Celebrating Ramadan for Kids

March 4, 2024 by Sarah White Leave a Comment

Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar and is a time when adults fast during the day and celebrate the end of the month with a holiday called Eid.

Kids aren’t required to fast but they might be tasked to do a good deed each day of the month, or they may collect money or clothing donations to go to a good cause. They can help set up the iftar (evening meal that breaks the fast), help prepare traditional foods, make crafts and take time to be good to other people. Modest Munchies has a great list of ways to include kids in your Ramadan observance.

Hana’s Happy Home has an adorable printable Ramadan “advent” calendar you can add activities or little treats to for your kids.

NutureStore has a collection of printable Ramadan matching cards that can be used to educate kids of any background about the month. They can also serve as a visual reminder to Muslim kids of what activities are going on such as reading, praying or visiting the mosque. (These are free when you sign up for emails.)

Paper Trail Design has a Ramadan I-spy that can be used in the classroom or at home if kids need something to do while waiting for iftar.

Check out this post from Red Ted Art for lots of ideas of how to craft and decorate for Ramadan and Eid. You can also buy a unit study on Ramadan from Teach Me Islam if you want to dig deeper with STEM, arts and crafts and creative play activities around the month.

If you want to learn more about Ramadan with your kids, the picture book Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr by Sara Khan is a good place to start. It follows a girl talking about the preparations her family does for Ramadan and how they celebrate Eid with their community. It also includes information about the lunar calendar used in Islam, which is why Ramadan happens at different times of year. There’s also a tutorial for making a Ramadan pop up card, information about why Muslims do good deeds during the month, and a recipe for Ramadan cookies (butter sugar cookies).

Ramadan Lantern Crafts

DIY Lantern Favor Boxes for Eid

Eid Coloring Page

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Celebrating Mexican Independence Day

Lots of Americans seem to think that May 5 is Mexican Independence Day, but that holiday actually falls on Sept. 16.

May 5 is the celebration of the Battle of Puebla, in which the Mexicans defeated the French in 1862. Independence Day marks the beginning of their fight for independence from Spain in 1810. That was the day of what’s known as El Grito de Dolores, or the cry of Dolores, for when the Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rang the church bells at his church in Dolores and declared that Mexico should be free from Spanish rule.

They would fight for their freedom until 1821 when they finally gained independence.

Fabulous Classroom has a little of the history and ideas for celebrating the holiday for all age groups. There’s also a link to a good video in that post about the real story of Mexican Independence Day.

Twinkl also has a good tops about the history and different activities, discussion ideas, crafts and foods that can be incorporated into lessons at school or used at home.

I also found a few pins that no longer link to a website but include good information on Mexican Independence Day, including some questions for students to answer based on the reading. You can find more printables and questions for kids from TX Homeschool Mama on Etsy (also available in Spanish).

You can find a lot more paid resources about Mexican Independence Day at Teachers Pay Teachers.

Mexican flag crafts are a fun option for celebrating Mexican Independence Day (though the current iteration of their flag has only been in use since 1968). Kids Activities Blog has a free Mexican flag printable and a few different ideas for decorating it including dot markers and torn tissue paper.

You can also find some great Mexican crafts at Red Ted Art. The post includes all sorts of Mexican inspired projects including Day of the Dead crafts, Frida Kahlo pinatas and upcycled musical instruments. I love the giant paper flowers they shared from Honestly WTF.

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