9 Fun Ways to Celebrate Eid with your Children

The most important way of making Eid memorable for your children is to spend it together as a family; remembering Allah (swt) and reviving the Sunnah of the Prophet (saw). By celebrating Eid, you are following in the way of the Prophet and his righteous followers.

Celebrating Eid al-Fitr is also one way you can nurture your child’s Muslim identity whilst strengthening family and community ties.

So much emphasis is placed on Christmas in Western culture by the media, and even in schools, that many Muslim parents feel that they need to compensate by making Eid really special. It was the Prophetic practice to celebrate Eid, so for this reason it is worthwhile to make the Eid celebration something memorable for your children.

Here are our 9 Fun Ways to celebrate Eid with your children:

1) Moon Sighting

On the last night of Ramadan, take your children outside to look for the new moon. Pack some hot chocolate and snacks, and sit together. As a family, look for the new moon and when you see it recite the following duaa:

2) Special Clothes

Have your children wear their best clothes on Eid morning. This is a great way to help them realise the importance of the day, and create a sense of excitement about the coming celebration. During the time of the Prophet (saw) it was a tradition of the people to adorn themselves on Eid.

Al-Hassan as-Sibt says: “The Messenger of Allah (saw) ordered us to wear the best clothes we could find for the two Eids and to apply the best perfume we could find and to sacrifice the best animal we could find.” [Hakim].

 

3) Eid Prayer

Make it a family tradition to attend the Eid prayer at your mosque. Before the day arrives, it is worthwhile spending some time teaching the children about the prayer, how to perform it, and the sunnahs surrounding it. If you are unfamiliar with the Eid prayer, you can find a step-by-step guide to the prayer here.
There is a fantastic free colouring book from OurPreciousSprouts that we also highly recommend. It teaches the sunnahs of Eid al-Fitr in a very visual, child-friendly way that your kids will love.

Encourage your children to listen to the Eid takbeer ahead of time with this Youtube video of Sheikh Alafasy, or have them learn it with these handy lyrics from VictorianMulsimMah.

 

4) Eid Meal

Many of us already prepare special food on the day of Eid, however this year, why not create something specifically for the children in the family?  Fun party food that excites children, will make them feel more included in the celebration and they will look forward to it every year. Your local cake maker could even make a mosque shaped cake for you ahead of time or you could have a go yourself!

 

5) Party Games

Create a fun atmosphere by playing party games with the kids. It needn’t take up too much of your time and will certainly liven up the celebrations!

Here are a list of a few party games you could play:

• Pass-the-Parcel
• Pin the minaret on the mosque
• Musical chairs
• Sing Alongs
• Treasure hunt
• Obstacle course
• Charades

If you wanted to ‘go-all-out’, you could have a separate Eid Party just for kid’s on another day. Set up a paddling pool or bouncy castle in the garden and invite the neighbour’s kids, their cousins or their school-friends to join in. For more information on throwing a children’s Eid party visit MyHalalKitchen.com

 

6) Children’s Show

Ask the children to put on a show for the family on Eid day. Have the children start preparing a few days before so that it really feels like a special performance. They could sing nasheeds, recite Quran, or put on a play.

The website Islamise.co.uk has a great collection of lyrics for many of the well-known nasheeds. We really enjoy singing along to the following songs:

7) Give Back

An important part of Ramadan was remembering and giving charity to those less fortunate. Continue this theme, by taking some time in the day to serve the community. You could visit an elderly relative or someone in hospital, taking them food and gifts, and sitting with them for a while. In the days after Eid, older children could volunteer their time to work in a community garden, charity shop, or homeless shelter. If you are interested in this, visit volunteercentres.org.uk.

 

8) Eid Books

Reading stories with your children, especially about Eid in the days approaching will get your children excited about the days to come. Here are a few books that we recommend:

• Sweet Dates to Eat: A Ramadan and Eid Story (Festival Time) by Jonny Zucker
• Rashad’s Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr by Lisa Bullard
• An Eid for Everyone by Hina Islam
• Aminah and Aisha’s Eid Gifts by Fazia Williams

 

9) Gifts that you can play together

When giving presents to your children, why not include at least one game that you can play together as a family on Eid day? This could be as simple as an educational puzzle, an outdoor game like football or cricket, or a more traditional board game. There are a lot of board games available on the market that teach Islam, including many by LearningRoots.com.

By celebrating Eid we are reviving a Sunnah, strengthening ties within our family and community, and building up confidence in our children and their Muslim identity.

However you chose to celebrate Eid, do it as a family. Pray together, eat together, and play together!

How do you celebrate Eid with your family?
Do you have any family traditions that you do each year?

Please share them with us in the comments below!