Snow Theme Pack

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

**Post Updated!**

The next theme pack is about white, cold, and immensely fun snow!

Some of the activities included in this 54 page theme pack are:

• 3 emergent readers with activities
• Snow words word wall cards (saw this great idea here)
• Mini Pocket Chart Activity for 1 emergent reader
• Sentence building activity: two pages of words and an exclamation point for children to work on building sentences insha'Allaah. Children use the punctuation marks from previous packs with their sentences (i.e. the period and the question marks) as well.
• Math: tally marks worksheet
• Sight word work using snowball word cards
• Art: build a snowman activity
• Handwriting practice (English and Arabic)
• Work with content words
• Two pieces puzzles that focus on the concepts: big and small (for children 33 - 36 months old)
• Four piece puzzles for children to work on content word recognition.
• Writer's Workshop Activity: Nouns and Verbs (includes sorting activity)
• Sight word cards (you can print these on cardstock, laminate and punch a hold in the upper right hand corner and students can use them for timed (or not timed) practice insha'Allaah or a number of other sight word activities)
• Math work: Subtracting numbers (2,3,4 and 5)
• Writing centre snowy pictures, word cards, and writing prompts.
• And more alhamdulillaah!

Insha'Allaah this quick view of how the subtraction mat in the file is used will be helpful to you.

1). Students place a subtraction problem card (these are in the file) on the mat and the corresponding counters (here the buttons are the buttons for a snowman - black circles made from construction paper).

2). Next they lift the flap (the flap is only an index card that is taped to the top of the mat. Here there are yellow tabs attached (made of construction paper) to help the younger children lift the flap easily insha'Allaah) and they place the correct number of counters in the box under the flap. In the file the image that has the subtraction sign on it is a snow shovel because children can be told that when we shovel snow we move some of the snow out of the way and what is left is less snow than before.

3). Then children close the flap and observe how many counters are left in the box without the flap.

4). Children then place the card that shows the correct solution to the problem in the appropriate box insha'Allaah.

With this unit, you may also wish to include the book, "The Jacket I wear in the Snow" plus the following activities designed to be used with the book: shadow matching activity, mitten matching activity, and the felt board pieces.

*Please be familiar with the Terms of Use for materials on A Muslim Child is Born before downloading*

Download the Snow Theme Pack here insha'Allaah

Download Subtraction Work Mat here insha'Allaah

**When you click on the above link you may need to download the file in order to see it. A preview may not be available.** 

Questions about how to use any of the activities in the pack?

Please leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer as soon as possible insha'Allaah.

Pizza Theme Pack (Preschool/KG)

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Students can have lots of delicious fun with this theme pack insha'Allaah! A favouite food with students, you can plan to complete this theme pack on a Friday when your school has its usual pizza day or whenever your homeschool schedule permits.

If you have questions about how to use any of the activities please leave a comment insha'Allaah.

Included in the pack are:

• 3 emergent readers with activities
• Reading Response journal page for 1 emergent reader
• Mini Pocket Chart Activity for 1 emergent reader
• Fractions worksheet (separate download - not in the pack)
• Sight word work (students/children use Letter Tiles for this activity or you can use Scrabble letter tiles)
• Handwriting practice
• Work with content words
• Two piece puzzles for children to work on content word recognition.
• Writer's Workshop Activity: Learning about the exclamation point
• Build a pizza activity (Following Directions)
• Math work: Review of more than and less than; Ordinal numbers to 5
• Writing centre pictures, word cards, and writing prompts.
• And more alhamdulillaah!

*Please be familiar with the Terms of Use for materials on

A Muslim Child is Born before downloading*

Download the Pizza Theme Pack here insha'Allaah

 

Download Pizza Fraction Worksheet here insha'Allaah

**When you click on the above link you may need to download the file in order to see it. A preview may not be available.** 

Theme Pack: Soup

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

After students/children have listened to the story of the Prophet -sallallaahu alayhi wa salam- and the 1000 people who ate to their fill from the bread and soup of Jabir ibn Abdulllaah -radiallaahu anhu- that was blessed by the Prophet - sallallaahu alayhi wa salam-(an incident that occurred during the Battle of al-Khandaq) this theme pack can be used to supplement that lesson insha'Allaah. It can also be used for a fall/autumn theme as well.

If you have questions about how to use any of the activities please leave a comment insha'Allaah.

