5 Ways to Educate Your Family and Kids About Ramadan

By Farheen Naaz

Bismillah 

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is the holy month during which Muslims all over the world observe fasts in the day time. Fasting during the month of Ramadan is the fifth pillar of Islam, which is evident from the following mentioned hadith:

Narrated Ibn 'Umar: Allah's Apostle said: Islam is based on (the following) five (principles): 1. To testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is Allah's Apostle. 2. To offer the (compulsory congregational) prayers dutifully and perfectly. 3. To pay Zakat (i.e. obligatory charity). 4. To perform Hajj. (i.e. Pilgrimage to Mecca) 5. To observe fast during the month of Ramadan. (Sahih Bukhari)

In another hadith, narrated by Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "Whoever observes fasts during the month of ramadan out of sincere faith, and hoping to attain Allah's rewards, then all his past sins will be forgiven." (Sahih Bukhari)

An important step towards strengthening your eeman and actions in the month of Ramadan is to educate your family and kids about Ramadan. Here are five ways in which you can do so.

1. Arrange a welcoming Ramadan programme
   
   One can join hands with a few neighbors and organize a programme to enlighten family members and kids about Ramadan. If you don’t have any neighbors who are willing to take part, then organize one by yourself for your family! But make sure the programme is well-planned and doesn’t bore the audience. Watching videos which give information about this holy month can be a part of this, or you can make flyers and distribute them to each member. Treat it as a welcome party for a guest and you’ll have ideas flowing through your head. 
2. Reveal the purpose
   
   Don’t just keep talking about what to do during Ramadan but also focus on ‘‘why’’. For most people, the purpose is more important and gives them a better understanding of the actions to be performed. The purpose here and in all the actions we perform throughout the year is to please our creator, Allah subhaanahu wa ta'aala. 
3. Involve everybody in planning 
   
   By involving everybody in planning for Ramadan, you end up giving a task to each family member which will not only educate them but will also motivate them to do their best. Include everyone in planning what activities have to be changed during the month of Ramadan and what each person is willing to do to make it easy for all the other family members. 
4. Put up Ramadan banners or posters
   
   Another interesting way of educating family and kids not just about Ramadan but about other things as well is to put up banners or small posters in places where you know they’ll definitely look. It can be a poster saying – "Ramadan is coming!" or "The countdown beings!" or "Someone’s coming home in 2 months!" Attractive colors and catchy phrases are sure to get anyone’s attention. 
5. Game –way educating 
   
   The most fun way of doling out information about a specific thing is the game way. Games can include anything - just anything at all which points out towards what you want the participants to gain out of the game session. Quiz sessions are probably more fun wherein you can divide the family members into teams and have multiple interactive rounds in the quiz. Another game which could be played is using cards with answers written on them which will be distributed to all the members. The game master asks a question and whoever has the right answer card gets a point for saying it on time and showing the card. You can devise any kind of game based on the mentality of your family members and inshaAllah it will work out for the best. 

Herbert Spencer has rightly said, ‘‘The great aim of education is not knowledge, but action.’’ Therefore, we need to encourage our family and kids to not only gain information about this month, but rather, be consistent in their actions regarding Ramadan. Apart from that we can also make them act upon the knowledge they gained by monitoring their progress.

I’d love to know if you have any more ideas to educate your family and kids about Ramadan. Please leave them in the comments section :)

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