Winter Game: Arabic Colours Go-Fish

Assalamu alaikum,

This game is a variation (or adaptation) of the ever popular Go-Fish game. This game has a winter theme (mittens) and the card that players do not want to be left with when the game ends is a snowman.

The game is played the same way that the regular Go-Fish game is played but has fewer cards. There are 29 cards - including the snowman.

We play the game this way: If two children are playing then the players will shuffle the cards to mix them up and then each player gets 5 cards insha'Allah.

Players take turns picking a card from the other person's cards (without looking at the others players' cards) which the other person is holding in his/her hand like a fan. If they pick a card that matches one of the cards they have in their hand, they take both cards and place them on the table or floor (face up). If a player runs out of cards then he/she picks another card from the cards in the "pool" (the stack of cards in the middle). The game ends when all cards have been matched and the person who has the most matching colour mittens and is not left with the snowman wins the game.

There are many ways to play Go-Fish, you can read about them here insha'Allah. We switch up and play the game differently sometimes and playing the game where the players have to ask one another if they have a certain colour card helps children work on learning the colours in Arabic insha'Allah. The way that I described above does not have that feature.

If your children do not read Arabic, you can see how to pronounce the colour words here insha'Allah. *Note: we say, "banafseejeeya" for purple and here they use "arjamaanee". The game has "banafseejeeya" on the mitten. Also, they do not have the words for olive, silver and gold. For olive the word is "zaytooni", for silver the word is "fiddhi" and for gold the word is "thahabi".*

I printed the game on cardstock and recommend gluing them on to poster board as well to help them withstand frequent handling insha'Allah.

Here is the file insha'Allah:

Download Arabic Colours Go-Fish Game here

or from the link below

Arabic Colours Go-Fish Game

Enjoy insha'Allah!

Preschool Winter Craft Using Yogurt Cups

Assalamu alaikum,

I think it would be an understatement to say that I save things: boxes, egg cartons, toliet paper rolls, and...well...you see what I mean...hehe. I also save yogurt cups. I wash them out really good and keep them because there are crafts kids can do with them alhamdulillah. For example, this craft is easy and preschoolers can do it without much help insha'Allah.

To make this craft, the next time you or anyone in your family enjoys yogurt, don't break the individual cups apart. Leave them together insha'Allah - this means someone will have to eat two cups of yogurt at one time (smile). But you know, we did one with four cups together and you could certainly do one with only one cup too insha'Allah.

Here's what you'll need insha'Allah:

- clean, empty yogurt cup(s)

- white glitter

- glue

-white paint (be sure it's non-toxic insha'Allah)

- light blue construction paper

- black marker

- white circles (3 different sizes)

First: Cut the construction paper to match the length and width of the circumference of the yogurt cup.

Next, invite the child to paint the winter scene onto the construction paper and allow to dry.

Then put glue around the entire yogurt cup and affix your winter scene insha'Allah. The winter scene is the part that the child can do almost independently insha'Allah. Cutting the circles for the snowmen is great fine motor skill work and kids love glitter (supervise that part insha'Allah..hehe) and most children love to paint. Once they've designed the scene they want, you can help them glue it to the side of the cup insha'Allah.

I use these little crafty cups to store things: coins, math manipulatives, buttons, etc. No doubt your little ones will find lots of uses for them too insha'Allah.

Enjoy insha'Allah!

Masaajid & Colour Domino Games

Assalamu alaikum,

This coming week we are going to play two games insha'Allah: Masaajid Dominoes and Colour Dominoes. I've had these games ready for a few days but I had to check to make sure it was permissible in Islam because I am aware that some games (such as those that use dice, exchanging money, betting, etc.) are not permissible. Alhamdulillah, the Sheikh said that these games were permissible and waallahu alim.

