QUR’AN
FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN
Children’s
curiosity about Allah’s world often begins with their interest in their own
bodies. This interest can be extended to comparing themselves with siblings or
friends. The following activities could be used for a project or wall display
about “Our Bodies” and will make the Qur’an alive and meaningful for the
children as they read verses that relate to what they are discovering. The ideas
given are quite simple, but it is up to each parent and child to develop the
activity further according to age and interest.
Fingerprints:
Let children paint the tips of their fingers and press them carefully onto
paper. Encourage them to look carefully at the fingerprints and compare their
own, as well as with others.
Hair:
Ask the children to carefully pull out a hair. Parents can join in too! Stick
the hairs with sellotape onto a piece of card and let the children compare them
(e.g. thick, fine, curly, straight). Older children could explore what hair is
and why it grows.
“On the earth are signs for those of assured faith. As also in your own selves: will you not then see?” Surah 51 Verse 21
Eyes:
Get the children to check the colour of each other’s eyes – include parents
and relatives – and make a chart comparing how many family members and how
many colours.
“And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and earth, and the variations in your languages and colours: verily in that are signs for those who know.” Surah 30 Verse 22
Learning
to look at other children’s similarities and differences can be a way to
introduce the Islamic concept of the variety in Allah’s creation:
“O Mankind! We created you from a single pair of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other (not that ye may despise each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is he who is the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted with all things.” Surah 49 Verse 13
Seasons
Draw
a simple, skeleton picture of perhaps a tree and a house. Photocopy it so that
each child has four copies. Have the children write Spring, Summer, Autumn or
Winter at the bottom of each page. Have a variety of materials for the children
to use: coloured pencils or crayons, paint, cotton wool, glitter, coloured
paper, tissue paper, wool, etc. along with safety scissors, glue, sellotape,
etc. to fill in each picture. Discuss the different seasons with the children.
You could make it a project that you do over four days. You can let the children
decide which season they want to start with and progress from there. You can use
the season you previously did as a starting point for doing the next one by
discussing what things will change in the picture. Get the children to help pick
out which materials will be suitable for each season e.g. cotton wool (snow,
smoke from the chimney) and silver glitter (ice) for winter; orange, red and
yellow tissue paper for autumn leaves; gold glitter (hot sun) and green wool
(grass) for summer, etc. Let the children lead and use their creativity!
“It is He who produceth gardens with trellises and without and dates and tilth with produce of all kinds and olives and pomegranates similar (in kind) and different (in variety): eat of their fruit in their season but render the dues that are proper on the day that the harvest is gathered. But waste not by excess: for Allah loveth not the wasters”. Surah 6 Verse 141
-
Umm Hudhayfa
Plants
Need Water Too!
In
each of four glasses of water add a little ink or food colouring of different
colours. Trim the stems of four fresh white flowers (preferably carnations) and
place one in each glass. Take another flower and split part of the stem into
two. Place the flower so that each
side of the split stem is in two different glasses.
Leave the flowers in a warm room. Very
slowly they will change colour. What
happens to the flower with the split stem, and
why?
“Who hath appointed the earth as a bed and hath threaded roads for you therein and hath sent down water from the sky and thereby We have brought forth diverse kinds of vegetation”. Surah 20 Verse 53
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