As a Muslim Father, one of the greatest joys of my day is having my kids pray beside me and join in the praise and remembrance of their creator and mine. It might be easier to put off Salaah until the kids are older but the best habits are formed early in their childhood, why not make Salaah one of them.
After 4 and a half years of hands-on experience and 1 amazing wife at my side, this is what I have learnt. My 10 tips to get your kids to pray with you…
- Pray with them, make it a habit of praying in front of them when ever possible – I started praying with my son beside me when he was a month old.
- Don’t make Salaah a chore – Allow them to witness the joy and peace you experience through Salaah.
- Play with them before/after you pray – let the prayer room/area/rug be a place of comfort for them too.
- Don’t be quick to pack up the prayer mat -leave it out for the kids to explore.
- Pray together, pray as a family – Let Salaah also becomes an activity the whole family can participate in and benefit from.
- Answer their questions, talk about Salaah and feed their curiosity – they’ll be emulating your actions in no time.
- Let them know when it’s time to pray – make room for them beside you in case they decide to join in.
- Entice them with a little kids prayer mat – make it fun and interesting.
- Visit the mosque with them – this can sometimes be tricky but I’ll leave it for another post In Sha Allah.
- Lots and lots of praise – acknowledge and praise their efforts!
It’s not rocket science, but we often take these things for granted. It’s a matter of priorities and lots of patience.
Though the requirement to perform Salaah is only incumbent on kids at a later stage, it is our duty as parents to get them started on the straight path. Teach them to pray now and when they pray later, we too will benefit from it.
I pray that our children are the coolness of our eyes!