7 Things To Do To Prepare Kids For Ramadan

Regardless of whether all of your children are fasting during Ramadan, there are many things that you can do to get them (and the rest of the family) excited about and prepared for observing Ramadan.

Here are a few for starters......

Make a Ramadan Bulletin Board!

At our house, things get moving in the Ramadan direction by getting crafty and putting up a Ramadan Bulletin Board. It makes the house more festive and provides a great central point for keeping important information handy, and displaying wonderful Ramadan artwork. It can also serve as an interactive learning/review center.

Visit TJ Ramadan's Bulletin Board center to get ideas and printables to make your Ramadan board.

...and remember to make it a family activity!

Review Ramadan and Fasting

Got young ones fasting for the first time? Kids need review? Here are some resources to help introduce or review Ramadan to/with kids.

A Day of Fasting (TJ PowerPoint)

My Little Ramadan Primer

Download My Little Ramadan Primer - a little book I made for my kids to learn about Ramadan and fasting.

Read Ramadan Articles/Fatawa

Visit the Preparing Your Mind for Ramadan tag to find loads of Ramadan and fasting related articles.

Make Ramadan lapbooks/notebooks

Visit TJ Ramadan's Lapbook section for links to lapbooks around the 'net and ideas for lapbooking/notebooking

Let Kids Help You Plan and Serve Ramadan Meals

• Also, let kids in on planning dinner for guests.
• Start a Ramadan cookbook with your favorite Ramadan recipes or Make a Ramadan Recipes box (get inspiration here from Umm Abdul Basir's Recipe Box).

Review/learn about the phases of the moon

Get science and Islamic Studies in by teaching about the phases of the moon.

• Keep a moon sighting journal to make a hands on activity so that kids can countdown til Ramadan.
• Make Crescent Cookies to go along with your studies.
• Visit TJ's Moon Phases Tag to find resources to teach about the moon phases:
• Moon phase lessons/plans, activities, worksheets
• Moon phase journals/diaries
• Moon phase telescopes

Plan your Ramadan Schedule Together

• Do you need a special schedule for Ramadan? Let the kids in on planning it.

Browse TJ's Ramadan Schedule resources tag for sample routines/schedules and templates.

Have kids set goals for Ramadan and work on good behavior

As Ramadan approaches, what a great time to teach kids goal setting skills by making Ramadan goals....

Read a juz a day? Learn the Arabic alphabet during Ramadan? Go to Taraweeh prayers. Fast a certain number of days (young kids)

• Teach your kids to write down their goals and track them. Make a Ramadan goal book or post goals on your Ramadan Bulletin Board

Check out TJ Ramadan's Ramadan Goals tag for charts and ideas for setting Ramadan Goals.

Start a Ramadan journal

Make/decorate a Ramadan journal book or Check out TJ Ramadan's Journal Section to find and print out journal templates from TJ Ramadan and around the 'net) and put in a binder or make construction paper covers and decorate. Kids can write about and reflect upon how their Ramadan days were spent.