Living rituals with kids is incredibly magical. On special days, such as Ramadan, Christmas, Hıdırellez, etc. I try to collect the special stories of these days and share them with my kids.
I do all the rituals and ceremonies with them and just witnessing the feeling of magic in the air.
They are so into it, without any doubt, pouring all their love and curiosity in the heart and accepting full-heartedly.
If you have kids around you and if you want to experience a magical Ramadan, involve kids in your rituals, let them guide you to how to live life with a beginner’s mind, curiosity, joy and simply wandering around with full trust and love.
I dedicate this post to kids, as my aunt said once that “this world is still existing thanks to the beauty of the hearts of the kids.”
What is Ramadan for kids?
To start with check this nice video, where kids are answering what is Ramadan for them. It is full of joy.
How do you explain Ramadan to a child?
Here are some questions and answers to help you.
What is Ramadan?
Ramadan is a holy month. People do not eat during this month; when the sun comes until the sun goes. This means fasting.
Why we do Ramadan?
- During Ramadan, we look to our inside and try to be a better person.
- For this we keep everything clean- we take care of what comes inside our mouth and what goes from our mouth including our words.
- We do not hurt anyone, not only with our body nor with our words.
- Help everyone and we intend to act as angels for one month.
- Remember Allah all the time and begin to see that Allah is in everything. (As in the story of Ilyas and Duck Search for Allah)
- The more we see Allah, the more we love.
What does Ramadan teach us?
- Ramadan is teaching us what does it mean to be human.
- During Ramadan, we experience genuinely nice feelings, and we feel blessed.
- We learn more about ourselves – our thoughts, our feelings, and our words.
- To be more in control of ourselves and take more responsibility for ourselves.
- We experience that everything in this world is connected and we are One.
- We begin to see Allah in all beauties.
How do you make Ramadan fun?
The answer is spending more time with your kids and doing more stuff with them. Kids=Fun. So the answer is that simple. Below are some Ramadan specific ideas to do with the kids around you:
- You can create an advent calendar with them and open it every day. Inside this advent calendar that you will create you can put one little chocolate and open it after iftar. You can add a daily good deed task to realize until the next day’s iftar time.
- You can read more Ramadan-related stories and tell each other again and again until you become confident to explain this story as a storyteller in front of everybody. Who knows in Eid you can do storytelling to more people as a gift.
- You can sing Ramadan-related songs or spiritual songs together with them and you can try to memorize at least one together.
- Create together Ramadan Eid cards and write a letter for your family members and send them.
- Decorate your home for Ramadan together with them. You can create this decoration material together with them as well.
- You can create a charity jar. Take a jar, decorate it, for 1 month putting money inside and at the end of the month decide which charity you will donate or what you will do this money to help to others.
- Do Ramadan-related activities. You can check if there is moon-sighting activity around where you live.
- Doing a daily good deed all together as a family can be a great way of connecting and practicing the values of Ramadan. Here you can check a list of 50 creative ideas for 30 good deeds of Ramadan.
- You can also have a family ritual altogether. This Christmas we had a nice and beautiful gratitude ceremony after dinner. We had an advent calendar and each day a person was opening it. Before she/he opened, she needed to sing a Christmas song and say what she was grateful for that day. Then open the chocolate advent calendar and enjoy the chocolate. That little ritual was the best part of Christmas for me.
- You can also create a gratitude jar during Ramadan and specific for Ramadan. Every day, while you are together after iftar, you can say what you are grateful for, write it down, and put it in your family gratitude Jar. When Ramadan is over, in the celebrations of Eid, you can open them and read them all together as a family.
Ramadan gifts for kids
The best Ramadan gift for your kids is your time and doing Ramadan rituals together with them being totally in here and now. Telling stories to them, singing songs, dancing altogether.
Once said this, it could be a nice idea to prepare a special basket for them bringing some beautiful Ramadan-related objects together to share some quality time with your family.
When I was a kid, a Ramadan gift for us was new clothes for Eid morning. I still remember fondly, to wear that day my beautiful new clothes. Also, we had a neighbor that she was gifting us a new and beautifully designed handkerchief each year.
Here is the list that I have prepared for myself. I will choose some of these items and prepare a basket for my kids and my nephews, inshallah!
- New painting material and a new art journal
- Ramadan activity book for kids by My Sacred Space
- A new book about Ramadan
- Fabric for prayer clothes. Sewing together or by grandma could be a great gift.
- Beads and string to create prayer beads or you can buy special prayer beads just for them.
- Their first Qur’an.
- Fasting chart with stickers.
- Ramadan/Eid cookie cutters.
Get Our Ramadan Activity Book For Kids Explain Ramadan to Your Kid While Having Fun! YES, I WANT
Ramadan books for kids
I discovered this editorial called Muslim children’s book and the writer called Zanib Mian. Today I will give 2 book recommendations by her and this editorial:
Ramadan books for toddlers
- Night of the Moon by Hena Khan Ramadan
- Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors
- Ilyas & Duck Search for Allah
Ramadan stories for kids
Here is a Ramadan story from the book ‘Lailah’s Lunchbox: A Ramadan Story’
Ramadan decorations for kids
It is a good time to clean the room of the kids and give the old and broken toys and clothes and give a new order to their place. Preparing it for a new guest.
You can do this cleaning part together with your kids so that they can feel that Ramadan is coming, and it is time for preparation.
The best way for Ramadan decoration for kids is arranging a nice place in their room or the common area, wherever you feel suitable.
Pay special attention to this place to be clean and giving joy and looking beautiful.
Do not over-decorate, keep it minimal.
Bring all those objects-toys-books related to Ramadan or the spiritual life of your kid together in this space, such as a prayer rug, a tasbih, Qur’an, Ramadan stories book, activity book, etc.
To make this space beautiful with Ramadan art, you can create some art pieces with them and then hang them on the walls of this space.
You can do Crescent moon and stars mobile or Ramadan lantern and mosque candle holders or Ramadan lantern banners can be a nice idea.
You can read more about Ramadan decorations here and also creating a sacred space here.
Conclusion
Living Ramadan with kids is pure joy. It is great to pass the beautiful rituals and traditions of Ramadan and to bring more fun and magic to your Ramadan journey.
Enjoy your time with the kids around you.
Ramadan Mubarak!
Below is a Pinterest friendly photo…. so you can pin it to your Ramadan Board!
