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Every human being is at loss… except…

It’s the summer holidays, a time all kids rejoice and parents begrudge! After a long, tough year at school, every kid relishes that much earned break to kick back, relax and enjoy the sun. In their minds, summer consists of a concoction of games, gym, smartphones, TV and friends – with snacks, sleep and maybe a vacation scattered in between.

Yet, the words of this verse ring in your ears. Every moment we have is a moment too precious to waste, and death can come at any time. Just this week, the community mourned the loss of Shaykh Muhammad Al-Shareef at the young age of 47, a reminder that death can come to anyone at any time. We need to make the most of all that we have before it’s too late.

As parents, it’s tough enough entertaining them for 6 weeks alongside work, let alone having to worry about the time they spend. Religion feels like another burden to bear!

But the truth is, it doesn’t have to. There are really simple yet effective ‘hacks’ you can do this summer to make yours and their time super productive, balancing between fun and benefit in this precious holiday. Here are 10 Hacks to help you parent like a pro to make this a summer they won’t forget!

1 – Make the most of game time!

We know our kids will play PlayStation. Why not make that time more productive by putting on a lecture series or audio book in the background? The science shows it can be a powerful way to teach a lot of content as the game occupies the child brain which usually distracts them, allowing them to listen and absorb for longer period of time without fidgeting. Even if they do not pick up 100%, 30% learnt is still 30% gained. This hack came from Shaykh Muhammad Al-Shareef may Allah ﷻ bless his soul

2 – TV Time = Dhikr time!

If you can’t beat them… make them better!? It is near impossible to eliminate TV entirely from our lives. Instead, why not give each person a dhikr counter or tasbeeh to use whilst watching tv? As the revel in catching all the Pokemon, they can complete 1000 subhanallahs along the way. Witness a blessing from your favourite YouTuber? Say Masha’allah! Seeing something haram on Netflix? Your dhikr reminds you to lower your gaze, say Astaghfirallah and fast forward. It’s a wonderful way to instil God consciousness whilst doing something mindless

3 – Find new ways to learn

Getting your kids to read a book can be a struggle, so why not ask them to watch a TV series instead? We’ve all seen the impact that the film ‘The Message’ had on our collective consciousness around the Prophetic story ﷺ when we were young, so imagine introducing the next generation to similar things? Just like we rewatch Home Alone every Christmas holidays, make it an annual tradition of watch MBC’s Omar series for example with your children, reminding them of the beautiful story of the greatest of creation.

4 – Set Tasks

Create a list of sunnahs for them to complete. Scholars emphasise the necessity of imitating the Beloved ﷺ in all that He did, even if it’s just once in your life. Set this as an aspirational target for them each summer, making a checklist of all the different sunnahs he practiced and marking them as you perform them. We’ve compiled a list of some of the more well-known ones to aim for, but there are many more you can add too! Join our mailing list to get it!

5 – Join in!

If you want your kids to do something, you have to do it first! Kids love nothing more than seeing their parents take part too, especially with a bit of competition. If you make this summer a set of family targets, it will make their and your enthusiasm and compliance much higher as you can each hold each other accountable, and set rewards for one another too.

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We’re going to pause here after the first five to give you some time to implement them.
Insha’allah next week we’ll release the next 5 hacks as well, so ten in total. The summer holidays can be a really transformative time, especially if used correctly, so really do try and take a couple of these on. It’s amazing the impact these small changes can have on the lives of our kids.

Jazakallah Khair! Tune in next week for the next 5. Remember to share and subscribe and as always, keep us in your dua’s.

As-salaamu Alaykum Warahmat Allah