Finally, it’s the time of the year again and for us (in the warmer part of the world).But doesn’t make a different to the spirit of the holy month, AT ALL!

For my non-muslim readers, Ramzan/Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting from Sunrise to Sunset.This annual observance is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam (Faith in God, Prayer , Charity, Fasting and Pilgrimage to Mecca called ‘Hajj’).  Fasting is not only to stop ourselves from eating or drinking but also from any bad deeds like fighting, backbiting, lying etc. Basically its a reminder, every year of what the ideal human should be like. Fasting is an opportunity to practice self-control; it cleanses the body, mind and soul and helps Muslims feel the peace that comes from intense spiritual devotion.Since my kids are now getting bigger and starting to understand the concept , I wanted to make Ramzan a little festive for them and use that as an opportunity to slip in some lessons to being a good human being. With that in mind, I searched for some ideas.. and here is what I did..

The Ramzan Kit

So I made these Ramzan kits for my kids to get started and use during the holy month. (A goodie bag always gets them excited!). I kept prayers beads, Hijab/cap , dates and some candies inside! I found these favor boxes at a local craft store and done! They will get these at the sighting of the Ramzan crescent!

The Good Deed Jar

I came across this idea and fell in love with it!! I thought, it might be a great way to encourage my kids to make the most of this month of in terms of doing as much good as we can. So I took an empty jar, decorated that and put in small, easy and  good deeds(written on colored ice cream sticks).The idea is that my kids would pick a deed each day and  then they get a reward for doing that deed. (Kids are not so patient to wait that Allah will give them the sawab/reward for it :), so to keep them encouraged I made the next craft too 🙂 )I used some of the deeds from this website In the Playroom and added some of my own, like ‘Help mama in the kitchen’ ! (LOL) or ‘Read to your brother’  or ‘Go a day without fighting’ !The site has free printables of the deeds that you can simply print, cut and put them in the jar. (I didn’t want to use paper, because I want these to last me a couple of years and with my kids that won’t be possible.). This doesn’t necessarily have to be only limited during Ramzan though.

Ramzan Countdown/Reward Calendars

This was something my friends did last year for their kids and I thought this was just simply AWESOME! So this year I made these Countdown calendars to get them excited,look forward to Eid and also serve as a reward calendar for their good deed of the day!

I used the colored foam boards, some silver and gold pouches, some glitter paper and 30 days worth of treats (candies, stickers, stationary items etc.). They would get to open the day’s reward after they have done their good deed of the day.I wrote down the numbers with a marker on the pouches and hot glued them to the board, cut out stars from the glitter paper to decorate the foam board , wrote their names on each board (which I did after taking the pictures) and filled treats in the bags (EXACTLY the same treat  for all three of them, for each day! lol)  And of course I had to make three of them!

‘RAMZAN MUBARAK’ Garland

To get into the festive mood, I did some Ramzan decorations aroundthe house. I came across this lovely website called  SweetFajr, with LOADS of Islamic FREE printables  She has some very pretty printables and DIY ideas for Ramzan/Eid décor. I printed her banner, cut them, stick them on a gold glitter sheet and ran the string through it!

Ramzan Hanging Lanterns

Again, another one of the numerous lovely ideas from SweetFajr, I made these hanging paper lanterns for décor.  I printed the template and cut the outer sides with scissors but I used the x-acto knife to cut the windows. I did the cutting myself but my daughter helped with the sticking of the colored tissue papers.

And ofcourse some FAIRY LIGHTS!

These fairy lights are from IKEA that I bought during the Christmas season, so hung these around the home for some festive feel!

Looking forward to a spiritual Ramzan for us and an enlightening one for the little ones.  Have a very blessed Ramzan!