If you are looking for one place to start with Ramadan and your kids, this is it. Below you’ll find a plain-language explanation you can read aloud, a few thoughts on first fasts, and a guide to every Ramadan page on this site, grouped by what you want to do tonight: do something, make something, color, play, read or plan.
The ages here are 4 to 10, because that’s who we write for. If your kids are younger, pick the make-and-color pages. If they’re older, give them the planning and riddle pages and let them run things.
Contents
What is Ramadan? An explanation for children
You know your own child best, so treat these as scripts to borrow and bend.
For ages 4 to 6
“Ramadan is a special month when Muslims all over the world try to be extra kind and extra close to Allah. Grown-ups don’t eat or drink from the time the sky starts to get light until the sun goes down. That’s called fasting. It helps us remember people who don’t always have enough food, and it teaches our bodies to be patient. When the sun sets, we eat together. At the end of the month we have a big happy day called Eid.”
Keep it that short. Then let them ask. The first question is nearly always “Do I have to?” and the honest answer is no, not yet.
For ages 7 to 10
Older kids want the how and why. Here is what to cover.
- The moon sets the month. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which follows the moon. Each month lasts 29 or 30 days, so Ramadan lands about ten or eleven days earlier every year. Some communities start by sighting the moon and others by calculation, so your mosque may differ from your cousins’ mosque by a day.
- Fasting runs from dawn to sunset. Muslims skip food and drink, and try to be gentle with their words and tempers too. Fasting is for adults who are healthy. Children aren’t required to fast before they reach puberty, and people who are ill, traveling, pregnant, nursing or elderly may be excused.
- Two meals frame the day. Suhoor is the meal before dawn. Iftar is the meal that ends the fast at sunset, and many families open it with dates and water.
- The Quran. Muslims believe the Quran began to be revealed in Ramadan. Many people read or listen to more of it this month.
- Taraweeh. These are extra night prayers prayed at the mosque after the evening prayer. Kids often love the atmosphere and the snacks afterward, and run out of patience by the sixth rakah.
- Giving. Charity matters all year, and in Ramadan many families give more. Before Eid, each person gives zakat al-fitr so that everyone can celebrate.
- Laylatul Qadr. The Night of Power falls somewhere in the last ten nights. The Quran calls it better than a thousand months (Surah Al-Qadr, 97:3).
- Eid al-Fitr. The month ends with a morning prayer, new clothes, gifts and visits.
Our page of Ramadan facts for kids gives the same ideas in short, card-sized pieces.
First fasts: what many families do
There’s no single right way, and your mosque or imam is the place for questions about what your child should do. Here is what we see often.
- A half day on a weekend. Kids skip breakfast and snack, then eat lunch with everyone at noon. It feels like an achievement and it’s over before the grumpiness starts.
- A short “practice fast.” Some families pick one weekend morning, others a few hours after school. Let the child choose the length, and make it clear that stopping early is fine.
- Join the table without fasting. A child can sit at suhoor and iftar, help cook, pass the dates and take part in everything else. A child who eats lunch is not “failing.”
- Praise the effort. Skip the comparison to older cousins. A sticker on the calendar or an extra story at bedtime works better than a big reward.
Plan for the last hour before sunset. Hungry children get cranky, and so do hungry parents. Give them a quiet job, like setting the table, a maze or a coloring page. Expect a tired kid at 4 p.m. and a surprisingly cheerful one by 6.
What to do: activities for home and weekend school
Our list of 21 Ramadan activities is organized by age and by time needed, with a class version of most ideas. It’s the best page to open if you want a plan for the week rather than a single craft. For something that fits in ten minutes, the quiz questions and answers work well at the iftar table.
What to make: lanterns, moons and calendars
The Ramadan lantern template is a set of printable paper lanterns. Print on cardstock if you want to reuse the shapes, or on colored paper if you just want to cut and go. Younger kids will need help with the folding. For a simpler decoration, try the moon and star template.
The crescent moon and star craft is a good option if you have only glue, paper and fifteen minutes. If you’d rather use paint, the dot marker craft worksheets give little hands a big, forgiving target. Dot markers are a lot less messy than paint.
What to color: pages and worksheets
Our Ramadan coloring pages are the page to print when you need a quiet half hour. They suit children from about age 3 up, and crayons work as well as markers. The trace and color worksheets add pencil control for preschoolers and early writers, so they pull double duty as handwriting practice. For a bound set, there’s a Ramadan colouring book to print and staple.
What to play: games and riddles
The Ramadan games page collects 17 printable games and puzzles, such as mazes, so you can print and play without much prep. They’re helpful in the hour before iftar, when everyone needs something to do with their hands.
Fawazeer are riddles that families trade during Ramadan, and our page of fawazeer Ramadan riddles for kids comes with answers. Read one at the table each night and let children vote on their guesses before you reveal it. You’ll get more arguing than you expect.
What to read: stories and Laylatul Qadr
For bedtime, there are 21 Ramadan stories for kids about fasting and kindness, plus a shorter one, The Ramadan Lantern story, which takes about five minutes to read aloud. Read a story, then ask your child what they would do in the character’s place.
Closer to the end of the month, open the Laylatul Qadr page. It has the dua that the Prophet (peace be upon him) taught Aisha, with the Arabic, the transliteration, the meaning and ways to help children take part in that night. It’s one of the few pages where a parent should read first and a child second.
What to plan: calendars and routines
Start with the Ramadan calendar page for dates, suhoor and iftar times, and city prayer times for the United States. Times shift by city, so check your own and your mosque’s timetable before you put anything on the fridge.
The printable Ramadan calendar template has daily suhoor and iftar times and room to track prayers, in a layout kids can follow along with. A Ramadan planner for children is a printable month-by-month plan for children, and the calendar and activities for kids page is a gentler option for the youngest. Please don’t try them all. One calendar and one habit is plenty.
Good deeds and manners
Ramadan isn’t only about going without food. Many families pick one small habit for the month, such as saying thank you at every meal, sharing a snack at school or putting coins in a charity jar. Children copy what they see, so let them catch you doing it. The activities list has a section on giving, and your mosque will usually have a food drive that children can help with.
When the month is nearly over, move on to Eid. Our Eid al-Fitr page for kids covers the morning, the traditions and what to do with the day.
FAQ
How do I explain Ramadan to a 5-year-old?
Keep it to three ideas: Ramadan is a special month, grown-ups don’t eat or drink from dawn until sunset to remember people in need, and everyone eats together when the sun goes down. Mention Eid at the end. Skip the details about rules and let your child ask questions, then answer only what they asked.
Should young children fast?
Children aren’t required to fast before puberty. Many families let kids try a half day or a few hours on a weekend, to practice and feel included. Others wait until the child is older. Ask your imam if you’re unsure, and never push. A child who feels proud of a short fast is more likely to want to try again.
What are easy Ramadan activities for the classroom?
Set up stations: lantern cutting, a coloring page, a quiz or riddle round and a talking circle. Twenty to thirty minutes is plenty. Print everything the day before and have a quiet option ready for children who are tired from fasting. Make sure children who aren’t fasting feel just as included.
When does Ramadan start?
Ramadan begins with the new moon, so the date moves about ten or eleven days earlier each year. Some communities start by sighting the moon and others by calculation, which can differ by a day. Use our Ramadan calendar page for the expected dates, then confirm with your local mosque.
