Term 4: Qur’an and Sunnah Words – printables, activities & ideas

TERM 4: 

Overview of Term 4: 

1. Being Kind to each other – Sunnah
2. Dog (Kalb) – Qur’an word and Story of the People of the Cave
3. Taking care of plants – Sunnah
4. Night (Lail) – Qur’an word
5. Mountains (Jibaal) – Qur’an word
6. Jannah (Paradise) – Qur’an word
7. Keeping Clean – Sunnah
8. Bird (Thayr) – Qur’an word
9. Rain/Water from the sky (Ma’a) – Qur’an word
10. Lightning (Barq) – Qur’an word 

Week 1: Being kind/good to each other

Discussion: Allah tells us to be kind to everyone, big, small, young and old. We should use nice voices and speak nicely to everyone. If someone needs help we should run to them to see what we can do to help. Can you think of some ways you can be kind to others? Being nice to your brother or sister, helping people when they are hurt, giving flowers to your mother, helping your parents to do things around the house, giving a hungry animal some food, giving someone a hug when they’re sad, etc.

Activity: Various Role Play

1. Being kind to someone who doesn’t have food. Two facilitators, use food props. One facilitator looks sad and has no food while the other has food. The one with the food says “You dont have any food and you look a bit sad, can share some food with you.” Facillitator then asks the kids “Was that a kind thing to do?” Yes!
2. Helping someone who is hurt: Two facilitators, one falls over and pretends to hurt her knee and pretends to start crying. The other facilitator comes over and says “Oh no, it looks like you’re hurt, let me see how I can help you, and then puts an imaginary plaster on the injury. Facillitator then asks the kids, “Was that a kind thing to do?” Yes!
3. Sharing: Two facilitators, one has a toy and the other one asks “Can I play with that toy please” and the other facilitator says rudely “No! You can’t play with it!” Ask the children was that a nice & kind thing to do? NO! Facillitator then asks how can it have been done better? Repeat role play in a ‘good & kind’ way with facillitator asking if they can have the toy? And the reply being: “Yes of course! I love sharing toys!” And then ask ‘Was that a kind thing to do?’ YES!
4. Ask children if they would like to enact the sharing role play.

Week 2: Dog 

Verse from Quran: “And you would have thought them awake, while they were asleep. And We turned them on their right and on their left sides, and their dog stretching forth his two forelegs at the entrance [of the Cave or in the space near to the entrance of the Cave (as a guard at the gate)]…” [Kahf (18): 18]

Discussion: (Read part of the verse that includes the dog (kalb) & tell the Story of the People of the Cave and how the dog was with them and sleeping at the entrance). This is the story of the Companions of the Cave. Long ago there were some young men who were afraid that their people would make them pray to someone other than Allah. They made du’a to Allah to make things easy for them and they went to a cave with their dog. When they were inside the cave, Allah made all of the men and the dog fall asleep. The dog was asleep at the front of the cave so if anyone saw it, they would get scared and wouldn’t come inside the cave. They all slept and slept and slept for hundreds of years. Allah made them turn from side to side while they were asleep in the cave. When they woke up there were different people in the world because they had slept for so long. Now, no one would make them pray to anyone other than Allah. This was a miracle from Allah (SWT).

Activity: ‘Build a cave’ activity. Use big foam blocks or empty boxes and cushions to build a cave with the children. Put a toy dog at the entrance of the cave. Tell the children to go inside the cave like the people of the cave and then close their eyes and pretend to go to sleep, and say the dog, the ‘kalb‘, is going to sleep too. Wait a few seconds and then say:  ‘100’s of years are passing, now it’s time to wake up like the people of the cave. The dog, the ‘kalb’ is also waking up! Repeat this as many times as the children would like.

Week 3: ‘Who makes the plants grow?’ 

Verse from Quran: “Then tell Me about the seed that you sow in the ground. Is it you that make it grow, or are We the Grower?” [Waqiah (56): 63-64]

Discussion: In this verse Allah is asking everyone to think about how a seed grows into a plant. Do you know who makes that seed grow? Allah! Do you know what a seed looks like – show children the tiny cress seeds. Imagine the huge trees that we see in parks all started out as a tiny seed. SubhanAllah!