Included in the pack are:

• The hadith about the soup and bread of Jabir ibn Abdulllaah that fed 1000 people.
• An Emergent Reader
• Two comprehension worksheets for the emergent reader
• Sight word work (students/children use Letter Tiles for this activity or you can use Scrabble letter tiles)
• Handwriting practice
• Sentence building activity
• Two piece puzzles for children to work on content words and colour word recognition/practice.
• Writer's Workshop Activity: Learning about questions
• Writer's Workshop Activity: Question/Statement Sorting Activity
• Math work with 5 and 10 frames
• And more alhamdulillaah!

There is also a calendar notebook/notebook calendar for the month of December with this activity pack as well alhamdulillaah (downloaded separately from the Soup Theme Pack). This calendar notebook is not specifically for this theme pack (and the Soup theme is not a month long theme) but it can be used during the month of December with the Soup theme pack insha'Allaah (as seen in the picture below).

The calendar page in the file is different from the picture above in that it is more printer friendly and includes the days Saturday and Sunday. This is a first attempt and its format is primarily geared toward the preschoolers and kindergartners who are still in the pre-writing stage. It is also geared toward classroom use (but is not intended to replace the morning Circle Time - these pages can help reinforce what is learned during circle time). Teachers can put the cut out cards of the clocks in a basket (placed conveniently near the door where students enter the classroom) and each morning students pick up a clock card to paste onto their calendar page for that day insha'Allaah (the same applies for the math journal section and handwriting practice section). Also included in the file are cards for changing the math journal section and the handwriting practice section. Insha'Allaah, math journal and handwriting practice cards that you can edit will be uploaded shortly - please check back.

*Please be familiar with the Terms of Use for materials on

A Muslim Child is Born before downloading*

Download the Soup Theme Pack here insha'Allaah

**When you click on the above link you may need to download the file in order to see it. A preview may not be available.** 

Eid Mubaarak!

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Hajj Theme Pack (Prek-Kindergarten)

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

This theme pack is a small supplementary pack that can be used when teaching preschool and kindergarten children about Hajj. If you have questions about how to use any of the activities please leave a comment insha'Allaah.

Included in the pack are:

• Hajj Themed Montessori three part cards
• Word/Picture Matching activities (for the cards: cut them out, mix them up and invite children to match the picture cards with the word card that describes each picture).
• Hajj Mini Reader
• Hajj Map Skills Activity
• Hajj writing prompt (Includes prompt for students at the pre-writing and writing stages)
• Handwriting practice
• Graphing Work (use a paper clip and push pin on the spinner. Allow each child to spin the spinner 4 times and note/mark down how many times they land on each picture).
• Learning the rites of Hajj Activity
• Visual discrimination activity
• Hajj Sequencing cards (for self-checking you may wish to write numbers on the back of each card that tells which card is first, second, third, etc. in the sequence so that after completing the activity the child can self-correct if needed).
• A Hajj puzzle and more!

All clipart/images/illustrations are copyrighted and appear courtesy of Sister Umm Hanifah and Brother Abdul Hameed. Files on A Muslim Child is Born may be used in classrooms and homes but may not be sold, altered in any fashion, nor are elements to be extracted from the files.

*Please be familiar with the Terms of Use for materials on A Muslim Child is Born before downloading*

Download The Hajj Theme Pack here insha'Allaah

**When you click on the above link you may need to download the file in order to see it. A preview may not be available.**

You may also be interested in the following Hajj files:
 

Hajj Book of Opposites

Hajj for Preschool_Kindergarten Game

Hajj Game Activity Guide 

Hajj Memory Cards
Hajj Counting Story Board
Hajj Counting Story Board without boxes around the hujjaj
Hajj Counting Story Board without boxes or numbers on the hujjaj 

 Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Homeschooling Infants/ Young Toddlers 9-18 months old

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

In this post homeschooling young toddlers 9-18 months old will be explored insha'Allaah. The ages will be covered in two groups: 9-12 months old, 12-18 months old.

Homeschooling Your 9-12 Month Old Child

At this point baby may be reaching for specific objects of interest, be able to search for objects that are no longer in sight, dropping things intentionally and repeatedly (toys from a crib), using his/her thumb to pick up objects, enjoying seeing self in the mirror, transferring objects from one hand to the other and babbling as if speaking.

Alhamdulillaah your little one is also fast approaching the time when he/she will begin speaking. Insha'Allaah baby has been read to every day and lots of conversations have taken place between the parents and their child. These are the building blocks of language acquisition. If you haven't already, you may wish to begin filling baby's vocabulary with many new words that he/she will eventually use insha'Allaah. Describe the environment using adjectives, verbs and nouns to help baby learn how to eventually communicate about the world we live in with words (i.e. You have a blue and white cup. There is a red and yellow sail boat on it.).

