Free Printable Ramadan and Islamic Activities for Children

For Muslims, Ramadan is holy season marked by prayer, fasting and abstinence. Ramadan, in the Islamic calendar is a month-long observance, falling roughly in the months of July or August. Ramadan fasting ends with the festival of Eid al Fitr (lesser Eid). It's celebrated July 17 in 2015. Here are free printable Ramadan Eid al Fitr activities to help Muslim children explore their faith and for non-Muslims to understand it better.

Islam 101 offers free Ramadan lessons. Ramadan is an Arabic word that refers to a dry, parched season. It is a season for sacrifice and purification, like the Christian Catholic season of Advent and Lent and the Jewish feast of Yom Kippur. Muslims seek to draw closer to Allah by practicing the Five Pillars of Islam. They are: Iman (faith), Salah (prayer, said five times daily, facing the Holy City of Mecca and recited from the Qu'ran.), Zakah (almsgiving, sacrificial giving, pruning back one's lifestyle to honor God and help others), Sawn (abstaining from food, alcohol and sexual relations with spouses), Hajj (pilgrimage, if possible to Makkah, otherwise known as Mecca).

Islamic Playground has free printable Ramadan and Muslim holiday coloring pages and Arabic letter worksheets. There are also quizzes, worksheets, jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles, activities and word searches about Islam. The Holiday Spot has free printable Ramadan word games,crossword puzzles and word searches, using words and concept from Islam. You can print free Ramadan greeting cards, Children might like to make these and send them to family and friends.

Primary Games has free printable Ramadan and Islamic coloring pages. 123 Greetings has free printable Ramadan greeting cards in several designs and styles.

 

Free Printable Lent Lesson Plans

Catholic Relief Services is the single largest non-governmental relief agency in the world. Each year at Lent CRS initiates what is called 'Operation Rice Bowl'. Operation Rice Bowl is a program which focuses our attention on the cardinal aims of the Lenten season: prayer, fasting and alms-giving.

The Rice Bowl project consists of a cardboard box which when assembled, looks very much like the take out boxes that rice comes in. The Rice Bowl is a box which families set up in their homes during Lent to collect loose change and offerings for the poor and hungry of the world. Operation Rice bowl also includes a Lenten prayer calendar with devotional activities, feast days and stations of the cross. Each calendar day has a prayer focus. Specific information about world poverty statistics and needs from around the world are listed also. These lessons could work for classroom, homeschool, CCD, Sunday School, 4H and scouts. Great for social studies, geography and volunteerism. Here are free printable Lenten Rice Bowl activities, Devotional and Lesson Plans. 

Free Printable Stations of the Cross Lesson Plans, Lent Activities

In the Catholic liturgical calendar, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday continues for 40 days up through Holy Week, the Easter Triduum and Easter. Catholic Christians try to imitate Jesus with prayer, fasting or sacrifice and almsgiving (charity). A Catholic prays the rosary and Stations of the Cross on Friday (and as often as possible).  Here are free printable Stations of the Cross coloring pages to guide Lenten devotions.

 Each year during the Lenten when our family was homeschooling, the children drew images, one for each of the Station of the Cross. We used these images to guide Lenten devotions and prayer. We created Stations of the Cross in our home and yard, placing the images in order along a path. One year we hung them in the hallway. This way we had our own Via Dolorosa (Way of the Cross, or Way of Sorrows). The children would begin each Friday in Lent praying the Stations of the Cross. Older children can draw Stations of the Cross coloring books for younger children to color. Or you can use free printable Stations of the Cross coloring pages. A favorite source was the Fr. Lovasik coloring books series. Here are free printable Stations of the Cross coloring books. Print a booklet for CCD, VBS, religious education classes, Catholic school, homeschooling and family devotions.

Catholic Kid offers free printable Stations of the Cross coloring books and prayer devotional guide. This is a fifteen page booklet covering each of the 14 Stations of the Cross. The liturgical prayer used at station is printed on the front cover and is repeated at each station. Children may color all the pages in their coloring books at once, or you may use Stations of the Cross coloring books as daily Lenten calendar countdown to Easter activities. Children might color one page each day for Lenten devotions. Here are other free printable Stations of the Cross activities from Catholic Playground. 

