5 Tips for Teaching your Little Ones Tajweed

Teaching our little ones tajweed is an exciting journey however it can feel daunting as well, as it is essential in order for them to recite Quran correctly. Nevertheless, when I started to teach tajweed to kids I noticed the blessing of the Quran as I was surprised at how quickly they picked up the rules even though tajweed can be challenging with all the rules and terminology.    

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Such a person as recites the Qur'an and masters it by heart, will be with the noble righteous scribes (in Heaven). And such a person exerts himself to learn the Qur'an by heart, and recites it with great difficulty, will have a double reward."

(Sahih al-Bukhari 4937) 

Subhanallah, this hadith is a great motivation for our little ones to keep trying even if they find it challenging to recite the Quran with tajweed. So now every time one of my students stumbles on a word I think of this hadith and smile.    

I often get asked questions about how and when to start teaching tajweed, and even though everybody’s tajweed journey will be unique and there is definitely not just one way to teach tajweed, there are some universal tips that can facilitate the journey.    

1.   Start when your child is ready 

There is no ideal starting age, as every child is different. You can work out if your little one is ready by trying to sit down with them for 10 minutes and introduce a rule in a fun and engaging way and see if they are engaged and ask questions to gauge their understanding.

2.   Be consistent

Integrate reading Quran into their daily life. You can start by you reading to them at an early age and as they progress with their tajweed ask them to find the tajweed rules in the Quran. Whenever you are learning something new, consistency is key so even if you spend five to ten minutes reviewing a rule, playing a game or just making the sounds of the letters it will gradually build their confidence.

3.   Be creative 

There are so many ways to be creative when teaching tajweed. One easy way to bring a little excitement to tajweed is to do some role play and ask your little one to be the teacher and teach a rule to you or their toys. Ask your little one what rule they would like to teach and once they have finished look for examples in the Quran. Maybe recite an example incorrectly for them and see if they pick up the mistake. Another great way is to watch the amazing Arabic letter series by Wisam Sherrieff and copy the sounds he makes as you go along. We often end up giggling in our class when trying to make the funny sounds. You can also play a tajweed game with your little one, one of the first games I created was the 5 makharij matching game and the kids loved doing this activity as it was hands-on and fun.

4.   Choose the right Qaida for them

There are many different qaidas out there for you to choose from and choosing a qaida that incorporates the tajweed rules means you don’t have to teach tajweed independently. Teaching the rules in a simple manner whilst teaching them how to read Arabic means they will not have to struggle later. Some qaidas are based on the uthmani script whilst others are based on the indo-pak script. Just keep in mind the tajweed rules are based on the uthmani script. However, I have thought both depending on what has been easier for the child, and later encouraged the transition to the uthmani script.

5.   Make lots of dua

Last but not least a very important step in the journey is to make lots of dua to Allah as he is the one who will put lots of barakah in your time and help your little ones fall in love with the Quran.

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