When it comes to teaching kids about the basics of Islam and its foundation, it is essential to consider teaching them about Salah prayers. Teaching your children about Salah prayers helps them to build a sense of discipline and connection with their faith.
Teaching this fundamental foundation of Islam to kids can become a complicated task. Children and young adults often struggle to grasp the concept of punctuality. On the positive side, multiple engaging and practical methods can help make this process easier and more enjoyable. Let’s learn about the six effective ways to teach your kids to offer Salah on time.
1. Creating a Visual Schedule for Prayer
Creating a visual prayer schedule is one of the easiest ways to introduce your child to a timely prayer routine. Get daily prayer times for any location on your mobile application or desktop. After this, Visual learning tools are one of the best ways to make them memorize things. Moreover, kids also respond much better to visual learning tools. You can hang a colorful prayer chart in the kid’s room or even the living room.
You can also create a chart with five different colors, each indicating a different color for the prayers. Add the corresponding time of these prayers for your child to remember. The basic purpose of color coding the chart is to make it easier for your kids to remember the prayer timings. As they grow older, these habits continue to stick with them.
You can use magnets or colorful stickers to make the chart interactive. It will add a sense of accomplishment every time they complete their prayers.
2. Set Alarms for Salah
Technology plays a major role when it comes to teaching your kids how to regularly offer their prayers. There are many Islamic apps that notify about prayer timings. Moreover, there are also features where the apps call out the Adhan during prayer times. Such Islamic apps are an excellent way to ensure that your kids never miss a prayer.
If you do not wish to indulge in apps and technology, then you can also purchase an Islamic clock that serves the same purpose. For those who have young children at home, you can teach them that these alarms are a reminder to offer their prayers on time.
3. Form a Connection Between Salah Times and Daily Activities
Children usually prefer routines; therefore, linking Salah times with daily activities can be one effective way to help them understand Salah times. For example, waking up in the morning can be linked to Fajr prayers.
You can associate lunchtime with Dhuhr prayers, the evening play, dinner with Maghrib, and then near bedtime with Isha. Forming a connection between a salah and the regular schedule will make it easier for the kids to remember the salah time.
4. Praying Together as a Family
Leading by example is another method to teach your children about Salah and its timings. Praying together as a family helps to develop feelings of love and understanding. Every time you pray together with your family, you create a strong sense of spirituality in the household.
Children who see their parents praying on time also develop this habit. When praying together, you also get a chance to form a connection with your kids and teach them about Islam. You can discuss with them how Fajr prayers mark the start of the day and the Maghrib means the end of the day.
To make this routine more effective, you can even create a dedicated prayer space where the family gathers around to pray. Such practice will make your kids gather for prayers and they will look forward to it.
5. Use Storytelling as an Aid
Children love to listen and read stories. You can use storytelling as a part of the process so that children can find it relatable and enjoyable. Telling stories about Prophet Muhammad and his companions can help you explain the importance of Salah. There are several Islamic children’s books that help focus on Salah prayers.
Role-playing is another way to make this learning process interactive. You can take turns to pretend someone to be the Imam who guides the family to pray. This helps the kids to understand the significance of prayers in a practical way.
6. Reward Your Children
Rewarding your kids can be a great motivator especially when they are just starting to learn the importance of Salah. It is not necessary to reward them in cash, it can be anything from as simple as giving them star stickers. Give them these stars every time they remember a Salah time. Once they reach a certain number of stars, you can give them a bigger prize such as chocolate, ice cream, or a small toy.
It is also important to reiterate that the reward is not just for remembering the prayer time but also for praying consistently and on time. Mentioning this will help them understand the importance of praying on time. Other than this, you can also give a reward of non-material rewards such as extra time with friends or any family activity.
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Conclusion
When you teach your kids about Salah time, you are not just teaching them how to pray, but you are also helping them to understand the importance of daily routine and supplications. By using these six methods, you can make the learning process easier for them and make them more effective. Adding a twist of fun can help to create a deeper sense of connection with their religion and helps lay down the foundation of a lifelong commitment to Salah.
