This year I have teamed up with some of my favourite Muslim mamas and bloggers to give you a detailed look into our children’s Ramadan baskets .
This is 4th Ramadan that my children will be receiving a Ramadan basket at the beginning of the holy month. I give them after Magrib prayer, which marks the first day of Ramadan and the first night of tarawih prayers. In my household , we usually have a quiet time between 1-3 pm . I am even more strict on having this during Ramadan just because comes lunch time, I often feel very tired and in need of a break. During these two hours, more often than not, my 3 year old and 15 month old usually take a nap, and my other three children , as they do not sleep, have to do something quietly during that time. It can be anything from reading books, colouring, listening to audio books, journal-ling., anything as long as they do not disturb. Most of the time it really works well and having some resources already there for them to use, makes it easier for me .Before I go into a bit more details into what I have included this year in their baskets, I wanted to write a bit about my own experience in doing children’s Ramadan baskets throughout the years:
- My children’s Ramadan baskets have changed . I started first doing them having seen the idea online. I remember my eldest being 5, my son was around 3.5 and my third one was a newborn. My eldest was at the age where her understanding of Ramadan was a bit more and I thought it would be a good idea to have a little tradition.
- I have had Ramadans , where for whatever reason- pregnancy , tiredness and other life circumstances, I just did not have a chance to make that much effort or be that organised. I genuinely do not think one bit that my children were upset or that they even noticed.
- My minimum for a Ramadan basket is – a Ramadan /Islamic book,( if anything new and interesting available on the market) colouring pencils/pens, colouring book and a little notebook for them to scribble or if older to write their reflections or copy duas in there too.
- Clothes-If you want to add any clothes in your children’s baskets , make sure that they need it rather than spend the money for the sake of filling a basket. For the last few years, Ramadan was during the summer months , here in the U.K and I thought it will be a good idea to add pyjamas as they almost always needed a pair . The same logic applies for hijabs for girls and kufis for the boys. My two daughters have been asking me new hijabs for a few months and I thought it will be a good idea to include one in their baskets this year. I do not do it every Ramadan
- Ramadan book- I try to include a book related to Ramadan or a good Islamic book in their baskets. Some years , they only had one book to share, because I felt that there was not anything interesting that I needed to spend money on. Islamic good quality books in general can be quite expensive . We have reused a lot of our Ramadan books too. This year for example my three year old will receive two Ramadan related books, which I have had for a few years but because he was little at the time , he really would consider them as new to him. I also try to put all the books on our Ramadan shelf so that all children can read them throughout the month. So do not feel that you have to buy each child a Ramadan related or Islamic book and to put it in their baskets. Sometimes you can just buy one good quality book for the whole family to share.
- Re- using activity books- I have in the past bought more things than we really needed and we just simply never got the chance to use them during the month. So I have kept them in a separate box for any future Ramadans. Make sure you store all your Ramadan related activities books separately and store them away and a few weeks before Ramadan , just take the box out and see what you have. This year I did not buy any activity books for my eldest three because i had a few from before and they can re use them.
- As most of you, who follow me on Instagram, know that I am a home schooling mother , so naturally I spend more time with my children and may need a little bit more resources so that my children can do during the day just because of the extra time and also so I can do my own ibadat ( worship etc ) or just to take a nap. If your children go to school and there is no half term holiday , you may find that they may not necessarily need that many resources etc.
Below Are the Ramadan baskets for my 4 children. I have not included my `15 month old. For some of the products , I have included the links, but I have not done it for all. If there is anything that you may want to purchase, but cannot find, do send me DM on my Instagram page or leave a comment here.
S Ramadan basket ( girl, age 9.5)
1 Pyjama from Asda
2 Chunky Yarn from Aldi for £3.69- my daughter is a lot into knitting and during our quiet time in the afternoon she often knits, so I thought it will be a good idea to get her another one, as I know she would be able to use it.
