Muslim Mummyhood

I don't know about you but I'm totally overwhelmed by all the awesome printables and activity packs that are being offered for Ramadan this year! I wanted to safe keep all of these links so I took the liberty of compiling them all into this post. I'm pretty sure there are more out there but here are some of my personal favourites!

D E C O R A T I O N / C R A F T S

1. 30 DAYS 30 CRAFTS by Lunar Learners

If your kids LOVE arts & crafts, here’s an awesome site that lists all the fun crafty things you can do with them each day! All craft activities are complete with materials needed and detailed steps too.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

2. RAMADAN FOR KIDS by Little Wings Creative

Not such a crafty person? Don’t worry, score some free decoration printables from Little Wings Creative! They have included a beautifully designed Ramadan Info Sheet, Ramadan Goals Chart, Ramadan Tracker, Ramadan Banner, Ramadan Mubarak Print, Printable Lantern and SO MUCH MORE! It’s also a one-stop-shop for awesome Islamic Gifts you could get for Eid such as Islamic Art Prints (even customisable ones too), Digital Downloads and Gifts Sets.

P.S. Get access to more free printables by simply subscribing to them as a VIP member.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

3. RAMADAN PRINTABLES by Qamar Designs

Get awesome Ramadan Banner/Garland printables here as well as Ramadan Countdown Calendar, Ramadan Chart, Ramadan Day, Dua for Breaking the Fast and so much more!

CHECK IT OUT HERE!

A C T I V I T I E S

1. ACTIVITY MASJID - 100 Ideas for Fasting Children by Glitter Academy

I simply LOVE this idea! Create an activity masjid and fill it up with 100 different ideas they could do for Ramadan each day! She includes a free printable download on her TPT account here:

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

2. FREE RAMADAN ACTIVITY PACK by @teachinglittlesunflowers

This is the perfect little activity pack for kids ages 2-5 which includes cut & paste activities, colouring by numbers, tracing, spot the difference and more!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

3. RAMADAN 30 DAY ACTIVITY: Let’s find a word in the Quran by Parenthood: Muslim Style

Here’s one we did last year when my girl was three years old and she enjoyed discovering new words in the Qur’an every day! We both simply loved the colourful cards included. I personally loved that they also included a PDF on how to have the discussions for each word as well as activity ideas you could do based on the word.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

4. 30 DAYS OF RAMADAN AHADITH TO READ ALOUD by A Muslim Homeschool

I’ve decided to add these to our advent calendar this year! As my girl is now able to read and loves our read-aloud sessions, this was perfect to have so she could learn more about Ramadan as we go.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

5. RAMADAN COLOURING PAGES FOR LITTLE MUSLIMS by Gilded Dunya

Check out this mums blog post on how she introduced Ramadan to her 3 year old and she even put together a simple colouring book of Ramadan related words.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

6. PRINTABLE RAMADAN BOARD GAME by A Muslim Homeschool

If you are looking for something the whole family can enjoy, try out the Ramadan Challenge Printable Board Game! A wholesome and fun game; packed full of Ramadan related questions mixed with some fun challenges that will keep everyone on their toes!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

7. RAMADAN PACKAGE by @dearmuslimchild

Another wonderful Ramadan Activity Pack suitable for ages 2-5 for FREE! She includes not just one, but SEVERAL bundles of activity which include Ramadan Alphabet, Arabic Letters, Ramadan numbers, colours, shapes and more! WORTH checking out.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

8. RAMADAN ACTIVITY BOOK by Allamah Education

Keep the discussions and activities going every day this Ramadan with the Allamah 30 Days, 30 Activities Ramadan Activity Book. Each day your child will learn a new ayaat or hadith pertaining to Ramadan and will have a corresponding activity to complete. Activities include word finds, arts and crafts, learning a Du'a, Eid decorations and even helping to prepare a dish to break fast with.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

