Make it into a game

Too often children become uncooperative when it's time for a chore like clean up or when it's time for bed. When that time comes they will do whatever, but just not what you are asking them to do. They will ignore you as if you are not even in the room, pretend that all of a sudden their hands hurt so they can not pick up the toys or their hands are to 'heavy' for that, or simply they will through their usual temper tantrum when this time comes around. The solution? Well, why not make it in a game? Kids love it, after all that is what kids are for, games and play. When you turn those boring tasks into a game children become very eager to participate.

Do you have a pile of blocks on the flour after your children have played? Call them and invite them to find a 'green on', or a 'triangle', who ever finds more and puts it in the bag wins. Help them along the way but don't let them notice it, still pretend it is a game, and soon the blocks will be where they belong. This way they are cleaning up, and learning and re-enforcing their colors and maths.

Now, if it's time for bed, and you have a bed routine such as milk, brushing teeth, toilet and reading a book, but when you mention it to your toddler he or she isn't so quick to come and go along. Make it a competition, first one to come and finish it all wins. As a prize have them choose which book is going to be read that night. Of course, cheer on all of them, and show special appreciation to the winner. I did both of this with my children last night and they were very cooperative.
Sometimes, when it's time for bed I pretend I am locomotive and soon I become a train with three more wagons behind me. We go for a walk around the living room and maybe in the kitchen and then we hand to their room for bed. Now, think what else your kids do not like but it is important for them. Maybe there is something from school, or you have them to memorize qur'an, or something else? Think, think, think...and make it into an appealing game. For example, when I started teaching my kids qur'an they didn't seem interested. They didn't quite understand it.

So, I ran across the above picture from a sister from Easel and Ink, edited it a little to incorporate the material we are learning. After they complete coloring the mosque they get a special treat, like going to the store and buying a toy they want.Now each night my preschooler reminds me it's time for qur'an, and in the way his sister participates as well.

M is for prophet Musa a.s.

It is our official first day of school and we are starting at preschool level. After some lesson planning the first day was successful, with unplanned lessons learned along the way (on my part mostly).

We started with letter M since we have a lesson plan for Musa a.s. (from The Well Read Muslim

We are working on the book Allah Speaks to the Prophet Musa.

We will also go with harf meem from the Arabic alphabet to tie it all together.

Many of the activities that I have planned in the lesson plans are based on internet resources that I have picked here and there. I will try to mention the websites for reference and for giving credit for the hard work someone has already done for us in planning the activity or craft.

What I did to make the lesson plan is I first designed a table for the week in excel and I made many sheets in the same excel document with the same table. Then I just plugged in the activities I had already on hand, saved for future use. Some of the activities come from sister Umm An'Numan's The Well Read Muslim and her Lesson Plan on Musa a.s., then Confessions of a Homemaker, mainly from her Letter of the Week Curriculum, and some other website that are listed।

The unplanned lessons that I have learned is to plan something for the children that are not being counted in the main lesson plan. This was mainly geared at my 4 year old, but I was silly to forget his younger sister who was surprised I didn't have two of everything so she can share on the learning.