3 Knitting needles-£2.99 from Aldi
4 Mini Torch from Poundland £1
5 Hijab – ebay
6 Finger Tasbi Counter – ( ebay , it was a pack of 3)
7) Crayola Glitter GeL Pens
8) A5 notebook from BM Bargains (£1.29) – to write duas or verses from the Quran
9) Ramadan Countdown Calendar from Morrisons £2
10 ) My Ramadan Activity Book( bought from Anafiya gifts £1.50 bought from last year)-It is a lovely little activity book by Goodwords and it includes word search, Islamic stories, a few craft activities and lots of other fun things to make and do.
11) Little Explorers Ramadan magazine -I bought the 5 Ramadan issues from last year but we never came to using them , so giving each child one issue to read. They are great for ages 4/5 and above.
12) Ayesha Dean The Seville Secret by Melati Lum- My daughter really enjoyed reading the first one of the series ( The Istanbul Intrigue), so I think she would really enjoy reading this one. “Ayesha, Sara & Jess are back in an exciting new adventure, and this time they’re off to Spain! When a fellow passenger’s beloved grandpa strangely disappears, Ayesha and her friends gladly join in the search for the missing person. But as Ayesha delves further into the mystery, the more sinister the stakes become! Ayesha finds a link between the missing person and a seventeenth-century diary that contains clues to an ancient mystery. However, each step closer to discovery seems to pose greater chances of peril. Can Ayesha uncover the truth without putting herself and her friends in mortal danger?” . Bought from Amazon-Ayesha Dean- The Seville Secret
13) Mindful Islamic colouring book by Sara Kanwal- a lovely book with Mandala Patterns with Quranic verses. Bought from Amazon-Mindful Islamic Colouring Book
14) The Green Bicycle by Haifaa Al Mansour- I have heard so much about this book that I really wanted to get it for my daughter and Ramadan is a time when in general we read more books too, so I hope she likes this one. Bought from Amazon-The Green Bicycle
” Wadjda has one simple wish – to race her friend Abdullah on her very own bicycle. But in Saudi Arabia, it is considered improper for girls to ride bikes and her parents forbid her from having one. Sick of playing by the rules, Wadjda schemes different ways to make money and buy the bike herself. But freedom comes at a high price . . .Set against the shifting social attitudes of the Middle East, The Green Bicycle explores gender roles, conformity, and the importance of family, all with wit and irresistible heart ”
15) My Ramadan Journal from http://www.amuslimhomeschool.com- I love this sister’s website and have used her free printables for quite a few years. She has a lot of Ramadan related resources on her website too. I decided this year to purchase Her Ramadan journals for children, which is absolutely brilliant and has so much information on Ramadan, colouring pages and lots and lots of activities related to the various Surahs in the Quran. I absolutely love the fact that there are daily Log pages in the journal, where children can write what they have achieved during that day, their salaah , good deeds and how many quran pages they have read. There is a “hadith of the day” page for every day too . Do check http://www.amuslimhomeschool.com to purchase the My Ramadan journal, retailed at £5.99
H Ramadan basket ( boy ,age 8)
1Pyjama from Asda
2)Torch- as above
3)Glitter gel pens- as above
4)tasbih counter- as above
5)notebook from BM Bargains £1.29
6)Mini Yarns set lidl £2.99
7) My Ramadan Fun Book by Goodword -I bought it last year but we never managed to use it. The book is great for children aged between 7 and 10. It has activities on the significance of the month of Ramadan, fasting and its benefits, respecting the mosque, hunger around the world. It is full of puzzles, crosswords, wordsearches , colouring and many more activities.
