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7 Ways to Teach Children About Gratitude This Ramadan

Updated: May 2


Teaching gratitude to a student

Ramadan is a month that teaches us several values including humility, patience, good habits, charity, and strength of family and community, among others. It is a very special time when believers fast, pray, reflect, and often travel to holy places of worship to deepen their faith. It is said that we never know what we are lucky to have until it is missing. During Ramadan, when we don’t eat and drink as usual, our routine changes. This helps us be thankful for the food we receive after sunset every day. We tend to count our blessings and show gratitude for what we are receiving. It is a simple but powerful lesson (among many others) that we learn during the holy month of Ramadan.


Most believing families consider this the ideal time for teaching gratitude to children. But let’s be honest, it is always better to come up with interesting ways to instill gratitude in young ones, so the lesson sticks and children take pride in having learnt a good trait.


So, let’s quickly dive into the ways to instill gratitude in children during Ramadan:


1. Set Up a Gratitude Jar

Each day of Ramadan comes with its own unique experience. Help your child write about one positive experience or one thing they learnt - that day that they are happy about - on a piece of paper and put it into the gratitude jar. Have your child place the jar in a special location in the house. You could even help them customize the jar by painting it or adding stickers (pick a craft of your choice). This is a powerful way of teaching thankfulness, which could eventually lead to a gratitude journaling habit. 


2. A Good Deed’s Chart

If you’re looking for engaging Ramadan activities for kids, a good deed’s chart is one to try. Create a calendar for the whole month on chart paper with your offspring. You can stick it on the wall for easy access. For each day, have your child choose one good deed that they will perform. At the end of each day, they can place a tick or stick a crescent moon on the deed that they completed. This will give them a sense of accomplishment of having spent each day purposefully.


3. The Family Dinner Table

There’s no better time to give daily thanks than at the dinner table. Have the family gather for a cozy meal. This will encourage eating together without screens and give everyone an opportunity to express their thanks for the day. Children will watch adults modeling the behavior that is expected of them. Your child will be happy to give thanks to something that they are grateful for while the family is around to encourage them.


With children at home, it is easy to horde toys, clothes, and a bunch of things that they usually outgrow pretty quickly. This presents a chance to cultivate the habit of giving during the holy month. Performing charity is a crucial Islamic lesson for kids to learn. Find items that are in good condition and those that children have outgrown or no longer use and donate them to a charity of your choice. Be sure to take children along while visiting the charity, so they can see who they will be helping. This helps them understand that they must serve the underprivileged in some way throughout their lives.


5. Reading Stories About Gratitude

Stories help the imagination travel to places one has never been to before. And children’s imaginations can run wild. All we need to do is read good moral stories to them. To get more creative, make them a character in the story. This experience can seep deep into their minds, cementing their understanding of why being good or doing good is important.


6. Helping with Chores

Age is no limit to start helping with chores. Even toddlers can help load a washing machine. It’s all about creating a habit. Specially during the month of Ramadan, children should be motivated to help at home with at least one chore. It could be one chore for the entire month or a different one on each day of the month. But the idea is to be helpful to someone at home. For instance, helping mom fold washed clothes is a way to say thanks for everything that she does for the family.


7. Thank You Notes

Just like us, everyone is finding ways to do good during the holy month of Ramadan. If someone does a good deed for your child, ask them to say ‘thank you’ with a note. You could buy tiny notes in assorted colors and help your child craft a personalized message for each person. This is a wonderful way to encourage gratitude in children. Help them understand that it is not only the receiver who will be happy with this act of kindness, but the giver also feels immense joy because there is great pleasure in making others happy.


There’s always an opportunity to teach children good values. All we need to do is find creative ways to do so. Ramadan for kids can be more than just one of the most sacred months or a religious time. It can be a time for self-growth and development of important qualities, fostering a sense of spirituality and peace. 

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