Ramadan is Coming (-:

Ahlan wa sahlan ya Ramadan, How excited are you for this blessed month? If you have children that excitement needs to be seen. It needs to be bubbling over so that they can see it. Never should we hide our excitement. Act like a kid giddy about the prospect of opening a present. Here’s how to get your kids excited about Ramadan. Step 1: Talk about Ramadan. 1 month before and all the way up to Ramadan talk about Ramadan. Read stories and hadiths about Ramadan. Talk about what your are going to do. I know a lot of kids love to go to the masjid every night even if they are just playing with their friends. Plan your decoration ideas with them and your daily activities with them. Step 2: Decorate Have your kids pick out your Ramadan them this year. Pinterest and instagram are littered with adult ideas for Ramadan decorations and not enough children ideas. If they suggest unicorn, bring in unicorn colors and non animate objects usually found in a unicorns background. Think grass, rainbows, glitter and clouds. Never shoot down your child’s suggestions. They are an integral part of the family and must be made to feel as such. Ladies I know its hard to give over the planning to others but its for your family not for you IG. A week before Ramadan put up the decorations. Don’t forget the handmade ones. The crafts that you will do together will be more beautiful and meaningful than those things you bought from the store anyway. Don’t worry about the cuts and incorrectly glued pieces. Letting them hang their works of art will give them the confidence and pride they need to keep growing. When commenting on their work, stay away from comments like good work and nice as they don’t give feedback. Let your child know exactly what they did right. They’ll work to perfect it. Even if it’s just that they worked hard on it, you were please with their concentration. Lastly, don’t forget to show your pride outside. Let your neighbors see your excitement and put up some decorations outside. Step 3: Meal Plan and prep together KIDS COOK TOO! I think in Ramadan moms only want to do meal prep alone, with their teen daughters, or other women. Kids can cook too. Let them. It’ll be the best thing they’ve done all day. Find a way for them to help you starting with planning the meals. I’m sure these kids have a lot of ideas of what they want to eat for Ramadan, some of them probably not appropriate but that’s fine. Take the good and keep moving. Shopping time. God how I dread shopping with my kids. But here is a hack. Give each one a list or a cart. Let them grab everything, it works to keep them focused and not constantly asking for stuff. Their important. Now it’s time to cook. Anything they can do, let them do it. Only stop them if it is too dangerous. Let me suggest children knives for cutting those veggies. Older children can cut better if they have real knives that are smaller and sharp enough. Just give them some knife gloves. Don’t forget to make enough for the kids tasters. It always frustrates me when the kids try to eat while I’m putting groceries away or cooking. But I figured out what I can do. I just needed to plan for their peckish behavior and have the stuff on hand for them. Step 4: Plan your activities The days in Ramadan should be filled with worship and activity. As adults we feel somewhat tired while we are fasting, but most of the time our little ones are not fasting. In an effort to keep them away from the tv or tablet we need to fil their time with meaningful activity. Create schedule of what they are going to do on your days when you have a predictable schedule such as school or work. And for what you are going to do after when you get home. Perhaps you’ll only have time to prepare dinner together, eat and go to the masjid. What if the kids don’t want to help you cook? Plan some activity to do while you cook. Don’t just tell them to go plan. Really have something fun for them that preferably doesn’t require your help. Think parallel play. They may just be happy doing something next to you. When you have free days such as Saturdays or Sundays those are the days that are the most difficult. Take the kids to the park. Go for a walk. Anything that requires a lot of energy do it in the morning when you still have it. Save the science experiments, homework, games, and crafts for times when you are lower on energy. Step 5: Plan to go to the masjid as often as possible The masjid needs to be gone to even if you are a woman. The community you feel is amazing. Don’t worry about your kids bedtime and school the next day. Emphasize their Islam while they are young and they will prioritize it when they are older. I hope I’ve given you some great ideas to get your kids excited about Ramadan. May Allah allow you to have a blessed one and me. Ameen Asalamu Alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu