How beautiful and easy learning becomes through an illustrated, written story! That is why your website Belaraby Apps (بالعربي نتعلم) set out to offer distinctive teaching aids that make teaching the Arabic language easier for children. In this article we present a story about the Arabic short vowels (harakat) for kids. Through the story we’ll discover: what are the short vowels in Arabic? — just as we previously presented illustrated stories about the three vowels in the Hekayat app.
A Story About the Arabic Short Vowels (Harakat) for Kids
An educational story for our little ones about the short vowels (harakat) in Arabic, which a teacher can use in class as a teaching aid to teach the children the harakat.
In the first years of school, a child learns the short vowels along with the letters, such as:
Fatha — the short “a” sound, written above the letter (أَ) and pronounced “aa.”
Damma — the short “u” sound, written above the letter (بُ) and pronounced “uu.”
Kasra — the short “i” sound, written below the letter (تِ) and pronounced “ee.”
Sukoon — no vowel; written as a small circle (ثْ); the letter is pronounced silent, as if we paused on it.
Shadda — doubling; written (جّ) and the letter is pronounced doubled, as if said twice.
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Educational Stories for Kids
Dear educator — whether parent or teacher — use stories as an engaging teaching aid so children learn effectively, easily, and with more excitement. Many of our children sometimes feel bored or restless with learning and tend toward play, and this shows clearly in their reluctance to learn Arabic. Many studies have proven that learning through an illustrated story — whether teaching a child a behavior or a skill — reaches them faster and more positively than mere narration and rote teaching. So, dear educator, be keen to use the educational story as a means of teaching Arabic to children.
Here is a varied collection of educational stories — read to your child and grow their love of reading with a series of educational and character-building stories that encourage positive behavior and good morals, on the Hekayat Belaraby (Arabic Stories) app.
Download the Hekayat Belaraby (Arabic Stories) app here:
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The Story of the Harakat Man
In the story of the Harakat Man… our lovely teacher (Eman) came in. She entered the classroom and greeted her pupils.
Teacher: Peace be upon you… How are you, my little dears?
Pupils: And peace be upon you… Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds.
Teacher: Has any of you heard of the Harakat Man?
Pupils: Harakat (vowels)! And a “man”? We don’t understand… Pardon us, teacher — could you explain?
Teacher: Don’t worry, my dears. We will get to know him and draw the Harakat Man together.
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A Story with the Harakat
The teacher walked to the board, holding the marker, and said:
Today we’ll draw the Harakat Man. First we draw a circle — that’s the head.
Then she drew curly hair in black and said: this hair is (the Damma).
Then she took the blue pen and drew two small circles and said: the eyes are (the Sukoon).
With the black pen she drew two lines for the eyebrows and said: the eyebrows are (the Fatha).
She picked up the green pen and drew the nose, saying: here is the nose — (the Shadda).
And with the red pen she drew the man smiling and said: here is the mouth, smiling a little — (the Kasra).
The teacher finished drawing the man and told her pupils: today the Harakat Man will teach us the short vowels of the Arabic language. The children smiled broadly after the picture was complete, and began discussing the harakat with their teacher.
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Teaching Children the Fatha
Ahmad asked to speak, and the teacher allowed him.
He said: the eyebrows are the Fatha. The Fatha in Arabic means I open my mouth when pronouncing the letter, as if I say: بَ → “ba.”
As in: ذَهَبَ (dhahaba — he went), كَتَبَ (kataba — he wrote), شَرَحَ (sharaha — he explained).
Teacher: Well done, Ahmad. Excellent.
♥ Read also: An illustrated story about the Fatha for kids — teaching the harakat
The Damma for Kids
Here Fadwa asked to speak, and the teacher allowed her.
She said: “Uncle Harakat Man” taught us from his hair how to write the Damma — the Damma is drawn on top of the letter. When I see it on a letter, I round my lips when pronouncing it, so the letter is pronounced with a “u”: بُ → “bu.”
As in: أُسْرَة (usra — family), مُحمّد (Muhammad), عُنْوَان (ʿunwaan — address/title), سُعَاد (Suʿaad), أُذن (udhun — ear).
The teacher thanked her, smiled, and said: the Harakat Man has taught us a lot.
