Welcoming Ramadan

"For indeed the coming of Ramadhaan 
is a tremendous blessing from Allah......"
Shaykh Bin Baz

All About Fasting

Audios to Help Prepare Mentally for Ramadan

Making Up Missed Fasts of Ramadan

Get Ready for Ramadan!

Countdown to Ramadan (and Eid!)

There's nothing like a Ramadan bulletin board to get people thinking about Ramadan. I finally got around to starting ours this year. The first thing I put up was a countdown to Ramadan poster that I made this year.....

...and sure enough, it got us talking about Ramadan and its approach. This poster contains digits cards to cut out and I made a little pocket to hold the cards. I laminated the poster, number cards, and pocket for durability.I attach the numbers to the poster with velcro dots.

We've had it up for a couple of days and the kids get a kick out of changing the numbers in the morning.

I thought while I was at it, I would make a similar poster for Eidul Fitr:


To make them "pop" you can have the kids color in the white spaces (which I had intended but to do but my kids are not too often in a coloring mood, so we're going with black and white).

Download Countdown to Ramadan and Eid Posters 

Other Countdown Ideas

Ramadan Countdown Chain

Count down the days until Ramadan by making a Ramadan Countdown Chain. 

Cut out the strips and link together to form a chain. Tear off a chain each day.

Print out on colored paper to make your chain "pop." If you want each chain to be a different color, make the chains by hand instead.

One year, we draped our chain across our Ramadan Bulletin Board

Prepare Your Kids for Ramadan!

Regardless of whether all of your children are fasting during Ramadan, there are many things that you can do to get them (and the rest of the family) excited about and prepared for observing Ramadan.

Here are a few for starters......

Readings to Help Prepare Your Mind For Ramadan

A collection of treatises and articles/books to help prepare your mind for Ramadan.

Tips for Setting Up a Ramadan Schedule

(From 2014): I'm just now getting into the Ramadan organization mode and sat down today to try to put together a schedule for our Ramadan days.  I find that they are more productive when we have some sort of schedule in place even if it is only loosely made or followed.  

Here are a few tips/things to consider when setting up your Ramadan daily schedule:

1. Set up a regularly scheduled time to prepare sahoor

2. Set up a regularly scheduled time to wake up the rest of the fasters

3. Decide on post sahoor/post fajr activities:

Examples:

Go back to sleep

Exercises

Recite Quraan

Schoolwork

Housework

4. Set up a time to wake nonfasters

5. Set up a time for nonfasters’ meals and snack times

6. Decide on regular afternoon activities (read quraan, school work, etc)

7. Set up regular time for reading quraan (juz a day or whatever you choose)

8. Set up a regular time for preparing iftaar

9. Decide on normal after dinner activities (read quraan, housework, family time, etc).

10. Set up appropriate bedtimes for each family member

11. Set up a time to do any needed prep for suhoor to make the next morning go more smoothly, in shaa Allah.

Sample Ramadan Routine

• Wake Up/Say Duaa for Waking Up/Make Wudhu/Pray Tahajjud
• Prepare/Eat Suhoor
• Pray Salatul Fajr
• Read or Memorize Quraan (family members can take turns reading)
• Clean up
• Brief Ramadan family meeting (discuss how fasting is going so far in the month, discuss what the day's plan is, read an Islamic article, read Quraan together)
• Free Time or Nap
• Non-faster (kids) wake up/eat breakfast/get dressed/clean up
•    Learning Activities, such as from TJ Ramadan :)
• Pray Dhuhr/Lunch for non-fasters
• Nap for little ones (and fasters if desired)
• Pray Asr
• Read Quraan or Ramadan related articles or story or ahadith or Ramadan Craft
• Clean Up; Get Dates/water ready for breaking fast
• Break the Fast
• Pray Salatul Maghrib
• Eat Dinner
• Clean up
• Pray Isha
• Brief Ramadan Family meeting (discuss how fasting day went; review meal plan(make sure have everything for next day’s suhoor); review behavior charts
• Free Time/Read Quraan/Clean Up/Bedtime for younger children
• Prep for suhoor in the morning, if needed
• Go to Bed 

If you have a facebook account, you can get some more inspiration from the sister at Creative Motivations' wonderful schedule for her family.

Schedule Templates

Kids Ramadan Schedule Template - template for kids to write down their daily schedule; sections of time divided by prayers

Ramadan "Kickoff" Meeting

Get this Ramadan off to a great start, inshaa Allah, with a Ramadan Kickoff Meeting!