Web Archive has free printable Stations of the Cross coloring pages drawn like Victorian church stained glass.  These images are quite small, but could be printed for a flip book or enlarged and printed as quarter or half page coloring pages. Traditionalists will love the neo-classical black and white artwork. St. John the Baptist Religious Ed has loads more free printable Catholic coloring pages for the mysteries of the rosary (Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious and Luminous Mysteries), Easter, Lenten, Bible and other Catholic themed coloring pages). 

Extend Stations of the Cross Lenten devotions and activities by assigning children to compose a prayer or response for each station. Preschool through first grade children might write one word or phrase to represent each station. Grades 1-2 might compose a one sentence prayer. For grades 3-5 assign one or two paragraph Lenten devotions and prayers. This makes good type 1 writing activities. Adjust the length of the prayer to suit the needs and abilities of the child. Some may wish to write their prayer as a poem, song or haiku. Don't make prayer or writing seem like chores or children will dread doing them. 

Special needs children might draw or act out each of the stations of the cross. Children could compose sign language or dance in response to the each Station of the Cross. The objective of this activity is to encourage children to respond to Our Lord's passion, death and resurrection. Encourage children to respond in whatever form they feel most comfortable with. 

School Service Projects, Student Community Volunteer Activities for Kids

School Service Project, Community Volunteer Activities Use this lent alms giving project to practice spiritual exercises of fasting, prayer and sharing. Service project can be adapted for public school use. Good way to get school required community volunteer credits for high school students. May be used for alternative education extra credit, too. Activities focus on Social Justice, World Church, missions and prayer. Muslims may wish to use this project for Islamic zakat giving. Jewish families might use this for an alms giving activity, too. Lesson plans include social studies and math extensions; multiplication, division, counting, sorting, grouping and story problems. Great education for all children. Use for CCD, religious education, classroom service project, homeschool, scout troop, 4H group and more!

* Collect gently used clothing for warming centers.

* Wash used stuffed animals to a children's hospital or nursing home. Sew a little heart on donations for sweet little no-cost good deeds.

* Print and color Bible coloring pages, write messages on the back and send to lonely senior citizens.

* Visit a nursing home and lead a sing-along. This is great friendship building volunteer work for kids!

* Bring tea and cookies to a shut-in neighbor; stay to visit. Gifts of time are the highest form of almsgiving.

* Shovel a disabled person's walk (or mow grass in warmer climates). These no-cost good deeds are so appreciated.

* Plant a tree and nurture it. What great donations of time and talent.

* Pick up trash in the park. The whole community benefits from this ROAK.

* Call grandma.

* Skype or FaceTime with your annoying older brother in college.

* Fold your sister's clothes.

* Tidy dad's work area.

* Cook, serve and clean up dinner. Mom will love these donations of time and talent.

* Donate used puzzles to the library.

* Repair gently used toys and bring to the mission thrift store.

* Drop used books in Green Earth Books boxes.

* Teach your little brother to play a song on your guitar.

* Knit a blanket for a new baby (little blankets make great starter project for kid knitters).

* Bike to the store to pick up your elderly neighbor's prescription.

* Fix up your old bike and give to the neighbor's child.

* Wash gently used clothes and drop in Goodwill donations box.

* Make a meal for someone who had surgery.

* Let your little sister pick the TV show.

* Do volunteer work for kids in your family. Play Legos with your little brother.

* Have a free garage sale. Or put gently used give-aways on the curb for people to take. This volunteer work for kids can have a network of positive connections.

* Fill a bag of groceries and leave it on your laid-off neighbor's porch.

* Draw and frame a picture for your priest's, rabbi's, minister's office.

* Write your doctor a note thanking her for caring for you.

* Find out what the food pantry needs, go shopping, bring groceries.

* Paint a pretty mug for your teacher and fill it with her favorite coffee.

* Attend a funeral (this isn't exactly volunteer work for kids, but it is a very generous gift and not always so easy to give).

* Cheerfully clean your room without being asked.

* Leave a plant for your mail carrier.

* Babysit your irritating cousins for free (awesome ROAK!)

* Help your grumpy neighbor wash his car (this volunteer work for kids may not involve money, but it will cost patience!)

* Eat only vegetables once a week and put donate money to food pantry.