Both games are easy and fun so children four years old and up may enjoy them insha'Allah. The children simply match the masjid or colour to the piece that is on the table. For example, in the game below, the piece that began the game was a piece that had the same masjid on each side. The next piece that was placed on the table had to have at least one side that had the same masjid as the first piece. So the game extends out from there with the children matching the pieces based on the masaajid needed insha'Allah. The colour game is played in the same way, only matching colours instead of masaajid insha'Allah.

Here is the Masaajid Domino Game:

This is the Colour Domino Game:

The colour domino game can be used to help children learn colours and reinforce their existing knowledge of colours insha'Allah. I do not doubt that you all will also find other great ideas to use with these games insha'Allah and I invite you to share insha'Allah (smile). 

I printed both games on card stock but I also glued them to poster board just because I wanted extra thickness insha'Allah. I did not laminate the pieces of this game. I think the card stock on the poster board should be sufficient insha'Allah.

Here are the files insha'Allah:

Masaajid Dominoes

Colour Dominoes

Enjoy insha'Allah!

Suggestions from Umm Adam

Assalamu alaikum,

Umm Adam recently sent me an email with some excellent suggestions to extend the learning for the Cloud Letters Game and the Hajj Game....barak Allahu feha. Here are her suggestions and insha'Allah, you will find them beneficial and fun!

"One extra idea to suggest for your cloud-game is to every time while the cloud is placed at its correct position to stop there and consider together with the child one word that starts with that letter. Like this they [the children] will learn the sounds in practice. In the beginning it can be the adult who helps, but after a short while the child understands the idea and suggests by themselves the words insha'Allah. Like this it will be easy after a while for the child to start reading."

"The new idea for using this material is to focus doing hajj in the correct order. We played this so that we turned all the cards upside down. But not to loose from our sight the cards of Allaah. That is because you never should forget Allaahs position in your life. The child who knows how to read, reads for getting the reading practice. And the child who doesn´t know will be taught to read, for example, one word. One step at the time to figure out what we need to go for looking after. Then we started to turn the cards for finding the correct card in order. It was not allowed to continue the travel forward before all the players had found their required card. Other players are helping each other like we should do in real hajj also. It was so fun and so educational. It was pleasure to answer for the childs´questions of what we are doing at here, and why we do this and what we might feel or see while continuing our hajj etc. "

 

Jazakillahu Khayr, dear sis Umm Adam!

Enjoy insha'Allah!

Learn How to Present Monterssori Lessons & Free Montessori Materials

Assalamu alaikum,

For those who may be interested in learning how to present language lessons using the Montessori method, this video series may prove helpful insha'Allah.

Montessori Language Activities

This video series shows how to present math activities using the Montessori Method insha'Allah.

Montessori Math Activities

This website may also be of benefit as it contains many, many Montessori materials that are free to download and print insha'Allah.

Montessori Materials free to Download & Print

*Note: These are not Muslim websites, please use discretion regarding which materials you choose to use insha'Allah. Jazakum Allahu Khayran.*

Enjoy insha'Allah!

Snowy Day Activities For The Little Ones

Assalamu alaikum,

I'm working on simple activities for the little ones that relate to the fantastic landscape that awaits them outside alhamdulillah. So far, this first activity has been a hit alhamdulillah. I just made 10 snowballs out of yarn (that only took about 20-30 minutes alhamdulillah). I used yarn because infants and toddlers, up until about 18 months old, put most things that are in their hand into their mouth. The yarn snowballs are too large for the mouth insha'Allah and can't be swollowed insha'Allah.

I then covered a can with solid blue paper. With a work mat (to delineate work space), sit with the child on the floor. Tell the child that you will put a snowball into the can and demonstrate this by placing one or two snowballs into the can. Invite the child to place a snowball into the can. The child (ages 12 -15 months) picks up a snowball one at a time and drops it into the can.

I added language and math to this activity by counting aloud each time he/she puts a snowball into the can. This way, the child becomes familiar with the numbers and also increases vocabulary insha'Allah. I also added a little fun to the activity by doing something special when the child placed the 10th snowball in the can (i.e. a hug, an enthusiastic 'jazakum Allahu khayr!', etc.).  It's amazing how the child anticipates the number 10 and starts giggling even before they put the snowball into the can..hehe.

This activity is for the older tots (24 months and older). Place the snowflake number cards in a basket and the child can go to the activity and take the cards out, line them up and place the appropriate number of yarn snowballs under the corresponding numbers insha'Allah.

The third activity is a counting activity also. You need an empty, clean egg carton box. Cut off the last two compartments for 1-10 counting activities such as this one. With a black marker (or you can buy those blank circle stickers and write the numbers on them and stick them into the bottom of the compartments insha'Allah), write the numbers 1-10 in each compartment (one number per compartment). The child then places one snowball in each compartment and says aloud the number he/she see in the compartment they are working with at that moment (or the teacher/parent) can do the counting insha'Allah.

Insha'Allah, I'll post a few more snowy activities later in the week and there will be a small colouring book included insha'Allah.

Here are the snowflake counting cards I used (there are Arabic and English number cards insha'Allah).

Snowflake Counting Cards - Arabic

Snowflake Counting Cards - English

Enjoy insha'Allah!

Islamic Spelling Games

Assalamu alaikum,

This week insha'Allah, we will play two Islamic spelling games. Both games require no dice or a spinner. There are two games: "Arkaan ul Islam Spelling" and "Deen Spelling". The first game is for children who have strong alphabet recognition skills insha'Allah. The second game is for children who are becoming familiar with the letters and the names of each insha'Allah. You will need a bag that is not see-through to play the game insha'Allah.

The great thing about these games is that the entire family can play together insha'Allah! Just print game boards for everyone and enough letters and family game night is ready to begin insha'Allah!

Here is what the games look like:

The Deen Spelling Game without all letters completed

The Arkaan ul Islam Game Board

The Arkaan ul islam game has five words on each game board with accompanying pictures. And that beautiful snow globe you will see on the game board cards (if you download the games insha'Allah) came from Easel and Ink (smile).

How to play each game insha'Allah:

1). Print, cut out and mount the game boards and letter pieces on poster board (for durability, laminate insha'Allah). Note: For Arkaan ul Islam be sure to print enough symbol cards for each player insha'Allah.

2). Each player gets a game board (the boards are identical).

3). Place all of the letter pieces in the bag insha'Allah.

4). Each player takes turns getting a letter from the bag without looking. He/she says the name of the letter that they pulled out. If that letter is one that they can use on their game board to spell one of the words on the game board, they keep the letter and place it in the correct spot insha'Allah. If the letter is not one that they need/can use, they put the letter back into the bag insha'Allah and the next player takes his/her turn.

5). The first person to complete their board wins insha'Allah.

*6). For the Arkaan ul Islam game: There is an added level of fun and challenge to this game. There is a blank game piece that the player who picks it keeps and he/she can use it to stand for any letter they need. So if the game is close and they only need one more letter and they have the blank game piece, they can use it to win the game insha'Allah. Also, when a player finishes spelling a word on their game board, the player gets a symbol piece to place on their game board next to the word they successfully spelled (i.e. when they get all of the letters they need to spell Quran, they get a game piece that has a picture of the Quran and they place it next to the word - there is a space on the board for the picture cards). The first person to spell all of the words and get all of the picture cards for each word wins insha'Allah.

Control of Error in these games: For all words that need to be spelled, there are shadow letters of the letters that they need in each box. This is to help with letter recognition and to help the child self-correct if he/she places the wrong letter in a box.

To make the game more challenging add more letters to the bag, and to make the game easier, place only the letters that the children will need to spell the words insha'Allah. Be sure that you put enough letters for each child to be able to successfully spell the words (i.e. enough letters so the children don't run out of needed letters in the middle of the game) insha'Allah.

Both games are in the same file. There are also colour game boards to download as well insha'Allah.

Game Boards and Pieces (black and white)

Game Boards only (colour)

Enjoy insha'Allah!