Teaching Kids about Ramadan

Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, has just begun, and it’s a great time to teach kids about Islam and what Ramadan is all about.

I’ll admit to not knowing all that much, but there are some great resources online for kids and adults alike to increase their knowledge of this important time in the Islamic calendar.

All Done Monkey has a great collection of resources in its Ramadan lesson plan, which covers things like the life of Muhammad (and why there are no images of him in books about him), the Islamic calendar and how it differs from the western one (which is why Ramadan can be celebrated at different times of year) and books and activities to learn about the holiday.

That post was part of a blog hop and link up, so there are lots of other resources there you can explore. In particular check out the printable activities and crafts for Ramadan from Words n Needles, the six lessons kids learn from celebrating Ramadan at Multicultural Kids Blogs and 21 children’s books about Ramadan and Eid (the celebration at the end of Ramadan).

If you have any good resources for learning about Ramadan, I would love for you to share them!

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Celebrating Ramadan for Kids

It might seem weird to feature a book about protest movements around the Fourth of July, but as Rise Up! Powerful Protests in American History reminds us, protest is patriotic and part of the very fabric of American life from the beginning.

This picture book, written by history teacher Rachel C. Katz and illustrated by Sophie Bass, tells a rhyming story of how Americans have stood up throughout the nation’s history to protest and spread the word about injustice and unsafe conditions. From the Boston Tea Party to modern movements like the Standing Rock pipeline protests and the Obergefell case, it touches on women’s rights, environmental activism, civil rights, Pride, access for disabled people and more.

The illustrations, often based on historic protest signs and artwork, help tell the stories, while a timeline, map, and overview of each event for further discussion. Readers will learn about Silent Spring and The Jungle, the Memphis Sanitation Workers’ Strike, the Seneca Falls convention, Robert Smalls, the Delano Grape Strike and the movement to un-dam the Klamath River, to name a few.

Each event includes a few bullet points to provide context about what happened, why and what the result was. The book reminds readers that protests are not always effective, or don’t always get the people involved what they want right away (since it took women 72 years to get the right to vote after Seneca Falls, for example).

This book is a great way to introduce kids to the long and proud history of protest movements in the United States and could prompt discussions about current events and things happening that they might want to see changed. It could also be used to start kids researching different protests discussed in the book for further learning. You can talk about how art can educate people and encourage kids to make their own art pieces to educate others about something important to them.

Rise Up! is a great starting point for learning about the history of protest and the effects it has had on American history. The publisher’s website has more resources for teaching with this book at the link below.

About the book: 48 pages, hardcover. Published 2025 by Barefoot Books. Suggested retail price $17.99.

Comments

shari harniss says
June 8, 2016 at 7:57 am
I agree. We should teach our children about this religion. Adults need to know about this religion. Knowledge is power.
You can’t know who to fight if you don’t know your enemy.
Gizala says
June 12, 2016 at 7:23 pm
Thanks for the post! Ramadan is a very exciting month for Muslims. A time for reflection, building bridges, charity and tolerance.

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