Here are some tips to get your children excited and ready for the holy month.
Surprise children with a gift basket
"The night before Ramadan, I give the kids each a box that I fill up with things suitable for their age," says Alaa' Awaysheh. "I normally put in new pyjamas, some crafty bits or stationary, a little toy or puzzle, a book about Ramadan or Islam – there are plenty of those on Amazon, such as It's Ramadan and Curious George. I add a lantern and fill it with sweets. I finish it up with our good-deeds jar."
Make sighting the Moon a family outing
The night before Ramadan starts, dress the kids in new pyjamas, gifted for the occasion, and drive to the desert to see the Ramadan Moon. Do the same at the end of the month to welcome Eid Al Fitr. Take a telescope or binoculars and create a family tradition that can be replicated each year.
Prepare Ramadan goody bags for classmates
If the teacher approves, prepare bags of treats for pupils in your kid’s class. Mark “Ramadan Mubarak” on them or include a note about the holy month, explaining in two or three sentences what it is all about. Fill them with some sweets and a small toy – perhaps a miniature lantern or a small tub of playdough for the little ones. Your child will take great pride in distributing the bags to classmates.
Decorate the home
Standard party decorations can certainly apply to Ramadan: colourful balloons, home-made banners, fairy lights, cut-outs of the crescent Moon and stars, lanterns and anything else you would care to include. Stores are stocking decorations, and Ramadan-themed arts and crafts projects can be found online. The visual reminder provided by a decorated home helps raise the anticipation.
Invite the children’s friends to a kids-only iftar
Have your children create the guest list and help prepare a menu. Do not balk at having them in the kitchen – there are plenty of kid-friendly recipes available – and they can help with the parts of iftar meals that don’t require a stove or knives, such as designing and setting a Ramadan-themed table.
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