Also at this point, your baby may no longer take his/her morning nap and this time can be used for presenting engaging activities that will help build essential skills insha'Allaah. 

At this age, baby's activity schedule may include the following: 

Click on image for larger view

Picture Creative Commons: Ella's Dad

•  Hide & Seek:  Pick one of baby's toys and a blanket. Show the baby the toy and place it under the blanket, leaving part of the toy still showing. Invite the child to find the toy. 
•  Shape Sorter: Standard shape sorters may be developmentally inappropriate at this time but you can easily make your own with a shoe box and 3 simple shapes (i.e. circle, square, triangle). Cut out each shape in the shoe box, making sure that no other shape can fit in the space of another (i.e. the circle can't also fit in the space for the square). Show the child how to compare each shape to the shape in the shoe box before correctly matching the shape and inserting it into the box where it belongs. 
• Stacking Measuring cups: Using kitchen measuring cups, show your child how to correctly stack the measuring cups inside of one another. Invite the child to stack the cups independently. 
• Sorting Activity: Use two objects that are dissimilar (i.e. combs and brushes). Try to make sure the objects are dissimilar enough for baby to distinguish them from one another. Show the child how to sort them (i.e. all brushes go in a basket on the right and all combs go in a basket on the left). It is helpful to have a picture in each sorting bowl/basket to assist the child. 
• Using a Spoon: Put cheerios in a bowl, in front of the child and on his/her right hand side. Next to the bowl of cheerios, place an empty bowl. Using a child sized spoon show the child how to use the spoon to pick up a cheerio and place it in the empty bowl. There is no need to speak when showing the child how to do this. After showing the child how to transfer a few cheerios from one bowl to another, invite the child to do the activity independently.

Homeschooling Your 12-18 Month Old Child

Baby is now more mobile and learning at an amazing pace masha'Allaah. Quran, athkar and teaching baby authentic sunnan are as important now as they were when baby was an infant. Baby is now learning a tremendous amount of information using his/her five senses and this is an opportune time to begin teaching him/her about Allaah's creation. 

Baby can now show active interest in picture books, claps his hands, shows preferences for food, toys, etc., begins to pull himself/herself up into the standing position and move about the room using furniture, puts many things into his/her mouth, eats finger foods, and drinks from a cup.

At this age, baby's activity schedule may include the following:

• Teaching vocabulary that helps them understand and identify things in the world. This idea, for example, is very kid friendly. Children can learn about the weather but also practice fine motor skills and learn how to take objects out and put them back in to a pocket. This activity can be used to teach the words/concept: "In" and "Out".

 Found at: Folksy: George & Lily's Shop

• Matching shapes to their outlines: Use cookie cutters. Trace the shape/outline of each cookie cutter onto pieces of square paper. Demonstrate how to match each cookie cutter to its outline and then invite the toddler to do the same.
• Learning to drink from a cup: Provide your child with a very small cup (one that holds about 1 teaspoon of liquid). Show baby how to hold the cup and drink from it. After demonstrating, invite baby to do the same.Provide lots of opportunities for baby to practice this and expect spills.
• Putting lids on and taking them off: Give your little one a pot with its matching lid (already on). Show the child how to remove and replace the lid. Invite the child to so the same. As the child becomes proficient, introduce another pot and lid (in addition to the first one). 
• Pincer Grasp practice: Use a clean empty coffee can or a basket with a smooth rim. Use clothes pins and show the child how to use the pincer grasp to open the clothes pins and place them, one by one, on the rim/edge of the coffee can. Show the child how to remove them and place them into a basket on the right (or left is your child is learning in English). Invite the child to do the activity by him/herself.
• Matching Colours: Use paint strips (many hardware stores have these available for free in the paint department). Get two sets of each colour. Cut each strip to isolate each primary colour and mount them on stiff cardboard or small wood pieces (found at craft stores) making sure only the colour is showing (i.e. not the colour of the wood underneath or a border from the cardboard). Start with two colours (i.e. red and blue). Place all of the colour cards on a workmat (in no particular order but so that no two matching colours are next to each other). Make sure the child is facing the workmat (i.e. next to you, in your lap). Pick up one of the blue colour cards and silently put it next to a red card. Say, "The card I have is the colour blue. This card (point to the red card) and say, "This card is red. They are not the same colour." Then move the blue card next to the other blue card. Pause, leaving the two cards next to each other and say, "Both of these cards are blue." Leave the blue card next to its match. Do the same thing with the red card. Mix the cards up again and invite the child to match the colour cards. As the child shows mastery of the concept introduce another primary colour (i.e. green).
• Teach the parts of the head/face (i.e. head, ears, nose, mouth): Touch your nose and say, "Nose. This is my nose. Can you point to your nose please?" and repeat with the other parts.
• Two piece puzzles: Take pictures (without living creatures and that do not have faces in them) and mount them onto stiff cardboard or cardstock. Cut the pictures into two pieces to make 2-piece puzzles. Introduce the activity using only one puzzle. Present the puzzle as a complete puzzle. Then take the puzzle apart and show the child how to put the puzzle together again. Intentionally place the pieces in incorrect positions (so that the puzzle is not accurately put together) before putting it together correctly again. 
• Put it in and take it out: Take a piece of fabric or felt and sew a pocket onto it. Take a small toy and show the child how to place the object into the pocket and remove it again. Invite the child to do the activity (like the picture of teaching about weather above).
• Vocabulary Building: Reading books that focus on introducing vocabulary words that are related to: names of pieces of clothing, different animals, colours, etc. 

