Teaching Alhamdulillah To Kids
This past weekend, dinner got delayed by about an hour because I needed to get groceries. That's an hour of 3 extra whiney kids complaining about how much their tummies were rumbling! But I'm so glad I didn't cave and grab them some chicken nuggets, because dinner that night turned out to be extra yummy and scrumptious, or maybe we were all just very, very hungry! This dinner was followed by a delicious dark chocolate ganache cake with some ice cold milk.
By the time we got done eating and cleaning up, it was time for the kids to get ready for bed. I walk into my girls' room, and my 6 year old (the middle child, the entertainer of the family, the girl who wears her pants almost to her chest) declares that she needs to wear her pants under her belly button because her tummy was extra stuffed and she needs to stick it out like a lady with a baby in her tummy!
I tell her to say Alhamdulillah, and then ask her what else she is grateful to Allah for. She had a hard time at first, mainly because she was suffering from food come, but eventually came up with some things. I always try my best to point out the smaller blessing, because those are the most abundant and overlooked, Alhamdulillah!
We had a car to take us to the grocery store.
Health to be able to move around and be independent.
Enough money to afford all the healthy groceries.
A home that we can cook in and live and sleep in.
A TV that distracts us when we're really hungry and waiting for food.
Mama and Daddy to feed and take care of the kids.
Pants that stretch out when you've eaten a little bit more than you should have.
Healthy bodies that are not allergic to things and are able to digest the food we eat.
Alhamdulillah this list just goes on and on, but it's an important reminder for the kids to focus on the things we are blessed with. And once we realize all the blessings, we should always remember to say Alhamdulillah!
Teaching empathy and gratitude to kids can be a tricky thing. But if you emulate these things in front of them, and constantly remind them or give them visuals, it will stick eventually inshaAllah!
That's why I made a gratitude, or in this case, an Alhamdulillah Jar. My girls who are 6 & 8, get to write down 3 things they are grateful to Allah for every night before going to bed. I put this jar in their room, next to their bed, so they don't forget.
I've attached a free printable below:
