Ramadan is a beautiful and blessed month full of excitement and wonder. We spend the days abstaining from food and drink and the long days of fasting can take their toll on our mind and body. If you are anything like me, you may not have the energy to follow your usual routine. You might not have the energy to take the children out so much or do so much housework. This can cause some anxiety and guilt but do not be too hard on yourself. As the days go on and your body becomes used to fasting, it becomes easier.
On the other hand, some of you may be lucky enough to not feel so drained by fasting. However, there may be some things you may like to do differently during Ramadan than any other time of the year; to make the most of it!
Focus on Islamic studies
One thing I like to do during Ramadan is to focus our homeschool learning on Islam. Therefore, we put some of the other subjects on hold so that we can spend more time learning about Islam, prayer and reading the Quran. The Quran was revealed during the month of Ramadan so it is particularly important that we recite the Quran during this month. We are told there are many benefits to reading the Quran and that reading it carries rewards. Normally there are 10 rewards for each letter of the Quran you recite, however, during Ramadan this is multiplied by 70. This means that you will get 700 rewards for each letter of the Quran you recite during Ramadan!
Last year I decided to start a new tradition with the children of celebrating Laylat al-Qadr. We made our own Cave of Hirra, baked cookies and reflected on the things we are thankful for. You can read more about how we celebrated it HERE. I hope to continue this tradition every year and cannot wait to celebrate it again in a few weeks time.
I asked some other homeschool bloggers for their tips on homeschooling during Ramadan. This is what they said.
Mothers should enjoy the blessings of Ramadan too
Gemma from Our Muslim Homeschool says:
The light of Ramadan is not just for husbands and children; but should shine on mothers too. It is a time for spiritual growth; it is it time to reinvigorate our tired and weary hearts with the light of the Quran. Some would argue, that we as mothers need that nur even more than our children. Motherhood is filled with moments when we happily sacrifice our needs to serve those around us. But do not let this Ramadan pass without having taken some time for yourself. Reap its blessings, enliven your hearts, breathe life again into your soul. Your children can enjoy their Ramadan, without you sacrificing yours.
Enjoy slowing down
Hana from Pepper and Pine says:
Homeschooling during Ramadan is not only doable, but in some cases might even be easier than other times of year. I know for us, especially in these hot summer months, I'd rather not struggle taking the children to the pool, beach and lake, so homeschooling during Ramadan ensures that we'll have other months for sun outdoor play.
In the past, we stopped all extra curricular activities, freeing up our days and evenings. We filled that time with family dinners and nights at the Masjid. Our days were free for a relaxed homeschool schedule that began when we were rested and ended when we were done.
One thing we like to do during the month of Ramadan is do more Islamic studies. Our favourite these past few years is to read a children's seerah throughout the month. As for our homeschool studies, lately we just continue with our main lesson blocks and treat Ramadan just like any other month. The exception is that I keep in mind that we won't get everything done and we'll definitely lose focus in the last ten days, not because we are too tired, just because we are preoccupied with other spiritual endeavours.
Nabila from Everlearning Everlasting says:
Ramadan is an exciting, but stressful time for many families. Sometimes, as mothers, we’re so caught up in the “behind-the-scenes” work that we don’t get enough time to really focus on doing things with the kids. Not to mention, we also have to make time to focus on our own Ibadah. My kids are still young so I’m sure my approach is going to change as they grow older, but for now I like to take an “activity-a-day” approach. I create a Ramadan-long “calendar”, such as with paper bags, and each day we open a bag and do the activity I’ve placed inside. The activities are all Islamic themed, but relate to general subjects (math, science, etc.) in some way. This way I don’t fully focus on homeschooling, but at the same time we are getting something covered each day. I may do other activities along with the calendar, but as long as I get to our calendar activity I don’t stress myself over whether we get to anything else that day or not.
A special time for family bonding
Hafsa from Mama Teaches Me says:
Ramadan is a beautiful month to bond with your family, especially your children. I still have memories of how special Ramadan was for us as a family in my childhood (even though I wasn’t homeschooled). My advice and tips would be include your children in your Ramadan activities as much as possible. It will require some preparation but you will already be preparing! So prepare a box of Ramadan related activities for your children before hand. Gather together books you intend to read through in Ramadan. Make a special area of the living room or play room dedicated to Ramadan. Make a routine, have daily activities including a good deed a day, Quran reading or memorisation, learning about the Prophets or a word from the Quran! Whatever it is keep it easy, fun and consistent. By the end you will find your child will look forward to these activities and be able to get into the habit by the last 10 days! Remember as much as we want to gain the rewards of prayer, remembrance of Allah, giving in charity and many more good deeds, we have a duty to teach our children about their Lord. Take a break from your curriculum or regular homeschool and teach in a fun and light way to make it easy for you as you fast the long summer days! Write goals for the month for yourself and for your children and stick them up on the wall! Let your children visually see what Ramadan is about and work together as a family helping each other achieve those goals in sha Allah!
Plan ahead but do not overschedule
Photo from Ayeina
Ayesha from Ayeina says:
Definitely plan ahead to save your sanity but keep it as light as possible because overscheduling yourself in Ramadan may exhaust you and leave you feeling like you couldn't make the best use of this blessed month.
You can focus on reading more than arts and crafts as the latter can get quite messy and a lot of work by the end of the day. I made a special reading corner for my toddler this Ramadan so we can focus more on reading in shaa Allah and have some one on one peaceful time instead of including a lot of activities and projects.
I hope this article has given you some ideas about how you might homeschool differently during Ramadan. Do you have any tips for homeschooling during Ramadan? If you do, please share them in the comments below!
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