Click on image for larger view

Activities such as those mentioned above do not need to be long in their presentation and can last a few minutes or several. If your child wishes to continue with an activity allow him/her to do so uninterrupted but if you notice the child has lost interest, end the activity and take the child with you as you clean up the materials and put them in their correct spot.

Insha'Allaah this has been helpful to those who have children in this age range and if your child is one years old, you may find the following book helpful. In it you will find activities suitable for children ages 1-3 with clear instructions about how to do each activity, what is needed and possible extensions where appropriate. 

 

Child's Play: Montessori Games and Activities for Your Baby and Toddler

The Seasons (Pre-School/Kindergarten)

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Alhamdulillaah the next theme pack is ready!

Now that students have learned about themselves, the body that Allaah created for them, and the 5 senses that Allaah gave us, they can move on to learn about the four seasons insha'Allaah.

In this mini theme pack, students will have the chance to:

• Learn characteristics about each season
• Learn about hibernation and migration
• Math: learn about and construct AB, ABB and ABC patterns
• Use visual discrimination skills to find the picture that is different
• Match fruits to the trees they grow on
• Math: Sort items based on the season they are used in
• Read 2 mini books
• and more alhamdulillaah!

*Please be familiar with the Terms of Use for materials on A Muslim Child is Born before downloading*

Download The Seasons Theme Pack here insha'Allaah (Blue cover)

Download The Seasons Theme Pack here insha'Allaah (Mauve cover)

**When you click on the above links you will need to download the file in order to see it. A preview is not available.**

 

 Enjoy insha'Allaah!



The 5 Senses Theme Pack (Pre-School/Kindergarten)

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

After students learn about themselves and the body that Allaah has created for them, they can go on to explore the five senses insha'Allaah.

This topic is also found in abundance on the Internet so the purpose of this small pack is to teach students that our 5 senses are a Mercy from Allaah and with them we learn about His Creation and the various ayaat in it.

{...قُلْ هُوَ الَّذِي أَنشَأَكُمْ وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ السَّمْعَ وَالْأَبْصَارَ وَالْأَفْئِدَةَ }

Say it is He Who has created you, and endowed you with hearing (ears) and seeing (eyes), and hearts.

 سورة الملك  (Al-Mulk): 23

The goal of this packet is also to impress upon children the need to be grateful and thankful to Allaah for giving us 5 senses.

{فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوا لِي وَلَا تَكْفُرُونِ}

Therefore remember Me (by praying, glorifying), I will remember you, and be grateful to Me (for My countless Favours on you) and never be ungrateful to Me. 

سورة البقرة (Al-Baqarah): 152

Some of the activities in the pack include:

• Discovering the 5 senses activity* (this is found on pages 2-6 in the pack). If you have access to an overhead projector you can use these pictures to introduce/teach the sense of seeing to your class. The pictures can be used to prepare students to get ready to use their eyes to search and notice details. For sense of smell page, you may try to have rose water for students to smell as you teach this page. For the sense of hearing, you may wish to find a sound clip of ocean waves that contains no music. An example can be heard here. For the sense of touch, many craft stores sell fake hay (or straw) that you can allow student to pass around to touch.
• 5 Senses Labeling Activity
• Identifying which of the 5 senses helps us perceive certain things
• 5 Senses riddle activity
• 5 Senses matching exercise
• Math: Sorting pictures of foods and sounds based on certain attributes (i.e. loud, quiet, sweet, salty, etc.)
• Math: More than/ Less Than (the game on page 26 is for the math centre. Two students use Snap Cubes® /unifix cubes (pictured below) and the spinner to play. The teacher/parent attaches a paper clip to the spinner using a brad. To play: the first student spins the spinner. Which ever number he/she lands on, he/she puts that number of snap cubes together and places them on the game mat in the column that has the number 1 underneath it. The second player spins and does the same thing but places his/her snap cubes in the column that has the number 2 underneath it. Students look and compare to see who has more and less snap cubes. Students continue to play and they record their results).

Activities with an asterisk (*) beside them (above) are used in centres therefore laminating is highly recommended so that you may use the pages over again insha'Allaah. Also, page 12 is meant to be photocopied and the extra blank cards are for teachers/parents to find pictures of their choice and glue them into the boxes to make new/different cards for students to use with page 12 insha'Allaah.

Download 5 Senses Theme Pack here insha'Allaah

or

 

Download 5 Senses Theme Pack here insha'Allaah

*Please be familiar with the Terms of Use for materials on A Muslim Child is Born before downloading*

 Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Back to School: Homeschooling Infants/Young Toddlers 6-9 months old

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

The last post on the topic of homeschooling infants and young toddlers covered birth to six months old. In this post, homeschooling infants and young toddlers in the age range of 6-9 months old will be explored insha'Allaah.

Initially, this post was to cover 6-15 month olds but the information for both would combine to make a very long post therefore they will be covered in separate posts insha'Allaah. For those who are waiting for 10-15 months, your patience is asked and appreciated. Insha'Allaah, the time between this post and the 10-15 month old post will not be long.

Homeschooling your 6-9 Month Old Child

At this stage in your child's life, he/she is quite possibly able to roll from his/her stomach to his/her back and vice versa. He may also be reaching for objects now and tracking objects with his eyes. Now you may wish to begin introducing activities that will help your infant start developing hand-eye coordination, visual acuity, develop his/her concentration, balance and coordination insha'Allaah.

Your little one still needs regular naps throughout the day and this will be taken into consideration as you plan what you would like to teach your child insha'Allaah. Athkaar and Quraan are still essential just as they were for the newborn to 5 month old.

Baby's schedule at this age can include activities such as:

• Treasures baskets: fill a wooden (not plastic) basket with various objects for your child to explore. These baskets have lots of potential as you can choose to have items that have a particular theme such as: colours, textures (i.e all wooden objects, all red objects, lots of different colour fabrics, various pieces of velvet, etc), items that represent places in the home (i.e. safe items that we use for personal care- soft brush, wooden comb, clean sponge, soft small towel, etc.). You can change the items in the treasure basket every week or when you notice your child has lost interest in the current items.
• Parts of the face: teach baby the following names: nose, ears, face, hair, and mouth/lips by touching each part and slowly and clearly saying the name of the body part.
• Give baby a pot and its lid to explore. First show baby how the lid comes off and how we put it on and then allow baby to explore on his own.
• Pincer grasp activities: Give baby a bowl of cheerios (or other similarly healthy cereal). With your thumb and forefinger only, show baby how to remove the cereal from the small bowl and place it on the table. Then show baby how to put the cheerio back into the bowl. Allow baby to try on her own. This activity requires that you show and you do not need to explain your actions.



Creative Commons: Steakpinball

• Sound bottles: These can be easily made using empty film canisters. You can place safe non-edible things into the canister, seal it to make sure it cannot be opened by the infant and allow him/her to shake it to experience the sound different items make. Items that you may consider placing inside include: sand, a large button, a or a coin. Try to choose items that have distinctly different sounds. It is extremely important that you make sure the canister cannot be opened by the infant and that the items you place inside do not present a choking hazard.
• To help baby work on fine motor skills and grasping, you can still present beautiful Montessori Inspired Wooden Toys for play and exploration insha'Allaah.

• You can also take a soft toy and place it in your child's field of vision. When you notice he/she has noticed the object and is paying attention, slowly move the object from your right to your left (or left to right if your child will read and learn in English or any language that is read from left to right), allow the child to track the object (visually).
• Since baby may be sitting up and rocking (but not yet moving forward), you can assist baby in developing the ability to move forward by placing a soft toy (that you feel confident she likes and will want) in her direct line but not too far away. Allow baby the time to try to move forward to obtain the object. She will be using the large muscles in her legs while trying to obtain her objective. Do not allow baby to become frustrated but do not give the toy to baby too soon. Allow her time to work on trying to move forward to get it independently.
• Play hide and seek: With a toy and a pillow, hide the toy under the pillow leaving a large part of the toy showing. Invite baby to find the hidden toy.
• Montessori Object Permanence Box with Tray and Ball:The child drops the ball into the hole in the top of the box. The ball will roll out of the box and into the attached tray. This action allows the child to experience object permanence by seeing that the ball did not just disappear. "It practices precise hand movements while sending information to the brain as well as develops hand, wrist and finger control - also known as "refined hand movements" {from Amazon.com}.

Activities such as those mentioned above do not need to be long in their presentation and can last a few minutes or several. Again, if your child wishes to continue with an activity allow him/her to do so uninterrupted but if you notice the child has lost interest, end the activity and take the child with you as you clean up the materials and put them in their correct spot.

Your baby's weekly schedule may resemble the one below:

Click for larger view insha'Allaah

Present such activities 2-3 times each day insha'Allaah (i.e. after breakfast present a treasure basket, after baby's first nap play hide and seek, before dinner give baby a pot and pan to explore after showing her how to remove and replace the lid). Change the activities up as you notice baby no longer shows interest. Hmm...that sounds rather like a prescription from the doctor does it not? "Present activities 2-3 times each day...repeat until baby no longer shows interest". Unintentional of course.

Insha'Allaah, the next post will cover 10-15 month olds. Check back!

My Body Theme Pack

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Alhamdulillaah the school year is under way. After students have learned classroom routines and things about themselves that make them unique they can explore more about who they are with this next packet. This packet, My Body, teaches children about the body that Allaah Created for them.

{ثُمَّ خَلَقْنَا النُّطْفَةَ عَلَقَةً فَخَلَقْنَا الْعَلَقَةَ مُضْغَةً فَخَلَقْنَا الْمُضْغَةَ عِظَامًا فَكَسَوْنَا الْعِظَامَ لَحْمًا ثُمَّ أَنشَأْنَاهُ خَلْقًا آخَرَ فَتَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَالِقِينَ} 

 

Then We made the Nutfah into a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood), then We made the clot into a little lump of flesh, then We made out of that little lump of flesh bones, then We clothed the bones with flesh, and then We brought it forth as another creation. So Blessed is Allah, the Best of creators.

 

{14: سورة المؤمنون} 

 

 

{وَانظُرْ إِلَى الْعِظَامِ كَيْفَ نُنشِزُهَا ثُمَّ نَكْسُوهَا لَحْمًا}

 

Look at the bones, how We bring them together and clothe them with flesh.

 

{259: سورة البقرة}

The pack contains the following material:

• Learning that it is Allaah Who has created our bodies in a good shape
• Naming the parts of the body
• Learning authentic ahaadeeth related to the body
• Putting together a "Parts of the Body" mini-dictionary
• Independent/Shared reading and comprehension
• Cut & Paste activity
• Puzzle with hadeeth 
• Math Skills: Addition (to use the spinner in the file, place a paper clip in the centre and affix it with a push pin to the paper. Children spin the paper clip to see what number it points to)
• 1:1 Correspondence Activity (Math)
• and more!

Download My Body Theme Pack with Cover for Boys (pictured above)
Download My Body Theme Pack with Cover for Girls (not pictured)
 

*Please be familiar with the Terms of Use for materials on A Muslim Child is Born before downloading*

You can also use this felt board story to go with the story on page 6 in the pack. The story in the pack is an Islaamic adaptation to the story found here.

 

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Back to School: "Homeschooling" infants and young toddlers - Where to begin?

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Recently, several sisters have asked about how to homeschool infants and young toddlers. More specifically, where do you start and how do you know what activities to do with your young child.  

The guidelines you will find in this post are by no means hard and fast rules but are merely suggestions.

With infants and young toddlers education begins from day 1. What does this "education" look like? Starting with infants, it may look like this:

• Observing the sunnah of welcoming the new born child
• From day one establish a time/place that you read Quran aloud to your child (short suwar - pl. of surah) - or whatever you and baby are comfortable with. Be aware of baby's tired times and more active times and pick a time when he/she is alert. Try to make this Quran reading time occur around the same time every single day insha'Allaah but do your reading with baby when he/she is not occupied with another task. 
• From day one (birth) read the athkar to your child. You can find them here in Arabic, in English here and here in several other languages.
• When you pray, place your child in a spot were he/she can see and/or hear the salat.
• Talk to and with your infant/toddler frequently. Praise Allaah frequently so that your child hears this (i.e. Subhana'Allaah, Alhamdulillaah, Allaahu Akbar).  
• Name objects in his/her environment. Pick him/her up or when he/she is near you, tell your child what you are doing. Explain the steps you will do to complete the task you are engaged in (i.e. I am going to bake some cookies insha'Allaah. First I will need a large bowl to mix all of the ingredients. Next, I will assemble the ingredients. I will need flour, eggs, sugar, milk. etc.). 
• Be familiar with the milestones for your child's age group and be familiar with what children at his/her age are typically able to do by the Permission of Allaah. This will greatly assist you when deciding on what you want to teach your child and when (i.e. at what stage).
• Decide upon what skills you would like your child to learn and begin with a long range plan.
• Once decided upon, draft weekly plans that briefly outline the type of activities you wish to complete with your infant. The activities may be short in duration and as your child's concentration and ability to focus develops you will notice the duration of the activities may increase. But do not be surprised if your infant focuses on an object for far longer than you expect and when/if this happens, do not break the infant's concentration and do not interrupt. Allow the infant to focus for as long as he/she wishes.