9. 30 DAYS OF GOOD DEEDS by In The Playroom

Create a Ramadan Jar and fill it with these 30 days of Good Deeds for them to do or slip them into your Ramadan Calendar as fillers! Here's an example of what our Ramadan Jar looks like!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

10. RAMADAN CURRICULUM: 30 DAYS OF RAMADAN ACTIVITIES by Iman’s Homeschool

If you’re looking for a complete Ramadan Curriculum, this is the place to be. Check out Iman’s Homeschool list of activities and printables provided which includes Ramadan Lapbooks, Notebooks, Activity Packs, Journals, Colouring Books and so much more!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

11. RAMADAN PRINTABLES by MuslimMommyBlog

This mama has another set of awesome printable to share which includes A Ramadan Mystery (Fun Treasure Hunt game!), Ramadan Colourable Cards, Matching Cards, Countdown Packet (for Calendar Fillers), Ramadan Quiz Cards and more!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

12. 30 DUAS FREE PRINTABLE by AYEINA

Here's another idea for your Ramadan Calendar filler - 30 Duaas for your child to memorise! (I would recommend this for older children, or you may just use it as a read-aloud to the younger ones!)

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

13. MY LITTLE BOOK ABOUT RAMADAN and WORKBOOKS by Qamar Designs

I LOVE this little flip book by Qamar Designs- it's concise and comes with a workbook to test their comprehension! The workbooks comes in two levels. I chose the 1st level for my 4 year old and she absolutely enjoyed each page!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

14. MY 2020 RAMADAN ACTIVITY BOOK by My Little Alim

Here's another activity book I added into my girl's Ramadan Binder. She loves the 'All about me' section and the activities that comes with this book!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

15. ISLAMIC WORD SEARCH PACK by islamicresources4teaching

Does your child like word search activities? Get this free resource by signing up with www.islamicresources4teaching.com! It's a 27-page pack filled with different word search activities. Also check out their other resources for sale which includes Daily Dua Book and My Islamic Journal.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE

16. PROPHETS OF ALLAH by Tiny Teachings

Simple colouring pages with short stories of each Prophet of Allah (Peace be upon them)! We are currently using this and we love the simple illustrations for each Prophet.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

H I F D Z H / Q U R A N T R A C K E R

1. MEMORIZATION CHART by Allamah Education

Looking for a memorization chart to motivate your child's memorization? Here's a cute printable for Juz Amma in which they can colour in!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

2. JUZ AMMA TRACKER by Ummi and Kids

Another cute Juz Amma Tracker printable! You can add a sticker or a stamp for every surah memorized.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

3. MY QURAN TRACKER WORKBOOK by A Muslim Homeschool

Here's one for the older kids - a complete workbook to track the completed suwar, copy pages for each surah, note pages for tafseer and points of benefits from the surah and it also comes with 4 different book cover options!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

R A M A D A N J O U R N A L S

1. RAMADAN JOURNAL by A Muslim Homeschool

I honestly can't get enough from A Muslim Homeschool, she supplies awesome resources mashaAllah! Anyway here's one I'm bookmarking for the future when my eldest (who's 4 years old now) is old enough to keep this journal herself. I love how comprehensive it is and that it is divided into 2 parts, one for pre-ramadan and the other for during. However, please note that this journal is NOT for FREE, but has a small price to pay for an awesome journal!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

2. QURAN JOURNAL by Allamah Education

If you're looking for a simpler version of the above, here's a one page sheet to start a quran journal. It's a good start in engaging the little ones in understanding each surah.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

3. RAMADAN DOODLE & NOTE by Iman’s Homeschool

Another wonderfully put together Ramadan Journal printable! It's available in both English & Arabic too... and it's FREE!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

Alhamdulillah, there you have it! Hope this benefits as a one-stop-for-all if you're ever looking for more activities to this Ramadan or perhaps looking for inspiration for future Ramadans to come inshaAllah. I'm sure there'll be more to add by then too! May Allah grant us a fruitful month of Ramadan and grant us forgiveness. Ameen.

