Islamic
Plays
Instead of simply reading Islamic Stories to your children, why not
encourage them to play the part of the characters themselves? Most children love
to take part in the story, even those as young as two or three, and they are far
more likely to retain the story with this activity. All that is needed are a few
simple props if possible, and a small group of children. Let them choose the
person they want to be, and proceed from there. For the younger children, tell
the story simply and slowly, letting them act out the part without necessarily
having to speak unless they feel confident to do so.
Slightly
older children could take this a step further, playing the role with both acting
and speaking, with less story telling from you as the parent. Older children
could actually write their own play, make props, put on a performance, etc.
[Remember to explain to the children that we cannot play the role of Prophet
Muhammed (saw) or any of the other Prophets]. The play doesn’t necessarily
have to be a true Islamic story but could be written where an Islamic value or
adhab is presented. Written skills, confidence, creativity, etc, can all be
developed through such an activity, as well as plenty of social interaction and
fun! There can also be plenty of discussion afterwards about how children felt
about their role, or how it would have been to live in the time of Prophet
Muhammed (saw).
Just
as an example, a friend and I did this recently with our children who meet once
a week for Islamic studies. I wanted to tell them the story of Abu Talha and the
hungry man (where Prophet Muhammed (saw) asked who would take the hungry man
home – Abu Talha offered, even though his family had very little themselves.
His wife sent the children to bed hungry, dimmed the lights and served the
hungry man while Abu Talha and his wife pretended to eat).
The
props were two prayer hats for Abu Talha and the hungry man, a scarf for Abu
Talha’s wife, and a plate with one piece of bread. The children aged between
two and five did well and acted out according to the simple sentences given,
enjoying being able to pretend, especially the children going to bed hungry! All
went well until I explained that Abu Talha’s wife gave the plate of food to
the hungry man and she and Abu Talha just pretended to eat. On hearing this, Abu
Talha’s wife started to cry, saying she wanted the bread; Abu Talha
grabbed it instead, causing a fight, and the hungry man ran off to hide behind
the sofa! Not exactly what we’d planned, but at least there was plenty to
discuss at a later, calmer time…
-Umm
Hafsa
ISLAMIC
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