Here is a sample of what an infants weekly plan might look like.

Click on the image for a larger view insha'Allaah

As you can see, the hours between each activity allow for baby's nap, feeding, and bath times. Your goal is to be as consistent as possible and to decide what you would like to do with your child, when you would like to do it and to verify that the activity is within your child's developmental capabilities insha'Allaah. And a plan such as the example above does not need to be typed out. Something written and placed on the refrigerator will do the job just as well insha'Allaah.

Here is an example of the typical development of children birth to 12 months old (keep in mind that children develop at different rates):
  

BY FOUR MONTHS
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT weight: 10-18 pounds length: 23-27 inches sleeps about 6 hours before waking during the night averages 14-17 hours of sleep daily lifts head and chest when lying on stomach holds both eyes in a fixed position follows a moving object or person with eyes grasps rattle or finger wiggles and kicks with arms and legs rolls over (stomach to back) sits with support	SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT cries (with tears) to communicate pain, fear, discomfort, or loneliness babbles or coos loves to be touched and held close responds to a shaking rattle or bell returns a smile responds to peak-a-boo games
	INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT explores objects with mouth plays with fingers, hands, toes reacts to sound of voice, rattle, bell turns head toward bright colors and lights recognizes bottle or breast
BY EIGHT MONTHS
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT weight: 14-23 pounds length: 25-30 inches first teeth begin to appear drools, mouths and chews on objects needs at least 3-4 feedings per day reaches for cup or spoon when being fed drinks from a cup with help enjoys some finely-chopped solid foods closes mouth firmly or turns head when no longer hungry may sleep 11-13 hours at night although this varies greatly needs 2-3 naps during the day develops a rhythm for feeding, eliminating, sleeping, and being awake true eye color is established rolls from back to stomach and stomach to back sits alone without support and holds head erect raises up on arms and knees into crawling position; rocks back and forth, but may not move forward uses finger and thumb to pick up an object transfers objects from one hand to the other hair growth begins to cover head	INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT cries in different ways to say he is hurt, wet, hungry, or lonely makes noises to voice displeasure or satisfaction recognizes and looks for familiar voices and sounds learns by using senses like smell, taste, touch, sight, hearing focuses eyes on small objects and reaches for them looks for ball rolled out of sight searches for toys hidden under a blanket, basket, or container explores objects by touching, shaking, banging, and mouthing babbles expressively as if talking enjoys dropping objects over edge of chair or crib
	SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT responds to own name shows fear of falling off high places such as table or stairs spends a great deal of time watching and observing responds differently to strangers and family members imitates sounds, actions, and facial expressions made by others shows distress if toy is taken away squeals, laughs, babbles, smiles in response likes to be tickled and touched smiles at own reflection in mirror raises arms as a sign to be held recognizes family member names responds to distress of others by showing distress or crying shows mild to severe anxiety at separation from parent
BY 12 MONTHS
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT weight: 17-27 pounds length: 27-32 inches sleeps 11-13 hours at night some babies will stop taking a morning nap; others will continue both morning and afternoon naps begins to refuse bottle or weans self from breast during day needs 3 meals a day with 2 snacks in between enjoys drinking from a cup begins to eat finger foods continues to explore everything by mouth enjoys opening and closing cabinet doors crawls well pulls self to a standing position stands alone holding onto furniture for support walks holding onto furniture or with adult help	INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT says first word says da-da and ma-ma or equivalent bounces      interested in picture books pays attention to conversations claps hands, waves bye, if prompted likes to place objects inside one another
	SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT imitates adult actions such as drinking from a cup, talking on phone responds to name likes to watch self in mirror expresses fear or anxiety toward strangers wants caregiver or parent to be in constant sight offers toys or objects to others but expects them to be returned may become attached to a favorite toy or blanket pushes away something he does not want

  IDEAS FOR CAREGIVERS

• Help infants develop a sense of trust and security by responding to their cries. Feeling secure encourages infants to try new things. Be consistent so that they will know what to expect.
  
