One Hour of TV:
Show your child you have other ways to be entertained, like reading, listening to the radio, or photography; and he’ll copy you. It’s as easy as that.
Two Shiny Lanterns:
Bring one for your child and another colossal bright one for your living-room. That along with countless gleaming decoration will add a sense of festivity for the holy month.
Three Luscious Atayef:
Don’t transfer our bad eating habits to your kid and over do it with Ramadan sweets. A treat every now and then doesn’t hurt but keep it well monitored.
Four Correct Concepts:
God is God. We can’t see or hear him (as most kids claim). Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) can be presented to children above three by practicing his simple Sunnah in our daily routines. “God will be angry at you if you…” worsen the relationship between your child and God. There’s a thin line that should be identified between how fathers buy things and God grant us those things through our dads.
Five Prayers a day:
Your kids learn about prayers by observing you pray. You never force them to pray. They aren’t obliged to pray before they’re seven. Children tend to learn to integrate praying in their daily routine by observing the parents. Establish a connection to religion in the early child hood. Send them to attend a prayer with the father at the mosque for example.
Six Hours of Working:
We have to abolish the conviction that Ramadan is a work-shy month by letting our children see us active and awake most of the day.
Seven Days of Fasting Gift:
Kids above four are physiologically capable to fast from the afternoon prayer until break of fast if they like to try. A calendar board with “I’m fasting this Ramadan” can be used to stick a star on each day your child fasts on. You can give her a gift on every seven stars she gets.
Eight Dough Mosques:
Involve Ramadan related items like mosques, the crescent, the lantern in your kid’s games and activities.
Nine Treasure Hunt’s Cards:
Use your free time in engaging your child in an active game like Treasure Hunt where the treasure can be a piece of Konafa or a lantern.
Ten Prophets Researches:
Kids at the age of 8-9 usually love discoveries and missions. Give your son a deadline of 3 days on each prophet he collects information on in a fact file.
Eleven Guests at Home:
If you have guests over for Iftar, keep your children close by and let them share the experience of welcoming and entertaining your guests. It’ll improve their social skills tremendously.
Twelve Songs of Ramadan:
Your grandparents, parents and you liked them. I assure you, your child will enjoy singing Wahawy Ya Wahawy even if we all don’t know its meaning.
Thirteen Assembled Leaves:
A brilliant way to introduce God and creation to the kid is by observation. Take your child to the park and collect several leaves different in shape, texture and color. Discuss the “how” and “who got it” questions.
Fourteen Visits to the Mosque:
Short trips to the nearest mosque will help making praying there a habit. Choose the right time like in between prayers for example and avoid Taraweeh prayer for kids under 13. Visiting old mosques like Amr Ibn El Aas is also a interesting experience for children.
Fifteen Family Invitations:
Make visiting relatives a positive experience for your kid to help you drill family bonding into his heart. Let your daughter participate in buying the gift for people you’re visiting or let your son bring any of his accomplishments (a painting or a completed puzzle) to receive compliments on.
Sixteen Vibrant Crayons:
Get things done for you by engaging your child in drawing a jumbo picture about Ramadan. You’ll never guess what the holy month represents for him.
Seventeen Inspiring Characters:
When relevant, play “As If’s” in a Ramadan context. Let your kid be the "Mesaharati" and you the "Konafa" man. Your daughter will love to be ‘mommy preparing Sohour’ and so on.
Eighteen Cars are Passing:
In the prolonged car rides because of the Ramadan traffic, get your child busy in car-trips games like counting all red cars he sees.
Nineteen Needy Persons:
A poor person is not necessarily a miserable one. He’s just a man that lacks some resources but has other things like health, kids or beauty. That way, your son won’t ask you the dreaded question, “Why does God do this to poor people?” when he’s being taught to give away a Sadaqa (Charity).
Twenty Far-reaching Wishes:
From the first night of the “Last Ten” encourage your child to participate in your Do’aa (Prayer). After she’s five, he/she’ll start understanding that she can ask God for one thing that may or may not happen at once.
Twenty One Bedtime Tales:
In Ramadan, let most (not all) of the bedtime stories be about the Prophet or his entourage. Avoid sad or too advanced stories like the Isra’ and Me’raj.
Twenty Two Various Puzzles:
In spite of their less than perfect quality, some Ramadan themed puzzles and mazes can be found in the stores. They’ll keep your child in the mood.
Twenty Three Why Questions:
Be a brave mother and encourage the trickiest questions your kid comes up with. Give short, to the point, correct answers.
Twenty Four Glasses of Amar-Eldin (Peach Drink):
Children are extremely flattered when they help around during gatherings. Simple tasks like stirring sugar in drinks are accident proof.
Twenty Five Days of Quran:
Let your son watch you read the Quran and make sure you teach him indirectly its protocol: wash before reading and listening if Quran’s on and stop any noise.
Twenty Six Minutes of Cycling:
To lead a good role model, be energetic and take your kid on a daily routine of walking, jogging or cycling for a few minutes.
Twenty Seven Kisses and Cuddles:
Try not to neglect your child in the midst of the buzzing schedule of Ramadan. Take some bonding time together.
Twenty Eight Glued Pictures:
Help your daughter keep a scrapbook of all the clippings that remind her of Ramadan.
Twenty Nine Phones are Ringing:
Suggest to your kid to call any of your relatives, one each day. Every five calls can be rewarded by a gift for him caring about his family.
Thirty Cards to Give:
On the last day of Ramadan, buy feast greeting cards with your child for family and friends. Write them together and she can even decorate them with her drawings if she wants.