Let’s look at how a seed starts growing (show pictures of seed germination process), and how the root grows down in the soil to get water and the shoot grows up towards the sun. SubhanAllah, this how all plants start to grow.  

Props needed: Clear plastic cups, cotton wool, cress seeds.

Activity: ‘Sowing Cress seeds in a cup.’

Put damp cotton wool in a clear plastic cup. Allow the children to decorate the cup with stickers, markers, googly eyes, etc. give each child a handful of cress seeds and tell them to sprinkle them on the cotton wool. Check in with the children to see how their plants have grown the week after, reinforcing the concept that Allah (SWT) made their plants grow. Note: Cress seeds grow very quickly in spring/summer.

Week 4: Night 

Verse from Quran: “By the night as it conceals it (the sun)” [Shams (91): 3]

Discussion: In this verse Allah tells us that during the night the sun is hidden and we can’t see it. What comes out at night? The moon, stars, some animals like owls, bats, etc. Does anyone remember the word in the Qur’an for ‘moon’ & ‘star’? ‘Qamar’ & ‘Najm’! What do we do at night? Sleep! Allah (SWT) made the night (the time when the sun goes down) as a time for us to rest and sleep. And Allah (SWT) made the daytime as a time for us to do different things like work and play.

Props needed: Cardboard Sun or a Picture of the Sun

Activity: “Sleep and Wake up Game”

Get children to sit on the mat far enough apart so they can lie down. Bring out the cardboard sun and tell the children “The Sun is out, As-Shams is out, we’re all awake, it’s day time, its An-Nahar. Then make the cardboard sun ‘set’ and move out of sight, saying “The Sun is Setting, As-Shams is setting, the day is over. It’s night-time! Al-Lail! Time to go to sleep!” Then have the children lie down and close their eyes. Then bring out the cardboard sun again and say “The sun is rising, As-Shams is rising. The day has begun, An-Nahar has begun. Time to wake up!” Get the children to open their eyes and stand up and shout “Hurray As-Shams is out, its day time, Its An-Nahar now!”. Repeat the above as many times as the children would like.

Week 5: Mountains 

Verse from Quran:  “And at the mountains, how they are rooted and fixed firm?” [Ghashiyah (88): 19]

Discussion: Allah made the mountains. Some mountains are huge! We are really small compared to the mountains. Has anyone seen a big mountain? Show pictures (printed or from a book) of different mountains (Mount Everest, Mount Fuji etc.) around the world.

Activity: ‘Climbing up the mountain’ 

Using large soft blocks (old boxes, pillows,) create a pile that is the ‘mountain’ the children have to climb over. Give each child a chance to climb over the ‘jabal’ and get to the other side. 

Week 6: Jannah 

Verse from Quran: “Verily those who believe and do righteous good deeds, for them will be Gardens under which rivers flow. That is the great success ” [Surah Buruj (85): 11]

 Discussion: Do you know that if you do good things and Allah is happy with you, you get to go to Jannah! In Jannah you can have whatever you want! If you want chocolate, Allah will give it to you. If you want lots of toys, Allah will give them to you. Jannah is an amazing place! I want to go there! What about you? What are some of the things you would like to get in Jannah? Did you know that whatever you get in Jannah will be even better than what we have in this world. It will have the most amazing fruits and food, that will be sooo delicious that we can’t even imagine how good they will be!

Activity: ‘The way to Jannah’ game”

Get the children to line up at one end of the room and ask them to think of something good they can do that will make Allah happy so they can get to Jannah. Then tell them you will be calling their names one by one and they have to run to the facilitator on the other end and shout out what they think they can do that is a good thing. (NOTE: Can have a quick discussion with the kids after each point or help them come up with ideas if they don’t have any)

Week 7: Keeping Clean 

Verse from the Quran: “Allah loves those who turn to Him constantly and He loves those who keep themselves pure and clean…” [Al-Baqarah (2):  222]

Discussion: Allah (SWT) loves those who keep themselves clean. The Prophet (SAW) taught us lots of ways that we can keep clean. What do you think are some ways we keep ourselves clean? Having a bath, making wudhu, washing our hands before we eat, cleaning ourselves properly after we go to the bathroom etc. 

