiful memories of Ramadan for your children with these easy and simple activities!
This blog post is sponsored by theMiraj Stories App, who allowed my family full access to the app and compensated me for my time.
For many mothers, the lead up to Ramadan can be a little stressful. Whilst we are excited at the prospect of entering this blessed month, it can also be a time of worry and anxiety: Will I be able to fast? Will I have enough energy to take care of my children? Will I be able to cope?
On top of all of this, we are bombarded with images of Ramadan preparation on social media; amazing women who have hand-crafted beautiful decorations, Ramadan calendars, purchased baskets full of new books and toys for the month, cleaned their home top-to-bottom and already bought their Eid gifts!
For women, like me, who have not done many (or any) of these things it can be a little demoralizing. Before Ramadan even begins, you are left feeling like you’ve failed already.
Well, I’m here to tell you that you haven’t. Although this type of Ramadan preparation is useful and/or beautiful, it is not essential. You do not need to do any of those things to create a meaningful and worthwhile Ramadan experience for your children.
All you really need, is to be happy and present with your children during this coming month. Yes, you heard me! You only need to be happy and present with your children!
When you are joyful, and your fill your home with your positive energy, you are creating a joyful atmosphere within your home. When you are happy, they are happy.
Instead of over-exerting yourself with complicated crafts and children’s activities, I want you to instead start a new tradition. This Ramadan, I want your children to remember that joyful atmosphere; when mummy is always there, with us, smiling; a time when she sat with us more, listened to us more, told us stories and played with us. These are the things that will leave them with a positive experience of Ramadan.
That is a happy Ramadan. That is the Ramadan tradition you want to create in your home.
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And that is what its blog post is all about – Simple, easy activities that you can do with your children during Ramadan. These activities will not tire you whilst you’re fasting, they’re free (or cheap), and they can easily be done with things you already have in your home.
Instead of focusing on the final product, as most children’s activities seem to, these activities are centered around building connections with your children; creating deeper bonds and greater meaning to your family’s inner life.
Easy and Free Ramadan Activities
Quran Games
Ramadan is a perfect time for children to learn more about the Quran, memorise it and read it. But I want you to step away from the preconceived ideas you hold about what the study of Quran should look like. I want you, this Ramadan, to make it fun!
By playing simple games as a family, your child will want to read and memorise more Quran than ever before!
An example of such a game would have all players sitting in a circle, reading the same Surah. Each person takes a turn to read one ayat. When you the person reading says a certain word, or letter, or tajweed rule, the other players have to stand up! Alternatively, if its appropriate, you children could act out action when they hear in in a Surah, like “read” or “say”.
These kinds of games will have you children excited by the Quran, learning more Arabic, Tajweed and memorising as they play. To see how we play these games,WATCH THIS VIDEO!
Be Household Partners
Fasting can take it toll on parents physically, making household tasks difficult at times. During Ramadan, encourage your children take on certain roles within the household. Instead of telling them that they “Have to do something now because you’re tired”, tell them that you are going to “let them help this month now that they older and more responsible.” The language we use is so powerful.
Although some children might complain a little (or a lot) at first, if presented to them well, these new roles will have them feeling valued and respected. Although they may not seem like much fun, these roles actually help to create feelings of belonging and validation in a child’s psyche.
If you can, chose activities that you will do together, such as cooking or cleaning up after a meal. By working together to prepare the food or tidy up, children will learn that they are an important part of the team. However tasks that they do completely independently are also valuable as they will help to boost their confidence.
Why not allow them to chose the menu for iftar from your cookery books, or have them make the rice or bread everyday. Although learning these skills is valuable, what is even more worthwhile, is the lesson that they’re learning: that you trust them with this task, and that you value them and their contribution.
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Examples of household task could include:
Preparing, serving or clean up after meals
Washing, folding, or putting away laundry
Tidying up toys at the end of the day, hoovering or dusting
They’ll remember that Ramadan is a time when the family all pulls together and helps one another. Isn’t that such a perfect lesson for this blessed month?
You can watch how we implement a household partnership in THIS VIDEO.
Ramadan Toy Rotation
Although it can be lovely to buy new toys and books for Ramadan, to present to your children on the first day, many people are not in a situation where they can do that.
Instead, I would encourage you to implement a toy/book rotation system in your home. Before Ramadan begins, put some of the children’s toys out of sight (we hide ours in the attic). Then, when you bring them back out again on the first day of Ramadan, the children will be so excited. If you have enough toys, you could do a weekly rotation, putting away and bringing out “new” toys from your attic every week.
