Islamic Educational Games & Resources for Children
One of the most important aspects of parenting is spending quality time with your child, which may be getting less and less with today’s modern working life. Parents often rely on tutors and school teachers to teach them the basic values, and try to ensure that their child has good company to spend his time with, yet a child’s habits, personality and character is almost always a direct reflection of his/her parents, thus making it an absolute necessity to give ample time to one’s child.
Most parents leave their child to grow up on their own, and are too busy in their work, and the child spends most of the time watching television or playing with friends. When parents are not able to give sufficient time to their young ones, they not only run the risk of letting their child being misguided but also emotionally distant from them, which leads to disasterous consequences.
A parent should make the child grow up with him, and accompany him in each of their activities, right from playing to doing their homework to helping them understand their culture and religion. One must understand that religion must be introduced at the child’s comfort level, so that he/she enjoys learning.
Playing educational games with your children could prove to be very vital as they would enjoy spending time with you, and also gain Islamic values and knowledge at the same time.
Here are some useful links to Islamic Educational Games & Resources for children:
1. Several islamic games, like the mazes and puzzles found at www.islam4parents.com draws interest of a child in a highly creative manner. These mazes show a child wanting to give charity or perform some other virtuous deed and you have to help him find his way through the maze. The mazes also have verses from the Holy Quran at the end and they teach moral lessons while being a fun experience. The printable version of the mazes are available at the website and such games prove to be very essential in introducing Quran to your young one in a very interesting and playful manner.
2. One could also go for games and kits based on the Quran, such as the Quran Challenge Game, which helps a child learn the values from Quran in the form of a quiz. The basic idea behind the game is to provide the children with both fun and education. The questions in the game are taken from the Holy Quran, and have been creatively worked into the game so that the children enjoy answering them and begin their journey of education with the Quran. The game is fun to play and can be played at school with friends or home with family members and is easily available for purchase on the internet at several websites like the http://store.dar-us-salam.com/product/CR08.html.
It also proves helpful to make a child read and understand Quran in the homely environment by making Quran sessions an indispensable part of our day, like brushing teeth and putting on clothes. After meals, the entire family could sit around and listen to verses from the Holy Quran, and explain their meaning to the children. The session may include each family member reciting a surah, giving the child easier and shorter surahs, but making it a point that the child completely understands the meaning of the surah and remembers it. The key is that this exercise becomes a part of the daily life and the child is brought closer to the Quran, in a very stress-free and cozy manner.
Once the child indulges in the Holy Quran, it becomes very easy for them to make it a part of their life, and follow the path of righteousness with leads to illumination of the mind and heart.
3. Make lapbooks with your child! What is lapbooking you ask?
[quote]
A lapbook is an inexpensive portfolio
or collection of mini-books, flaps, and folded display material,
that provides interactive space
for drawings, stories,
graphs, graphics,
timelines, diagrams,
and written work,
from any topic, unit study, book you choose,
gathered, glued, and creatively displayed
in a coloured standard sized cardboard folder,
often folded in a “shutter-fold” (though our family doesn’t),
that fits in your lap.
A lapbook is a project book or file folder, laid out in a creative manner, that fits in the child’s lap.
– Taken from ‘Lapbooking 101’
[/quote]
Get inspired by checking out some of the amazing Islamic lapbooks at Islamic Lapbooking. It’s a great way to teach content and to get your child to internalise what he has learned by creating such lapbooks.
Here’s an example from the Prophet Muhammad lapbook:
Image source: Iman Homeschool
4. This next link provides a whole course/syllabus for you to print out and teach/introduce your child to the Qur’an. They come in PDFs, Powerpoints and videos too! Go to UnderstandQuran.com to start printing!
5. Ad-Duha Digital Library hosts a variety of material. From digital books, Arabic English flashcards, Qur’an and Arabic teacher series software, Ramadan kit to many more.
6. Ummah Reads aims to explore the world of literacy for the Muslim child. It has great articles on how to get your child to enjoy reading and many, many tips and games to make this endeavour a successful one inshaAllah!
7. Muslim Kids Ville is a one-stop site that has stories, games and song & rhyme for your child to enjoy and learn.
8. Young Believers is actually a children’s magazine chock full of colourful pages, games and quizzes. The digital version is also online and there are quite a few backdated issues on the site that you can check out together with your child.
9. If you want to test your child on what he has read or learned, Play and Learn is the place to go as they have a long list of quizzes for your child to try.
We pray the above list has been somewhat useful and beneficial. If you know of other websites and initiatives, do share them with us in the comment box below!
[divider]Shahenshah Jaffri & Ameera Begum
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