♥ Read also: An illustrated story about the Damma for kids — teaching the harakat
The Family of the Short Vowels
Here Muʿadh signaled that he wanted to speak, and the teacher allowed him.
He said: that slight smile was the clearest of the Arabic harakat — it is the Kasra. When a letter takes a Kasra, the teeth show in the mouth as if we are smiling with a downward bend of the lips, and the letter is pronounced: بِ → “bi.”
As in: بِئْر (biʾr — well), إِبْرَة (ibra — needle), بِنْت (bint — girl), تِين (teen — figs), رِجْل (rijl — leg), رِيشة (reesha — feather).
His teacher was very pleased and said: well done, Muʿadh.
♥ Read also: An illustrated story about the Kasra for kids — teaching the harakat
The Sukoon for Kids
As for Anas, he stood up raising his hand and said: the eyes are the circle of the Sukoon.
The Sukoon means “no vowel” — the letter is pronounced silent, but it is very influential in reading, especially in the middle of a word. That is why it joined the harakat and became the eyes of the Harakat Man.
The vowel of the last letter in a word is not affected if it is silent, but in the middle of a word it differs.
For example, saying رَأْس (raʾs — head) differs in meaning from رَأَس (raʾas — he led).
Likewise مَوْقِد (mawqid — a stove/burner) and مُوقَد (mooqad — something lit): the first is a noun for the device used, while the second describes something burning, as if the lamp is lit.
Here the teacher paused, smiling, and said: Anas, where did you get this information?
Anas answered: I read a lesson with my mother’s help online, and the Sukoon really caught my attention, because I used to think it had no effect and didn’t matter.
The teacher praised him and thanked him for his love of learning, and thanked his mother for her effort with him.
♥ Read also: The story of the family of the four harakat
A Story About the Shadda
Mona raised her hand and said: nothing is left of the Harakat Man except his nose — that is, the Shadda.
The Shadda has a distinctive shape, as it also meets with the rest of the harakat.
The Shadda is a doubling of a letter’s sound — the first is silent and the second is voweled, so the two are joined into a single doubled letter, written (بّ).
As in: عبَّر (ʿabbara), سُلَّم (sullam — ladder), حَلَّ (halla), قَطَّعَ (qattaʿa) … here the Shadda came with a Fatha.
أُمِّي (ummi — my mother), مُعلِّمة (muʿallima — female teacher), مُعَلِّم (muʿallim — teacher), تُغَرِّد (tugharrid — she sings/tweets), تُغَنِّي (tughanni — she sings).
أُحِبُّ (uhibbu — I love), سُبُّورة (sabboora — blackboard), شُرَطِيُّ (shurati — police officer), مِقَصُّ (miqass — scissors).
And the Shadda never comes with a Sukoon.
The teacher thanked her warmly and said: well done, all of you, my little dears. Now we all know who the Harakat Man is — the hero of our story and today’s lesson.
And she began to chant with them the short-vowels song for children.
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The Short-Vowels Song for Kids
أَ .. أُ .. إِ *** بَ ..بُ ..بِ*** تَ..تُ..تِ
ثَ..ثُ..ثِ*** جَ .. جُ .. جِ*** حَ.. حُ ..حِ
خَ..خُ..خِ ***دَ.. دُ .. دِ *** ذَ .. ذُ .. ذِ
رَ .. رُ .. رِ *** زَ .. زُ .. زِ *** سَ.. سُ..سِ
شَ..شُ..شِ***صَ..صُ..صِ***ضَ..ضُ..ضِ
طَ..طُ..طِ*** ظَ ..ظُ .. ظِ *** عَ..عُ..عِ
غَ..غُ..غِ*** فَ..فُ..فِ***قَ..قُ..قِ
كَ..كُ..كِ***لَ..لُ..لِ***مَ..مُ..مِ
ن..ن..ن***هـ..هـ..هـ***و..و..و
ي..ي..ي
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Teaching Arabic to Children
You can download the free Arabic Alphabet app to teach children the Arabic letters with sound and pictures — featuring animal sounds, animal names, and fun, entertaining kids’ games.
: fatha, damma, kasra, sukoon and shadda — with simple examples and a harakat song.){kind=link}