I would also recommend a basket of toys that is only allowed to be used during “quiet time”, and you’ll need to be quite strict about that! In my home, I hope to establish a “quiet time” in the late afternoon, when I start to feel tired and get headaches. Then I know, with this special basket of toys to entertain them, I’ll get some time to rest.
The great thing about restricting access to toys, and creating rotations, is that you do not need to buy anything, rather you are just making the most of what you already have.
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Children’s Prayer Corner
Once again, show your children that you respect them and their spiritual nature, by giving them their own prayer corner.
Turn a corner of your home into an inviting space for them to prayer. You can do this without the need to purchase anything. Use existing prayer mats or rugs in the corner. If you have it, use something to partially partition the space off, like a short bookcase, screen, or large basket, to physical separate the prayer space from the rest of the room.
Once again, as we talked about a household partnership, within their prayer corner the children should have roles. Let them decide who will be the Imam, who will call the Athaan, and who will keep the space tidy. Perhaps you will want to rotate the roles between them. Depending on the age of your children, they probably wont pray all the prayers, but aim for at least one each day for younger children. And I encourage you to join them in that space sometimes, but make sure you ask their permission first!
A similar idea that you may have seen online is setting up an itikaaf tent for the last ten days of Ramadan. In a simple play-tent, put out the children’s Islamic books, tasbeehs and anything else they may need, and give them the freedom to use that space as they see fit.
Use Digital Resources
There are an abundance of online resources and apps that are available on the market today. Many of them are free, or very inexpensive. I am of the opinion, that in moderation and supervision, screen-time can provide great benefits to your children.
My favourite is theMiraj Islamic Stories App. I have never seen anything like this app before…it’s amazing!
The app primarily aims to teach children Arabic, Quranic stories and Islamic morals.
A Free version of the app is available, but for all the features you would need to purchase it. It is available on for Apple and Android users. When you first launch the app, you are given the option of using it “Music-free” or “With music.”
It’s difficult to put an age range on this app, because it has something for children of every age!
Children of all ages will enjoy listening to the audiobooks, which are what made Miraj Stories (also called Miraj Audio) famous many years ago, and you can see why! They are undoubtedly the best producer of Islamic audiobooks on the market. The stories themselves are beautifully written, but the narration itself makes them captivating! We are currently listening to the story of “Ibrahim and the Fire” and it’s quickly becoming a family favourite!
Younger children will love the interactive books, where children take part in the story as it unfolds, and learn Arabic along the way! We are using the Arabic letter books with my 3 year-old daughter. Firstly the child traces over the letter, and then watches a short animated story centred around that letter. It’s adorable! There are also interactive books that teach children about the prayer and some of the 99 Names of Allah.
The video stories are delightful, the characters utterly charming, and they will have your kids laughing and learning so much as the go. These short videos are a great halal alternative to YouTube and similar apps.
The Miraj Stories app also gives you access to a range of picture books called the “Stories from the Quran.” These stories are narrated for you with lovely sound effects, but personally I prefer to turn the sound off and read them aloud to my children on the sofa or cuddled up in bed! In fact, your older children could even read the stories themselves. Either way, there as so much ways you could use these picture books in your home.
It is clear that the people behind the Miraj Islamic Stories app value children, and respect them, so much so that they have produced an incredibly high quality product for them. There’s nothing cheesy or tacky about this product!
It’s all about providing children with the best there is to offer. The illustrations and animations are beautifully hand-drawn, the interactive element is cleverly thought out, and the audio books are exceptionally well written and narrated.
Listening to an Audio-book over lunch
The whole app has been considered extremely well, and it is obvious from using it, that no expense has been spared in its development. It truly is the best of its kind.
With Ramadan just around the corner, I thought I would share some of the things that I will be including in my kid’s Ramadan baskets this year.
Ramadan baskets are a great way to prepare your kids for Ramadan! Fill your basket with gifts to teach your children more about Islam, or with toys and books that they can use during the month.
This blog post is being done in collaboration with Nilly Dahlia. She is a young mum from the UK, please Subscribe to her channel!
We are also running another GIVEAWAY this Ramadan!
Details on how to enter are at the bottom of this post!
Please note: Affiliate links may be included in this post. See Disclaimer for more information.
What is a Ramadan Basket?
A Ramadan basket is a basket of goodies that you give to your children, or husband, on the eve of Ramadan. You may chose to fill it with:
Toys they can play with during them month
Educational resources that will teach them more about Ramadan
Ramadan Craft activities (such as making decorations or Eid cards)
Resources that will encourage them to do more acts of worship
If you’d like to see what I’ve put in my children’s Ramadan baskets:
We all know that to make the most of Ramadan, we need to start planning ahead of time.
