First I would like to thank you for your service, may Allah accept your good deeds.
Can you please give me tips on how to talk about Hajj and its significance for my children aged 3,7,10. Also let me know your opinion about whether children should watch the Adhuyah , and if yes at what age?
Thank you for your help
Answer
In this counseling answer:
•You could set them all individual tasks according to their age.
• Your 3-year-old could color a picture from the story about Hajj, your 7-year-old might answer short questions and your 10-year-old could write a short paragraph, but all on the same topic
• Most children love hands on crafts. Hajj is an ideal topic to take a hands on approach.
•There are plenty of resources available online as well where you can download and print various age appropriate worksheets for your children to use also.
•If you chose to expose them to Udhiya, educate them in the process and why it is done before hand so they are not shocked when they attend.
Wa alaikum salaam wa rahmatulahi wa barakatuh and ameen to your dua,
Masha Allah, now is a great time to raise this topic and start educating your children on this very important pillar of Islam.
The first thing to consider is that the way you approach it should appropriate to their ages. Given the different ages, this will be different for each of them.
Educating Children about Hajj
You could set them all individual tasks according to their age, or, to make things easier for you, you can set tasks in such a way that can be appropriate to all of them but is approached in slightly different ways.
For example, if it is that they are to present a piece on the topic, then perhaps your 3 year old could color a picture from the story, your 7 year old might answer short questions and your 10 year old could write a short paragraph, but all on the same topic.
There are also other things to do with them where you could involve them all regardless of their age. For example, most children love hands on crafts. Hajj is an ideal topic to take a hands on approach.
You could get a big piece of card and have them draw out a map of the route that is taken for hajj. As part of this, they can make mountains and the kaaba and all the landmarks that are important during the pilgrimage.
This will make it a fun exercise for them that will make it easier for them to recall and them to be more eager to learn more.
Most people, young and old, adult and children alike, benefit from multiple learning styles so this will be a hands on approach that will solidify their knowledge and understanding of what they are hearing and reading on the topic and therefore will make it more likely to be remembered by them.
Reading Stories
You might also get them to teach each other and give them some responsibility over their learning too, so perhaps your 10 year old may read the story to the younger ones and your 7 year old can help explain it to your 3 year old.
Teaching in this way helps to give them a sense of pride and responsibility for what they are learning as they are part of the process.
There are plenty of resources available online as well where you can download and print various age appropriate worksheets for your children to use also.
Often this will be in the form of activities which wi testy their understanding of the topic and add further variety beyond simply reading the story and learning from reading alone.
A variety of approaches like this will make it more likely that they will retain the knowledge at the same time as making learning enjoyable for them.
The Udhiyah
Regarding the udhiyah, this will be something that you should make an informed decision on based on your understanding of your own children.
Some parents see it as inappropriate at a young age and perhaps even scary to the point that it will scare them away from Islam altogether.
Whereas others would see it as something that children should become aware of from a young age as it is part of our religion and therefore should not be censored.
Check out this counseling video
Consider yours and their dads opinion on the matter, what the potential consequences might be and how you may deal with any possible negative consequences should they occur and if it is worth the risk of there is any chance of a negative response.
Conclusion
If you chose to expose them to it, educate them in the process and why it is done before hand so they are not shocked when they attend.
You can also ask the oldest 2 how they feel about going and take this into account in your decision making also.
May Allah reward you for teaching your children about the deen and to help them learn and love Islam. May Allah guide you and them on the straight path according to Allah’s way.
***
Disclaimer: The conceptualization and recommendations stated in this response are very general and purely based on the limited information provided in the question. In no event shall AboutIslam, its counselors or employees be held liable for any damages that may arise from your decision in the use of our services.
Read more: