Stations were set up around the hall – these are the details:
1. Remembering the Imam: out of my mystery box I will pull out around items on imam mahdi and stick onto my felt board explaining each one (M/meem for Mohamed Mahdi, compass for ‘the guide, sun behind the cloud, last prophet (I did a picture of people in line with arrow on last one), the number 12, Money (to show he will have all the wealth and distribute it equally), a cave with three books (I ask children what books they think came out —Quran, Bible, Torah because he will guide each religion through their own books), a peace on earth felt, a united group of people for bringing unity etc. ( I will send a picture). Then I will turn over my board and sing a funny song about ‘something happening to my board’ song while removing all items and tell children they must or tell me what things were on the board for me to bring it out and if they get all they get a prize. Kids who guess all the items correct have one more mission to recite Dua Faraj (I had a copy ready one child to read and lead the group) and they all got to pick one small lollipop before moving to next station)
2. Pledging to the Imam: Using magnet sheet squares kids write or have written their ‘pledge to the imam’ on the middle and then paint/decorate around it. Eg: I pledge to help everyday with my chores.
3.Celebrating the Imam: We purchased plain cupcakes and bought frosting and sprinkles, mini mnms etc to decorate cupcakes. Each kid will get a candle and they will end station by singing happy birthday to the imam
4. Eagerly awaiting the imam: This document covers what happened in this fun obstacle course. We made a large sun behind the cloud on a wall and after each accomplished task, kids would have to ‘touch’ it and shout “Ya Mahdi”
5. Preparing for the Imam: a worksheet with a suitcase called “preparing for imam” and kids would get another worksheet with images of good and bad actions to prepare like giving Sadaqa, kicking etc. kids will cut out the good actions. This was adjusted for older kids by having them write down what they can do to prepare for imam inside suitcase instead of cutting and gluing out images
The event ended with cake of course! Everyone cried out ‘Ya Mahdi!’ as they wished the Imam a very happy birthday. A fun day full of learning for all 🙂
I love this crytograph for older children that Beb e Kazim shared on FB:
At the top there is a KEY that lists all the letters from A thru Z with a box below. Each of the letters has a corresponding number.
The bottom part contains a maxim of Imam Hussain a.s. Each of the blanks has a number underneath it. Fill in the letters that correspond to the numbers below the blanks to discover it.
For older kids, 12shiaimams.com is a great site for more info on the Imam.
Inspired by a game I played recently, I put together a game to play with extended family to try and get some learning going, as well as some activity (lots of running around!) and fun too!
You can play it for the wiladats of all of the Ahlul Bayt – why not try it for Imam Ali’s birthday which is round the corner! I have included the documents I’ve put together so far, and will keep adding different personalities over time as I do them Inshallah.
So how to play? You can do this just with your own families or do it on Zoom and challenge other families too! The host asks a question and gives the children some time to look up the answer if need be. Then the children need to rush and get something to show the answer. E.g. To show the answer 5, they may bring 5 pens, or a 5 fingered-glove!
I’ve also included information related to the question to add to their learning – this can be relayed to them once they’ve brought the object. The information will need to be paraphrased to be made simpler for younger children, or can be given in full to older children.
(Note: I’m a fan of collaborative games as opposed to competitive ones. So there was no scoring or noting who came first. The emphasis was on siblings working together to answer the questions, thinking of an object and taking turns to bring it!)
I’ve played this with two different sets of families and it’s been SO MUCH fun!
Here is a pic of them on Zoom with the objects they found to answer a question:
And here is one of all the items together (based on questions on the 9th Imam!). One of the answers is zero, which they are showing with their hands!
Prophet Muhammad (saw) Treasure Hunt (For older and younger children)
This treasure hunt combines info (for older kids) and fun activities (for the younger ones)! Decorate your house for khushali if you can with banners, light up boxes and the like. It all adds to the fun atmosphere 😊. To download and print the document, click here.
Instructions:
Place your first clue in any spot (maybe by the decoration?).
Older child reads the following:
The Prophet’s way of drinking – ‘He drank the water in sips and would not gulp it down, and he would say: “Liver ailments are caused by gulping down water. When he drank water, he would have three draughts [sips] and with each draught [sip] he would begin in the name of Allah and glorify Him when he finished, so I asked him about this and he said: “Thanking Allah is done by glorifying Him and beginning in His name is a protection from ailments.’
Question: Who should you remember when you drink water? (Answer: Imam Husayn (as) and his family)
Next clue: Where can we drink water like the Prophet (saw)? (Clue hidden by the water tap)
Task: Pour yourself a glass of water and drink it in sips like the water. Don’t forget to say Bismillah and remember Imam Husayn (as)! If it’s night, sit down and drink.
Older child reads the following:
Look after your appearance – ‘The Noble Prophet (S) used to look at the mirror and comb his hair, and sometimes he would look at his reflection in the water and arrange his hair.
He would smarten himself for meeting with his companions, aside from grooming himself for his family; and he said: “Allah loves from his servant that he should smarten and groom himself when he goes out to meet his brothers.’
Question: What is the dua for when we look in the mirror? Even just the general gist of the dua is fine. (Answer: O Allah, just as you have made me beautiful on the outside, make my character beautiful as well)
Next clue: Where are two big mirrors which have the dua stuck on it? (Clue stuck on the mirror – Adapt the clue to your own houses)
Task: Check your appearance in the mirror and recite the dua out loud.
Older child reads the following:
The Prophet’s way of eating – ‘The Noble Prophet (S) never ate sitting in a reclined posture, from the time he was sent by Allah (SwT), until Allah took him from this world. He used to eat like a slave and sit like a slave. [Someone asked] “Why was this?” He said: “Out of humility towards Allah. When he ate with a group of people, he would be the first to start and the last to stop eating. When he ate, he would eat from what was in front of him and if there were dry dates or fresh dates he would extend his hand to take from it.’
Question: What was the Prophet’s favourite fruit? (Answer: Dates)
Next clue: Where do his favourite fruit stay? (Answer: In the kitchen cupboard)
Task: Eat a date! Don’t forget to wash it, and say Bismillah!
Older child reads the following:
When you travel – ‘The sunnah is to depart for the journey early in the morning and to start the journey on a Thursday. The Prophet would never depart from any place until he had offered two rak’ahs of prayer, and when asked about it he said: “So that it would bear witness about my prayer.” While on a journey when he descended from an elevation he would recite the tasbih “Subhan Allah” and when he ascended he would recite the takbir “Allahu Akbar”. In his travels he (S) would always take with him a bottle of oil, a container of kohl, a pair of scissors, a miswak (tooth-brush) and a comb.’
Question: What did the Prophet do before he left a place? (Answer: Pray a 2 rakat salaah)
Next clue: Where do we depart from? (Answer: The front door)
Task: Pretend we are leaving the house. Can you recite the dua of travelling? (Stick this on the door if it’s not on there – “In the name of Allah! I have placed faith in Allah and I have put full trust in Allah. (It is) as Allah wills! There is no strength and no power save with Allah”.
5. Older child reads the following:
Brushing teeth – The Holy Prophet (S) used to brush his teeth a lot. The Holy Prophet (S) would brush his teeth thrice every night. Once before sleeping, once when he woke up for the nightly worship and once before leaving for the Fajr prayer. The Noble Prophet (S) would brush his teeth before every prayer.
Question: What was the name of the brush that the Prophet used? (Answer: Miswak – if you have one you can show them!)
Next clue: Where do you brush your teeth? (Answer: their bathroom)
Task: Brush your teeth!
Older child reads the following:
Sit wherever you find a spot. Show respect to the one seated near you – ‘He would neither sit nor stand but by remembering Allah. He never reserved a place specifically for himself and forbade others to have places reserved for them. When he arrived at a gathering, he sat wherever there was a place to sit and he enjoined others to do the same.
He would give a chance to all those who were sitting with him, without giving preference to one over the other because he held him in greater esteem. When someone would come to sit with him he would remain seated patiently until he stood up and left.’
Question: Did the Prophet ever fight over a spot to sit on? (Answer: No)
Next clue: This is where people sit and chill. Although there is no designated ‘spot’ for anyone, this is somewhere X and Y both love to sit and sometimes fight over! (This is a spot on our sofa – adapt the clue to your own households.)
C) Task: Who can be most polite about letting others sit down first? Everyone take a seat and say cheese for a photograph!
Final note:
Well done! You have finished the Prophet’s Treasure Hunt! I hope you have learned lots! Here is your final Question and Task.
Question: Is the Prophet mentioned in the Quran? (Answer: Yes)
Task: Can you repeat the following and try and learn this verse in the Holy Quran about the Prophet?
“For you there is a noble example in the Prophet of Allah” (33:2)
Let’s all sing Happy Birthday to the Prophet and cut a cake for him. If you have an ornament tree as described here, why not hand the ornaments for the Prophet (saw) and Imam Sadiq (as) while singing! The children also got a little gift for the birthday celebrations 😊
The birthday of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (s) is coming up. It is an occasion for happiness and celebration.
What are you planning?
Below are some ideas that may help us celebrate the occasion with family and/or friends in a meaningful way.
1) A Play on the Prophet – Choose a story from the life of the Prophet and get children (or adults) to perform a play.
2) Story telling session – there are many interesting stories on the Prophet. Hold a story telling session and make it exciting. A very good book on a story from the life of the Prophet written in contemporary style is ‘The Camel in the Sun’, about the Prophet’s compassion for a tired camel.
3) Quiz on the Prophet – Let the audience benefit from questions based on the life of the Prophet.
4) Poetry on the Prophet – Hold a session of Nasheeds, Qasidas, Spoken word, and poetry in praise of the Prophet. It is very effective in evoking emotion for the Prophet.
5) Film on the Prophet – watch a movie on the Prophet complete with drinks and popcorn.
6) 40 Hadith from the Prophet – hold a competition or learning session on 40 short hadith from the Prophet and learn/discuss them.
7) Art on the Prophet – Draw/Paint Islamic calligraphy on the Prophet. The internet has many good samples.
8) Fun day – Have games and other fun activities on the Prophet.
9) Talk/Discussion on the Prophet – Have a talk or discussion on the life of the Prophet with practical examples from his life relevant to today’s times. Include verses of Quran on the greatness of the Prophet.
10) Book club session on the Prophet – gather a few people and read together. Articles on the Prophet, a good book on the Prophet, etc.
Make the occasion a joyful connection with the Prophet and what he stood for.
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