I need your advice. This Ramadan I managed to teach my kids ( 6-9-11) to read Quran and pray every day. And they were committed Alhamdulilaah.
My question is how to keep them on track after Ramadan. I need some tips.
Answer
In this counseling answer:
-Make sure to keep Quran reading as part of the daily routine. You can do this by having a set time in the day that they read so it becomes a habit.
-Depending on their individual levels you can set individual goals for them.
-You can keep a visual record of the same so they can visually see their progress. Keep this chart somewhere that they can see so they can feel proud of their progress.
-Give them plenty of positive praise and reward them as they reach certain milestones such as memorizing a new surah, or having read a certain amount of pages.
-You might even set one up yourself with other parents for the children to get together in an online space and read together every now and again.
Wa alaikum salaam wa rahmatulahi wa barakatuh,
Masha Allah, that’s great! May Allah reward your efforts. Ramadan is a wonderful time to start such habits and is a relatively easy time to do so since the house becomes increasingly full of spirituality during this time.
Positive habits
However, it is not unusual for any positive habits developed during this time to be lost once the month passes so you are doing a positive thing to reach out for ideas on how to ensure this doesn’t happen so your children can continue to benefit year round rather than temporarily. There are numerous ways you can do this.
Make sure to keep Quran reading as part of the daily routine. You can do this by having a set time in the day that they read so it becomes a habit. For example, perhaps it becomes something they routinely do for a set time after Zuhr prayer, or whichever time is most convenient for you all.
Keep on track after Ramadan
Having this designated time spot means that you can plan your day such that no other activities are done during this time and they come to automatically known that at this time each day they should take their Qur’ans and read.
Depending on their individual levels you can set individual goals for them. Do this with them each individually so that you can agree on something mutually that is within their ability and manageable.
These goals shouldn’t be too taxing otherwise they will lose interest, but to have a goal that is manageable will keep them motivated as well as allowing them to experience the joy of reaching new milestones. This may be memorising a certain amount of ayats in week, or reading a certain amount of pages in a day.
You can keep a visual record of the same so they can visually see their progress. Keep this chart somewhere that they can see so they can feel proud of their progress.
Positive praise
Give them plenty of positive praise and reward them as they reach certain milestones such as memorizing a new surah, or having read a certain amount of pages. Again, this will keep them continually motivated as well as associating positive feelings with reading the Quran
In ordinary circumstances, it might be suggested that they join a madrassa to learn amoungst other children. But at present, this may not be an option, although certainly something to look to in the future. However, for now, you might look around to see if there are any online Qur’an groups that they could join.
Conclusion
You might even set one up yourself with other parents for the children to get together in an online space. Read together every now and again. This might be another fun way to engage them in their reading whilst mixing with others. As it is the only way possible at present for now.
May Allah reward your efforts to facilitate your children in getting closer to their Deen. May He make them upstanding pillars of the community that will be the coolness of your eyes in this life and the next.
Salam,
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