8) Little Explorers magazine- old issue
9)Planet Omar by ZAnib Mian – We are big fans of Zanib Mian and love all her books. I think we more or less have her entire collection .My son read her book ” The Muslims” and he really enjoyed it. So as soon as I saw that she has released the Planet Omar book, I knew I had to get it for my son. I love her style of writing too and we find her stories super fun to read. ” Welcome, readers, to the imaginative brain of Omar! You might not know me yet, but once you open the pages of this book you’ll laugh so hard that snot will come out of your nose (plus you might meet a dragon and a zombie – what more could you want?).My parents decided it would be a good idea to move house AND move me to a new school at the same time. As if I didn’t have a hard enough time staying out of trouble at home, now I’ve also got to try and make new friends. What’s worse, the class bully seems to think I’m the perfect target. At least Eid’s around the corner which means a feast (YAY) and presents (DOUBLE YAY). Well, as long as I can stay in Mum and Dad’s good books long enough… ” The book can be bought from Amazon –Planet Omar
10) Who will help me make iftar by Asma Hussein. ” Mustafa Amca and his wife have a yearly tradition- they cook iftar for their friends and neighbours on the first day of Ramadan. This year, Mustafa Amca’s wife is sick and can’t help him to cook! Will he be able to find others to pitch in and create a meal for everyone to enjoy”. The story is lovely and illustrations are beautiful too. I bought it from Anafiya Gifts , retailed at £9.99- Who will help me make iftar
11) Islamic meditation colouring book with inspiring quotes- each page has beneficial islamic quotes, so that children can read and reflect on the meaning as they colour. Bought from Amazon-Islamic Meditation Colouring Book
12) Ramadan is here countdown calendar- Morrisons £2
13) My Ramadan Journal from http://www.amuslimhomeschool.com
M Ramadan basket (girl, age 5)
1)Pyjama- from Asda
2)Tasbih counter
3)Ramadan is here countdown calendar- same as above
4) Glitter Gel pens- Gel pens
5) Ramadan and Fasting activity book by Kube Publishing LTD- I have been using their actvity books with my older children a few years ago and they are really great quality , lovely to use with children aged 4 and above. This activity book features dot to dot drawings, colouring pages and needless to say many stickers too. Other activity books in the same series are: All About Wudu (Ablution), All about Prayer (Salah), Mosques of the world Activity Book and Makkah and Madinah Actvity Book. I really thoroughly recommend them. It can be bought from Anafiya Gifts-Ramadan and Fasting Activity Book
6) Usborne Islamic Patterns to colour- Amazon
7) Mini Yarns set for finger knitting- from Aldi
8) Hijab- ebay
9 ) mini torch- same as above
10) A5 Project notebook
11) Little Explorers Ramadan issue magazine- never used from last year
12 ) A party in Ramadan book- bought from Amazon
Q Ramadan Basket ( boy, age 3)
I had a few more things ordered for him from Baker Ross, but unfortunately I still have not received them, so I could not include them in the blog post.
1.Pyjama from Lidl £4.99
2.Mini torch- as above
3) It’s Ramadan, Curious George by Hena Khan. I have reviewed this book in my previous article- Top 5 Ramadan books for children that every school and nursery should have. Do check it out for full review. Book Bought from Anafiya Gifts-It’s Ramadan, Curious George
4) Ramadan ( Celebrate the World series) book by Hannah Eliot- I have written a full review of the book in my previous blog post.
4) Crayola mini markers- amazon
5) Crayola Washable stampers- amazon
6) Little explorers magazine Ramadan Issue – bought from last year
7) Makkah and Madinah activity book from Kube Publishing- I bought it last year from Anafiya Gifts, but we never used it, so my three year old will be doing some of the colouring and sticker pages this year. It can be bought from here –Makkah and Madina Activity Book
8)Ramadan Countdown calendar-Morrisons £2
9) Kufi
I hope my Ramadan baskets have given you some inspiration , should you wish to embrace this Ramadan basket idea. At the same time, this may not be something that floats your boat, so to speak and that is absolutely fine. Every family is different and what suits one may not suit another . Family traditions do not have to be made by purchasing things. Whether you have a Ramadan basket or not for your children, I hope you all have a blessed Ramadan and may we all make the most of these beautiful days .
Let's learn , Mama! 