There are significant family activities in Ramadan that people take note of when commemorating the holiday. This holy month also presents a great opportunity for families to bond. Additionally, the occasion allows parents and children to cultivate good habits that can be followed throughout the year.
The Meals Eaten Together
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During this month, Muslims eat 2 main meals:
- the sahur or pre-dawn meal, the first meal of the day
- the iftar or the breaking of fast, the evening meal
We wake the children for sahur so that the family can have breakfast together. During this time you can instil into your child good eating practices, such as eating fibre rich food and complex carbohydrates, as this will keep them satiated longer during the day.
In between sahur and iftar, Muslims practise fasting from sunrise to sunset. During this time, most children can’t help but complain due to their hunger and loss of energy. If they start to get angsty, we suggest you look at our activity recommendations below. Distract their mind from the hunger and keep them occupied with interesting tasks and activities.
Although your child might grumble at first for being woken up really early, they will soon appreciate the time spent together. After all, how often is it that a family gets to have breakfast together on a daily basis, especially if both parents are working? This relatively simple activity is one of our favourite family activities for Ramadan. Additionally, it will have your kids eating better and perhaps even cultivate better sleeping habits!
Set Goals
Since Ramadan is also about becoming a better person, it’s a great idea to set not just personal goals but family goals as well. Sit down with the kids and plan what are the things you might want to accomplish as a family during the month.
For example, one goal could be making it a point to do the tarawih (extra) prayers at the mosque once a week or donating food for iftar to the orphanage or old folk’s home. We believe that this is one of the great family activities for Ramadan that not only teaches your child the importance of goal setting for personal success but also for growing spiritually and emotionally as a family.
Soak Up the Ambience
One of the many things that Singaporeans look forward to during this month is the Ramadan bazaar at Geylang Serai and other heartland areas, such as Woodlands and Tampines. However, the new schedules of the event might differ after the implementation of the COVID-19 protocols.
If it goes back to usual scheduling, you can bring your family to this month-long bazaar. While there, you enjoy samples of the famous Ramly burger, kebabs and deng deng, a well-loved tender barbecued meat.
The bazaar not only affords the opportunity for you to get your Raya shopping done, but it also allows you to soak up this uniquely Singaporean cultural experience and get into the festive mood. Definitely one of the top family activities for Ramadan that every Singaporean family can join.
Fun Activities for Ramadan at Home
Image source: iStock
If you wish to remain cautious, you can arrange fun activities for Ramadan at home. For the whole month, you can list down enjoyable tasks that your kids can accomplish. These can be categorised as daily or weekly duties to give them a sense of responsibility.
When coming up with activities, you can incorporate the lessons that we need to learn about the commemoration of Ramadan. You can assign simple chores like helping prepare for the 2 main meals or initiating prayers.
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