Much love,

Elly Umm Khadeejah

Disclaimer: All images used belong to it's rightful owner from it's corresponding resource link.

As expected, he woke up crying at midnight and I routinely took him back to bed. With his little chin tucked in, he gently patted my chest and I obliged. It was a call of duty. One that I, despite being such a strong advocate of and have never compromised on it, have been enjoying less and less with the accumulation of nights that lacked restfulness and days that lacked freeness. In fact, I’ve been spending the past week trying to firmly establish my personal boundaries, much to his dismay.

There I was again, holding him in my arms, just doing what needed to be done. Being so close, it was hard not to take a whiff of the sourish sweetness from his soft curly head. I thought to myself, “I’m gonna miss this someday. He’s only a baby for a very short time. He’s getting bigger. He’s not always going to depend on me like this”. Guilt tinged my heart as I tried to recall how often I had spent this very special moment to truly connect and be present. Rather, I’ve been treating it as an inconvenience; one which I tolerated as I multi-tasked or busy my mind until he got his fill. Sure, there were days when I would have a lot on my plate and to simply nurse whilst doing nothing else felt unproductive but more often than not, even when I had the chance to slow things down a notch, I would choose to do or think of anything else except focus on this person that is latched onto me. I have been missing out on the opportunity to bond with my child when he is dependent on me. The kind of bonding that would build trust and sense of security.

“‘Unbusy’ your head and ‘unbusy’ your body. Be fully there, interested only in your baby for that time.” -- Magda Gerber

The idea of treating children, especially young ones, as conscious beings that are fully aware is not quite the norm in conventional parenting today. In this article, Janet Lansbury (Parent Educator of the Respectful Parenting Approach) gives her perspective on nursing being an intimate experience and how we can be more attentive instead of making a feeding session nothing more than just a meal.

Habitual connections matter. With constant consistency, small and simple acts become the building blocks of a solid relationship. It made me wonder -- what does this say about our connection with Allah?

We usually feel the most need to connect with Allah in dire times, when we have exhausted all of our abilities and feel like there is nothing left for us but to seek Allah’s aid. As if those are the only moments that we are truly in need of Allah. Could it be that we have forgotten that our entire being is dependent on Allah and neither a breath or a heartbeat can occur if Allah didn’t allow it?

“Nothing shall ever happen to us except what Allah has ordained for us” [Surah At-Tawbah 9:51]

Likewise, we often reflect upon the glory and blessings of Allah when we feel significant happiness or when we witness the beauty of Allah’s creation, such as a spectacular sunset on a pristine beach amidst the calming sound of waves. But you don’t have to take a vacation to admire and appreciate Allah’s creations. Just look at the creation of this baby in our arms, who is living, breathing, and growing in front of our eyes. The baby who started out as nothing more than the size of a poppy seed. SubhanAllah.

Photo by Lisa Fotios from Pexels

It suddenly made sense to me why we have been prescribed to remember Allah in some of the most habitual things that we do; from waking up in the morning to lifting a piece of food into our mouths. Such seemingly insignificant acts, yet immense in the reflections that we can make.

Our children will not be dependent on us forever the way we depend on Allah. So despite the exhaustion the day brings or if we're simply feeling zoned out - perhaps by taking a moment to acknowledge how much we are dependent on Him, we can be more present and connected with our children. As a result, we become more grounded in our faith, establish a trusting connection with Him and have assurance in His love, owing to the fact that Allah never tires in His presence with us -- both in hardship and ease.

“Those who have believed and whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allah. Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured.” [Surah Ar-R’ad 13:28]

About our Guest Author

Umm H is the mom behind @learning.to.mom and has two boys ages 3 and 1 with a multicultural background. She documents her journey in raising children to become righteous Muslims through conscious and respectful parenting. The approach that she uses in her parenting is inspired by @janetlansbury who advocates the RIE approach. Umm H is also a believer in child-led play, self-directed learning and advocates natural and sustainable living. She realizes her Pinterest dreams by organizing an Arabic playgroup for young children.

