Tips to Help a Child Get Used to Fasting
A kid before the age of puberty is not particularly amongst the circle of people who will be held accountable for fasting in accordance with sharee’ah. But the great Allah Almighty has enjoined parents to raise youngsters to carry out the acts of worship. He commands them to train and instruct their children the ‘Namaz’ when they reach the age of seven years and also to smack them if they disobey or disagree to perform at the age of ten. The Sahaabah (may Allah be happy with them) used to make young kids fast so they get to know about their religious obligations and start following them eventually. The purpose was to make them perfect in accordance with the religious demands. All of this is indicative of great concern to increase one’s children with greatest attributes and actions.
In reference with prayer:
The Messenger of Allah (blessings and serenity of Allah be with him) said: “ Educate your children to pray they are aged seven years and discipline them strictly if they do not pray even after they are ten years old and separate them in their beds. ”
In reference with fasting:
History states that with the dawn of Ashoora, the messenger of Allah Almighty (Al-Rubayyi bint Mu’awwidh ibn Afra) sent out a message for all the nearby villages of Ansar that stated: “Whoever started the day fasting, let him complete his fast, and whoever started the day not fasting, let him complete the rest of the day (without food).” The rest of day will be followed by a peaceful fast, even the younger one who are obliged to carry out this performing will fast too.
How to reward kids and encourage them?
- Give them awareness about the virtues of fasting
- Enlighten them with the rewards of Paradise in return for fasting
- Appreciate them at the time of Iftaar for completing their ‘Roza’. This would build their morale.
- Arrange family gathering and invite over other children who are also fasting and encourage them to carry this activity.
- Reward them with permissible trips after iftaar and make them their favorite food, sweets, fruits and juices.
- Distract the one who gets hungry by letting him sleep or play permissible games