Keeping Children Engaged in Good Activities During Ramadan

Parents’ Corner

Children and Ramadan

Asif Jahanzayb Attari Madani

Ramadan is a month of mercies and blessings, and parents may also wish for their children to spend this important month in the best of manners. However, keeping children engaged in good activities is a great test for parents. Listed below are a series of beneficial suggestions for parents to help them get their children involved in Ramadan and reap the fruits of its blessings.

1. Practical tasks

If children are getting in the way of suhoor and iftar preparations, try getting them involved by giving them something simple to help out. This way, you will not be disturbed by disruptive behaviour and the children will learn to lend a hand in household chores.

2. Give responsibilities to children

Children are full of energy at the time of iftar. Channel this energy into making iftar more enjoyable by assigning small tasks to them. For example, one child can be responsible for serving water to everyone, and the other can be in charge of juice. Like this, you will instil a desire to serve others in them.

3. Give children time after Tarawih

The recitation of the Quran and circles of studying the Quran are common in Ramadan, and children have a great desire to hear unique stories too. After Tarawih prayer, give some time to your children by telling them Quranic stories and accounts, the signs of Judgement Day, or something similar. Not only will this increase their interest and love for the Quran but increase their knowledge too.

4. Encourage children to recite the Quran

The passion for reciting and teaching the Quran is at its peak in Ramadan. In this month, one should pay special attention to making their children recite the Quran. So when telling your children a story from the Quran, or if they themselves mention something regarding the Quran to you, parents should try to have them recite the relevant part of the Quran along with its translation so that they become aware of the juz in which their intended story, incident or fact is mentioned. This will also increase their knowledge of the Quran, and encourage them to remain attached to it.

5. Positive use of technology

It is almost impossible to keep children away from electronic devices. Download Islamic apps (for example, Kalima and Du’a and Zehni Azmaish) to their phones or tablets. This will be more productive for them.