Don't forget to follow me @muslimmummyhood on Instagram and/or Facebook for more updates on our homeschooling journey and my musings on motherhood!
BaarakAllahu feekum.

Photo by Andreas Wohlfahrt from Pexels

My second-born, Aaminah, who just turned one, started taking her first baby steps a few days ago. And here I am feeling a little bittersweet cos I feel like her baby year just flew by, even more so than Khadeejah's first year. Is it just me or do they grow up faster after having more than one child? Looking back, I feel like I've changed so much as a mother after giving birth to her.

My pregnancy with her was Alhamdulillah, a breeze in a sense that I had very few morning sickness and barely any symptoms during the first to second trimester, but I had a lot of anxiety throughout. For those who are not new to my blog, you'd know that prior to this pregnancy, I had an ectopic pregnancy where I had my left fallopian tube removed. That experience took me 6 months to feel like myself again and by the mercy of Allah I conceived just after the first few tries of TTC (trying to conceive).

As soon as I found out I was pregnant again, I was happy but more so terrified that there was a possibility it could be another ectopic. I had to wait six to eight weeks to get a placement scan so we could see wether the fetus was in the womb or not. Those weeks of waiting felt like the longest. I just remember thinking about it all the time and making lots of du'a that this pregnancy would be safe and I wouldn't have to go through that again. I didn't allow myself to feel completely happy to be pregnant again until I knew for sure that all is OK. However, even after the placement scan and I saw the tiny flutter of heartbeat, my anxiety did not fade away.

You see, when I got pregnant the first time, not once did I think that anything could go wrong... even though I was aware that miscarriages could happen but I never really worried about that possibility. But the moment it happens to you, and you've experienced a form of pregnancy loss of your own, it's like BAM- all of the million possibilities of a pregnancy going wrong starts running through your mind, and you just WORRY. SO. MUCH. Even the fact that I barely had any pregnancy symptoms during the first trimester made me worry cos I was expecting the morning sickness, the swollen breasts, the bloated stomach - anything to indicate that I was pregnant despite knowing I'm positive. It was like I needed to *feel* pregnant immediately to be at peace. Only by the 2nd trimester I was able to breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that I'm kind of in the "safe zone" now and that I was already showing a little pooch and I was definitely 'feeling' pregnant.

Alhamdulillah I am so grateful for my very supportive husband, who was always there when I had a panic moment and he'd assure me that inshaAllah things would be OK and that I should be more positive and hopeful and keep making du'a to Allah. Thank you, yang. 😍

But as the pregnancy progressed, I was having to deal with my then two and a half year old toddler who was well, going through her terrible twos and I didn't have all the time in the world to lay down and rest as I did when I was pregnant with her. So it was TIRING. And it was a busy year for me too as not only was I freelancing, I was managing a bi-weekly playgroup and teaching 2 art classes a week. I kept myself busy and I was rather productive actually. But I was exhausted and stressed all the time. Towards the end of my pregnancy I even had high BP that I needed to be admitted.

Fast Forward To My Delivery

Alhamdulillah, much like the pregnancy, her delivery was also a breeze (metaphorically, of course, I was sweating my hijab off) but in comparison to the first where I had a 32-hour-marathon of a labour, it took lesser time and I didn't require an induction. I went into active labour around midnight and she was out by 10 am, after only a 7 minute push-time! Perhaps I'll do a birth story in another post inshaAllah.

But here's when one of the most memorable moments in my life came to be, the moment when she arrived. Not only did the after birth relief felt exhilarating (takbeer!), but boy was I elated to hear her first cry. As soon as the midwife placed her on to my chest for our first skin-to-skin, I felt a huge shift in my emotional state. The anxiety was GONE. Banished! I was the most at peace after nine long months of worry and anxiety. Allahu Akbar. She was my peace. I thought to myself, my baby is here! My rainbow baby is here. I finally allowed myself to feel completely happy. I gazed at her tiny peaceful face and it felt so right to name her the name we had chosen for her, Aaminah, which means calm; free of worry and fear.