Activity: ‘This is the way we make Wudhu’ Song.  Sing to the tune of ‘Here we go round the Mulberry Bush’ and go through the different actions of Wudhu:

This is the way we make wudhu, make wudhu, make wudhu

This is the way we make wudhu early in the morning

This is the way we wash our hands, wash our hands, wash our hands,

This is the way we way we wash our hands when we make wudhu

This is the way we rinse our mouth, rinse our mouth, rinse our mouth

This is the way we rinse our mouth when we make wudhu

This is the way we rinse our nose, rinse our nose, rinse our nose

This is the way we rinse our nose when we make wudhu

This is the way we wash our face, wash our face, wash our face

This is the way we wash our face when we make Wudhu

This is the way we wash our arms, wash our arms, wash our arms

Thei is the way we wash our arms when we make wudhu

This is the way we wipe our head, wipe our head, wipe our head,

This is the way we wipe our head when we make wudhu

This is the way we wipe our ears, wipe our ears, wipe our ears

This is the way we wipe our ears when we make wudhu

This is the way we wash our feet, wash our feet, wash our feet

This is the way we wash our feet when we make wudhu

NOTE: Can do a practical demonstration of Wudhu and also how to wash hands properly with soap.

Week 8: Bird – Quran word

Verse from Quran:  “Do they not see the birds above them with wings outspread and [sometimes] folded in? None holds them [up] except the Most Merciful. Indeed He is, of all things, Seeing.”  [Mulk (67): 19]

Discussion: Allah asks us if we have seen the birds and how they fly and soar high up in the sky. Who keeps them up there in the sky? Allah. When we see the birds flying, we should remember that Allah gave them the ability to fly. SubhanAllah. There are lots of different types of birds. Can anyone think of some birds you know? Cockatoo, Magpies, owls, eagles, etc. Does anyone know the name of a bird that can’t fly? Ostrich, Emu.

Activity: ‘Flying Birds’

Props needed: Shawls/hijabs, book of birds.

Get children to line up and ask them what bird they would like to be? Eagle, owl, raven, etc. Give each of them a shawl/hijab that they can put around their arms for wings. Then tell them to listen carefully and when their bird name is called they have to spread their wings and flap them and fly across to the other side of the room. Then call out all the birds names of the children one by one. And ask them at different intervals, who keeps the birds flying in the sky? Allah!

Week 9: Rain – Quran word

Verse From Quran: “And We have sent down blessed water from the sky and made grow thereby gardens and grain from the harvest”  [Qaf (50): 9]

Discussion: Allah sends the rain from the sky. The rain makes lots of different plants grow. Plants need water and the sun to grow. Can you think of some things we eat that grow on plants that grow because Allah sends down rain? Apples, oranges, other fruits and veggies, wheat that becomes bread, etc.

Props needed for activity: Umbrellas & watering cans

Activity: Take the children outside and have at least two watering cans and two umbrellas at hand. One child gets to stand on a bench or a chair and pour water from the watering can and the children with the umbrellas get to walk under the ‘rain’ and then all the other children get a chance to either pour ‘rain’ from the watering car or use the umbrella. Use the next rainy day to point out the miracle of rain falling from the clouds and that it is from Allah (swt).

Week 10: Lightning/thunder – Quran word

Verse From Quran: “It is He who shows you lightening, [causing] fear and aspiration, and generates the heavy clouds.” [Ar-Raad (13): 12]

Discussion: Have you seen lightning? It’s a flash of light that zig zags across the sky during a storm. First we see the lightning and then we hear the thunder. The very loud sound made by the thunder is the thunder glorifying Allah (SWT). It can sound a bit scary. Has anyone heard thunder? SubhanAllah the lightning we see and the thunder we hear is all from Allah! Show pictures of lightning and thunder clouds.

Props needed: 

1) Book or photos showing lightning and thunder clouds

2) Items for ‘Thunderstorm in a Cup’ activity: Large clear plastic cup, shaving foam, water, food colouring, paper clips (see link below)

Activity: ‘Thunderstorm in a Cup’ – based on this activity

To print the word cards please click the link below:

Qur’an and Sunnah Words Term 4 – Free Printable