• Place babies in new places and new positions so that they can see you and others from different angles.
  
• Hold and cuddle infants when feeding them. Even infants who hold their own bottle need to be held. Being held and cuddled frequently is
  extremely important in the development of baby's sense of self-worth and security. Holding and cuddling a baby is also a great stress releaser
  for an adult. Do not prop infants drinking from a bottle as it may cause choking.
  
• Respect a baby's natural schedule. Most babies will settle into a regular routine for eating, sleeping, and soiling their diapers, but the
  schedule will vary depending on the baby. Some babies need to eat more frequently than some others. Some will sleep more and take longer naps.
  
• Baby-proof everything! Store toxic substances such as dishwasher detergent, make-up, paint, or medicine up high. Put safety latches on
  cabinets and covers on electrical outlets. Lower crib mattresses so that older infants can't fall over the rail. Cover sharp corners of tables or shelves that infants might bump into.
  
• Expose babies to bright colors and a variety of objects to look at. Pictures, moving objects, brightly colored or contrasting color toys attract infants.
        
• Provide interesting objects for infants to feel, touch, mouth, and explore. Square nylon scarves, cold metal bowls, plastic measuring cups,
  large wooden spoons, and wet washcloths are favorite household toys. Keep easy-to-swallow objects out of infant's reach. Babies should not be
  allowed to play with anything smaller than a half dollar (about 1-1/4 inch).
  
• Provide opportunities for infants to smell different smells. Lemon, vanilla, and apple juice are wonderful kitchen smells. Babies also enjoy smelling tree bark, dirt, grass, and other natural things.
  
• Expose older babies to a variety of tastes and temperatures in food. Offer cold sherbet, warm oatmeal, mashed peaches, and chopped cooked carrots.
  
• Help babies develop a sense of movement and balance by gently bouncing, swaying, swooping, and swinging with them.
  
• Talk to infants. Face infants when talking to them so they can see you and smile with you. Talk about what you are doing, familiar objects, or
  people. You may even want to babble back or echo sounds your baby makes much as you would in a regular conversation. Even though an infant cannot understand everything you say, he will be learning many words that will form the basis for language later on.
  
• Read to infants. Babies enjoy cuddling on a caregiver's lap, looking at colorful picture books, and hearing the rhythm of their voice. With
  time they begin to understand that words have meaning and can be used to identify objects.
  
• Encourage older infants to feed themselves by offering pieces of banana and soft bread sticks. Give babies a spoon with some mashed
  potatoes or other sticky food, and let them practice eating with a spoon. Yes, it will be messy! Be patient. Learning this skill takes lots of practice.
  
• Play peek-a-boo. Hide your face behind a blanket and then peek out at the baby. Older babies will learn to do this themselves and will enjoy this game for a long time.
  
• Give babies the freedom to move around. Young infants enjoy being on their backs so that they can kick, wiggle, and look around. Older
  infants need space and time to practice crawling, creeping, pulling up, and walking. Spending too much time in a walker, playpen, or infant swing may inhibit the development of these important skills.
  
• Stay with infants when someone new is around. Encourage strangers to approach slowly. Introduce an infant by name, and let him explore someone new in the safety of your presence.

Reprinted with permission from the National Network for Child Care - NNCC. Oesterreich, L. (1995). Ages & stages - newborn to 1 year. In L. Oesterreich, B. Holt, & S. Karas, Iowa family child care handbook [Pm 1541] (pp. 192-196). Ames, IA: Iowa State University Extension.

Insha'Allaah, the next email will touch upon homeschooling infants and young toddlers that are between 6 and 15 months old or if there is somethings else that you had hoped to be covered in this post, please leave a comment and if possible, this post will be updated or another supplementary post will be added insha'Allaah. 

Back to School: About Me Theme Pack

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Planning, planning, and still planning. Back to school is drawing near insha'Allaah. This is a theme pack that can be used for the first week (or week and a half) of school. It helps the teacher and students get acquainted but also helps teach students some essential information about themselves.  

There are many theme packs of this nature on the internet and this pack only differs in that it is specific for Muslim children. The pack begins by reminding/teaching students that it is Allaah who Created jinn and mankind and the purpose of our being created (i.e. to worship Allaah Alone).

Intended for preschool and kindergarten students, this is a simple little pack that will help the teacher help her students get back into the school routine insha'Allaah. 

Download About Me Theme Pack

*Please be familiar with the Terms of Use for materials on A Muslim Child is Born before downloading*

Enjoy insha'Allaah!