Calm and Collected

True enough, she lived up to her name. She was calm and non fussy as a newborn. Her first three months also a breeze. Besides the usual night feeds and diaper changes, she latched on like a pro and most times I'd only have to feed and burp her and I could put her down and she'd fall asleep on her own. It gave me much time to rest and also give the attention her sister needed too during that adjustment period.

I definitely feel much more relaxed and because I kinda now what to expect, and now that I'm no longer a first-time-mum, everything feels a lot more manageable and less 'on my toes'. As for handling two kids at once, it was easier than I imagined it to be as they both had very different needs to attend to. Khadeejah, all though happy to meet her new sibling, was a bit sulky with me at first, adjusting to the divided attention. But Alhamdulillah after a few weeks she started to come around.

In saying that, I'm now having to deal with different new phases of childhood with her older sister (aka the Threenager and soon to be Fournado phase) so I'm holding on to whatever calm I can get! and for now, that's you Aaminah. I know you'll be going through all these phases too but I won't forget the peace I received from you which is truly from Allah SWT. Even though I'm guilty for not taking as many photos or videos of you, I hope I can always remember and cherish this wonderful baby year I had with you.

Don't forget to follow me @muslimmummyhood on Instagram and/or Facebook for more updates on our homeschooling journey and my musings on motherhood!
BaarakAllahu feekum.

In conjunction of the Merdeka (Independence) day coming up, Grace and I thought it would be fitting to have our playgroup activity based around classic traditional games. These games were what we grew up with before the digital era began. We wanted our children to be exposed to this as it is also part of our culture and it reminds me of when times were more simple and innocent. Some of these games may look familiar to you, only we have different names for it.

This is the list of activities we did today:-

a) Lat tali tamplon

b) Penutup botol/Ceper (Carrom bottle cap)

c) Baling tin (Tin bowling)

d) Lompat getah (Rope jumping)

e) Ketingting (Hopscotch)

f) Malaysia flag art and craft

The Jalur Gemilang craft and States Matching Game

We started off with our Malaysia Flag aka Jalur Gemilang (directly translated as Glorious Stripes) and kept it to a simple cut and paste activity, though as expected, the moms did most of the legwork 😆.

The kids are still too young to learn the names of the states so instead they matched the flags according to the numbers or colours.

Baling Tin

The first of the games we did was the 'Baling Tin' which is basically bowling but using used tin cans. It created quite a noise and the kids loved it! Though some just settled with kicking the cans over which well, works too! haha.

Lat Tali Lat Tali Tamplom

We also tried doing "Lat Tali Lat Tali Tamplom" which is kinda like Rock Paper Scissors if you will but only with the show of hands - palms up or palms down. It is used to decide a splitting of teams or whoever is the odd one out - starts first.

Penutup Botol/Ceper

Then a game of "Penutup Botol" or "Ceper" which is the glass bottle caps.. how you play it is one has to flick the cap with your fingers to hit another.

Ketingting (Hopscotch)

Here's one we're all familiar with - classic game of hopscotch! Great for gross motor skills.

Lompat Tali Getah (Rubberband Skipping Rope)

Last but not least - another classic game of skipping rope basically, but it is made out of a chain of rubber bands... every other kid used to have one of these cos it's so cheap and easy to make! Khadeejah went to town with this one! 😂

To end our playgroup session, we refreshed ourselves with a glass of soya bean straight from the glass bottles in which we took the bottle caps from. Yums!

If you enjoyed reading about our playgroup activity, do subscribe for future updates on playgroup activity ideas inshaAllah! Feel free to share!

Don't forget to follow me @muslimmummyhood on Instagram and/or Facebook for more updates on our homeschooling journey and my musings on motherhood!
BaarakAllahu feekum.

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ULTIMATE LIST OF RAMADAN ACTIVITIES 2020/1441 (Over 20+ Resources to Choose From!)