For children to have a well-rounded view of the world, it is necessary for them to understand the significance of different religious occasions and the festivities associated with them. The month of Ramadan in Islam focuses a lot on keeping yourself away from consumption and indulge in giving a lot to others. Eid-El-Fitr is a culmination of the entire thought and is a time for celebration. Your child might be too young to fast during Ramadan, yet is is good to explain to him/her why we fast in Ramadan and also to explain why Eid-El-Fitr is a three day celectration that marks the end of this holy month of fasting. You can also help by putting together some Eid games for children so that they, too, can join in the celebration.
Fun And Interesting Eid Activities For Children
Here are some interesting activities that you can engage in along with your kids.
1. Making Eid Decorations In A Variety Of Languages
In the Middle East, most schools will focus on learning Arabic with English as a second language and/or another language or two such as French, German or Spanish. So, this is a great time to let your children decorate your home in various ways that depict other languages using the Arabic script.
Help your child by giving him/her a few positive messages or well-wishes and let them write those in Arabic, as well as, English and any other languages that you are familiar with. The Internet is also your best friend in a situation like this one where children can find out the meaning of Eid greetings in various languages.
2. Glass Jars Decorated With Colourful Paper
All that’s needed is a glass jar, some coloured paper, water, and glue. Mix together the glue and water and coat the surface of the jar completely with it.
Then let your kid tear out pieces of coloured paper and stick them on the jar. Make sure the jar is covered completely with paper.
Once done, apply another layer of glue to stick them fully and let it dry.
Later at night, you can put in a candle or a small bulb and place the jar in a safe place. The light that emerges out will be magnificent.
3. The Quickest To Sight The Moon
The moon plays a vital role in the announcement of Eid-El-Fitr and marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. This usually happens in the evening after Isha prayers on the 29th day of fasting in Ramadan.
Let your kids make their own binoculars using empty cans and use them to sight the moon; Hilal El Eid. This can be turned into a game where every kid needs to sight the moon from a different location of the house. That way they are also involved in finding out when Eid-El-Fitr is going to be announced.
4. Dangling Moon And Stars Around The House
Gather as many old colour papers, magazines, or gift wrappings that you can find. Use a marker to draw stars and moons on them, or any other Ramadan decorations they might like. Using child-friendly scissors, let your kid cut them out from those.
Using some duct tape and strings, tape a moon and a star to a string and make a collection of those.
Now, these strings could be taped to your ceiling or tied to the curtain and your home will have moons and stars all around the place.
5. Making Your Very Own Kaaba With Paper
Find an old cardboard box that might have come when having purchased any electronic appliance.
Buy black coloured paper and wrap the box completely with it. Use glue to keep the paper stuck properly to the box.
Let your child use the Internet to find an image of the Kaaba to refer to and use golden stripes to decorate the box and make it resemble just like the real one.
6. Go Shopping for New Clothes
Children wait for Eid to go shopping and buy new clothes! This is a treat for both boys and girls and is also part of an Islamic tradition that goes long way back.
Pretty colourful and long elaborate dresses with traditional Arabic and Islamic prints or designs on them for girls, while little boys shop for traditional Arabic and Islamic clothes, but also any new clothes your children choose according to their own sense of style is considered a treat and a fun acitivity to do together as a family.
7. Making Eid Goodie Bags for Your Friends and Family Guests
When having guests, relatives, or friends over as part of Eid-El-Fitr celebrations, gifting them a card or a Eid-El-Fitr goodie bag or even a “Eideya” in the form of money in an envelope is a nice gesture.
Purchase either plain white envelopes or plain white paper bags from your local store and let your child decorate them in a traditional and colourful manner for Eid.
These could include writing Eid Mubarak in Arabic script or decorating the cards and bags with the traditional Islamic art desgins and other positive messages.
If you are opting for the goodie bags, you can then decide together what kinds of treats you will give away, such as Eid-El-Fitr Kahk (cookies) and Maamoul, little festive lanterns and so on.
8. Holed Lantern For Eid (Fanoos Ramadan)
Instead of buying a “Fanoos” or lantern for Eid and Ramdan, why not let your child make their own this year!
You can make one out of paper or tin depending on how old your children are.
Sketch out the design of a mosque or the moon such that the outline itself can convey what it is.
Paste this paper on the tin and give it to your child. Now, let him use a small pin and poke holes along the design through the tin. Make sure all safety precautions are followed.
Once the holes have been poked, the tin can be decorated with ribbons or coloured paper. Put the lid back on the can and tape a thread onto it.
Let loose a bulb inside it when it hangs. When you switch the bulb on, the lid will emit the light from it in the pattern of the design. You can even use a candle, which is the old traditional way, but please make sure it is safe to do so to avoid the risk of burning your child’s hands or running the risk of fire.
9. Understanding The Significance Of Ramadan And Eid
If in the past your children were too young to understand the reason behind celebrating Eid and the importance of the holy month of Ramadan, it could be a good time now to teach them all about it.
Make this Eid a memorable one by sitting with your children and reading out a story that talks about the Ramadan, why Muslims fast and explain why Eid-El-Fitr is such a joyous time to celebrate and be kind to those who are less fortunate by giving “Zakat El Fitr”. Choose simplified language and tell in a way that’s appropriate for their age.
You could make use of reference images or even use the world map to talk about various events that led to it. Telling the story in an animated manner with different characters, voices, and sounds will make for quite an entertaining tale.
10. Making Eid Kahk and Sweets for Family and Friends
What makes Eid great for everyone is the delicious expanse of food items that are there to taste.
Making sweet Kakh cookie and traditional Mamoul from a dough, dates and dry fruit mixtures is a wonderful way to welcome your guests or bid them goodbye.
Make the mixture by yourself and let your children help you out in rolling the balls. Roll a reference ball for then so that he would know what size to roll them to.
Arrange all paper containers on a plate and place the delicious treats in them before serving those to the guests.
Eid-El-Fitr is an occasion that marks three days of celebration, reunion and enjoyment. It is a time of togetherness and spending time with everyone as a family. The various Eid-El-Fitr crafts for children not only develop a sense of understanding of the culture, but also helps them get involved in the festivities, and have a sense of belonging too.
