Meaningful Memories with your children in Ramadan
Do you wonder what kind of meaningful memories you can create with your children in Ramadan? Here are 20 things that you should consider.
Did you know that the best parenting advice is in the Quran? Yes, Surah Luqman ayah 13-18.
The number one thing that I learnt from those ayahs is that our purpose as parents is to keep our children on the Deen of Islam. And the best way I have learnt to do that is by showing our children love.
Give them so much love that when they think about God they should wonder ‘My mom loves me SO much. How much more can be ’20 times more than your mother’? “
But mind you, love cannot be physical things. We can’t buy love for our children nor can we make it for them. They may be little, but our children can see right through us. Love to your children is your physical and mental presence.
Unfortunately though, we live in a time when we want to buy our children everything that money can buy, but we have trouble giving them everything money cannot buy.
Time. Patience. A listening ear. Tolerance. Acceptance. Understanding. Empathy. Space for them to explore who they can be. In short, we don’t give our children enough opportunities to learn how to be the best version of themselves.
Money cannot buy everything.
You can buy books, but not the love of reading.
You can buy musalla’s and corner masjids, but that will not teach your child to love prayer.
You can decorate your home and craft and create with them, but they will say ‘you are the one who wanted us to do it!’.
What your children want is to be with you.
They want to watch you read. They want to hear your voice. They want to stand by your side. They want to see you adult. They want to smell their mom. They want to hold your stuff and use them like mom would. They want to sit on your lap and feel the love of being the only one there.
That’s what they will remember when they grow up.
Ramadan is the best ONLY time of the year when you get this opportunity to 10X your efforts of showing that love.
When you stand up in prayer and invite your children to stand by your side. When you read the Quran and they hear you reading…
When you take them in your lap and read out the bedtime duas…
When you eat together as a family saying God’s name and thanking Him for the food later.
When your husband goes to the mosque for the prayers and takes his son…
The long drives with Islamic lectures and long discussions afterwards, that is what will want them to follow your Deen.
Last year, I posted on my Instagram that my children didn’t mind me not decorating for Ramadan. It started a whole lot of debate but I also got long lengthy messages from mothers who shared that their best memory of Ramadan was with their parents praying and reading the Quran.
- The first fast.
- The praying together as a family.
- Daddy helping set the table for Iftaar.
- Helping mom at suhoor.
- Waking the siblings for suhoor and having at least one grouchy family member who didn’t like the chatter!
That is what most of our Ramadan memories are about. In short- Ramadan is about family time. A time to come together as a practicing Muslim family.
You can download our age appropriate chores for kids in Ramadan (from 2-teen years) here. You will notice all these chores are actually ways to keep your children involved as a family.
My Muslim Kids Resource Bundle (a onetime membership to all my paid Islamic digital resources) contains chore cards and a small ebook that explains how to eliminate the word “chores” from your family’s dictionary and teach responsibility and love for God, self and family instead.
[Click here to download 20 Meaningful things you can teach your children in Ramadan ]
You don’t have to work more to create memories for your children.
Especially not in Ramadan.
Here in Saudi Arabia, when Ramadan is approaching schools and offices actually reduce working hours so that we can concentrate more on our Ibadah. We actually make a huge hue and cry if they don’t conduct the exams before Ramadan!
I mean, come on! We all know we need more energy to stand up in long prayers and stay without food during the day. We don’t have enough time with all our family obligations. So we make adjustments to make sure we work less and do more.
Why is it that some of us mothers go the opposite route? Why do we burden ourselves with even more when we know that it is going to take a lot of effort for us in our Ibadah at the end of the day?
Crafting and doing activities with kids in Ramadan is not really important. If you really want to do cute things and it brings YOU joy, do all of that before Ramadan begins. In Ramadan, concentrate on the more meaningful memories.
As a mother of 14 years and someone who is a born Muslim, trust me when I say this: your children won’t remember those activities. That is not what will make them remember how to be a Muslim and love it!
Yes, may be you need to create some busy bags for the little tots and preschoolers, even maybe buy some books and toys or a subscription to an app or two, but that is so they work and play by themselves and not bother you. Those things are to buy you time for your own Ibadah!
- Recommended: List of Toys here
- Recommended: List of Books here
- Recommended: Discount on Miraj Stories App here.
You may have to arrange your home and set things up so your children feel more in control and less in YOUR control.
Please see my Calm Confident Children’s Bundle which has routines, activities and tips on how to grow confident children through positive parenting methods.
But… all said aside. Here are some of the more meaningful things you can teach your children in Ramadan.
Click here to download 20 Meaningful things you can teach your children in Ramadan