Being organized will help us to use our time more wisely during this Blessed month. This includes spiritual preparation, physical preparation and practical preparation.
As a busy homeschooling mum, cooking and preparing food takes up many hours of the day. This Ramadan I have decided to meal plan for Ramadan so that I can spend less time in the kitchen, and have more time doing other acts of worship insha’Allah.
For more about meal planning in Ramadan:
WATCH THIS VIDEO!
This blog post was written as part of a Meal Planning Collaboration with loads of other bloggers. You can find links to their articles or videos at the end of this blog post!
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Benefits of Meal Planning in Ramadan
Grocery Shop before Ramadan
When you are fasting, shopping for groceries can not only be tiring but make fasting more difficult than it needs to be. By planning what you will be eating for the month, you can purchase many things ahead of time and minimize the hours spent trawling the supermarket shelves.
Eat more Nutritious Food
After a few days of fasting, we often slip into the mistake of just making whatever is easy or satisfies our cravings! If you plan your menu ahead of time, you can consider what foods are more nutritious and beneficial for you to eat before or after you fast. Taking to the time to think about nutrition, and food that will give you long-lasting energy and hydration will help to make your fasts easier on your body insha’Allah.
Less Time in the Kitchen
Meal planning allows you to be efficient with your time. You will know precisely what to cook and prepare, and so you can use your time most effectively. This may mean marinating something the night before, or preparing vegetables earlier in the day when you’re less tired. Whatever works for you! You may even be able to prepare some dishes ahead of time before Ramadan begins, and keep them in the freezer.
Also spend some time thinking about what you are going to give your children to eat. When you are fasting, it can be hard to keep up with the demands of hungry children. Try to plan some nutritious and easy to make lunches and snacks for your kids.
Less time in the kitchen means more time in ibadah! It will also give you time to rest in the afternoon, so you can pray taraweeh insha’Allah.
Less Wastage
Wasting food is a sin. However, sometimes due to our disorganized lives, food does go to waste. In this blessed month, the last thing we want to do is to commit bad deeds. Meal planning will help you to minimize food wastage insha’Allah, because you will only buy what you need. Also, it allows you to plan your meals so nothing is wasted. For example, if your curry only requires half an onion, you can plan to use the other half in the vegetable side dish.
Free your Mind
Knowing that the meals for Ramadan are planned, and the shopping has been done, will free your mind!
Instead of spending time wondering what you will cook that afternoon, you can use that time to reflect on more important things!
The Ramadan Meal Planner
My gift to you this Ramadan is this RamadanMeal Planner. I hope that it will help you be prepared for Ramadan, and make the most of this Blessed month insha’Allah.
You may wish to plan out suhoor, iftaar, and kids meals; or you may only need to plan iftaar. Please use these FREE PRINTABLE sheets in whichever way suits your family.
You’ll get access to HUNDREDS of FREE Educational Resources to use with your family!
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How to Use the Meal Planner
Think about WHAT you want to cook
This first step it to plan the meals that you and your family enjoy eating in Ramadan. Sometimes, your family’s preferences and the type of food you eat during Ramadan are different from other times in the year.
Personally, I know my family prefer to eat lighter foods, and foods with a lot of sauce! This is the stage where you can consider the nutritious value of the meal, and if it will sustain your family through the long fast or the long taraweeh prayer.
Use our Meal ideas sheets to plan out what you will be serving your family. I have included a page for suhoor, iftaar, and for kids’ lunch.
Now is the time, before Ramadan starts, to get out your cookbooks. Look through Pinterest or Google now. Looking at all the yummy recipes out there is not easy when you’re fasting. Do it now! Try to choose recipes that are simple to make, or that you can prepare now and freeze ahead of time.
Fill in the Weekly Chart
The next step is to fill in the weekly chart. Print out 4 copies of this chart and, using the Meal ideas pages, fill it in. You will probably be repeating some recipes throughout the month. That’s ok! My planning out the month, you can make sure those repeated meals are not too close together.
Write your Shopping List
Use our shopping list to write out what you need to buy, and refer back to your weekly plan. You may want to print out several copies of this and use one for the butchers and one for the supermarket.
Also, print one out for this you can buy now ahead of time (like rice, lentils, canned tomatoes etc.). Then write a shopping list for each week of Ramadan. It will be so nice for you, when Ramadan begins, to have everything already written out!
Having your meals planned out before Ramadan begins is a wonderful way to free your mind and free up your time during Ramadan.
I hope you will try it and let me know how you are getting on!
More About Meal Planning
This blog post was written as part of a Meal Planning Collaboration with some other amazing bloggers including work at home mums, homeschoolers and even a certified nutritionist!
