Islam for kids, a front door for parents.

Not sure where to begin? Pick your child's age. You will find the first things to teach, the free tools that go with them, and a few tips that help.

By age

Start with your child's age.

Ages 3 to 5

Love, words and play

At this age the aim is warmth, not lessons. A child learns the most from seeing you, so let them copy you and keep it short and happy.

Say Bismillah before eating and Alhamdulillah after, and let them say it with you.
Teach the name of Allah, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and a few short duas, one at a time.
Sing or say one letter a day. Use kids mode so there is one big letter on the screen.
Let them stand beside you in prayer and copy you. There is no duty on them yet.

Alphabet kids mode

A calm view for young children: one letter, a button to hear it, then Next.

Arabic letter match

Match each letter to its sound and name.

Dua before eating

A one-line dua a child can learn in a day.

Dua before sleeping

The bedtime dua and what to recite before sleep.

Ten happy minutes beat an hour of tears. Stop while they still want more.

Ages 6 to 9

Habits: wudu, salah and the first surahs

This is the age to build the habit of prayer. The Prophet ﷺ told parents to command their children to pray at seven, so start gently and keep it kind.

Practise wudu and the steps of salah together. Play the order games, then pray side by side.
Begin the Noorani Qaida with you for 15 to 20 minutes a day. Most children finish it in three to six months.
Learn Al-Fatiha and then the short surahs: Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq, An-Nas, Al-Kawthar.
Tell the stories of the prophets, and take the quiz after each one.
Use the salah tracker's kids mode: one star for each prayer prayed.

Noorani Qaida

Ten lessons from single letters to reading words, with tap-to-hear cells.

Al-Ikhlas word by word

Four short ayat on who Allah is. Often the first surah after Al-Fatiha.

Salah tracker, kids mode

Each prayer becomes a star, with a reward goal for each child and a printable chart.

Prophets quiz

Questions about the prophets from the Quran, at three levels.

Stars are for effort, not for perfection. Praise a star in person, then let it go.

Ages 10 to 13

Every prayer, the Quran and the road to puberty

Now the prayers are expected every day, and the child is nearly accountable. Explain the why, answer hard questions honestly, and prepare them for puberty with calm facts.

Pray all five prayers. From ten, if a child refuses, a parent may discipline them, but only lightly and kindly. Gentle encouragement comes first.
Read the Quran with tajweed and begin Juz Amma, or start a hifz plan.
Fast a few days or half days before puberty to build up. Fasting becomes fard at puberty.
Talk about puberty and ghusl before it comes. Prayers missed before puberty are not owed later.
Read the seerah and talk about the Names of Allah.

Learn Quran word by word

Any surah, ayah by ayah: tap a word to hear it, slow it down and repeat.

Quran tracker for kids

Al-Fatiha and Juz Amma surah by surah, with stars and a printable sheet.

Life of the Prophet ﷺ

The seerah told in stages, for older children.

How to do ghusl

The steps of the ritual bath, for older children and teens.

A teenager hears a question better than a rule. Ask what they think, then add what the Quran and sunnah say.

Priorities

What to teach first.

Who Allah is, in a few wordsAllah made us and loves us. Teach the Names slowly, one at a time, and the shahada by heart.
Bismillah and AlhamdulillahThese two words turn every meal, journey and good day into worship. Dua before eating is the easiest first dua.
The Arabic lettersUse kids mode first, then the Noorani Qaida, so that the child can read the Quran by themselves.
Wudu and salahStart at seven and keep it gentle. Play the wudu and salah games, then pray together.
Short surahsAl-Fatiha first, then the short surahs at the end of the Quran. Listen with them in the word by word reader.
The prophets and the seerahStories stay with a child for life. Read a prophet's story at bedtime.
Manners and duas for daily lifeGreeting, thanking, sharing, entering the home, going to sleep. Keep each to one line.

Hanafi position

Parents tell the child to pray from the age of seven and teach wudu and the prayer. Prayer is not fard on the child before puberty, so nothing missed before it is made up. From ten the guardian may discipline lightly, never harshly.

Other madhhabs

Shafi'i, Hanbali: The same: telling the child at seven and light discipline from ten are duties of the guardian. Prayer becomes fard at puberty.

Everything in one place

The learning tools for children.

Arabic and the Quran

Arabic alphabet

All 28 letters with sound, forms and a chart. Kids mode shows one big letter at a time.

Noorani Qaida

Ten lessons from single letters to reading words, with tap-to-hear cells.

Learn Quran word by word

Any surah, ayah by ayah: tap a word to hear it, slow it down and repeat.

Al-Fatiha trainer

Word by word Arabic with transliteration, meaning and recitation.

Hifz planner

A daily plan for memorising a surah.

Hifz test

Recite from the first words, with simple spaced repetition.

Games and quizzes

Islamic games for kids

Letter match, wudu and salah order games, a 99 Names game and a prophets quiz.

Arabic letter match

Match each letter to its sound and name.

Wudu steps game

Put the ten steps of wudu in order.

Salah steps game

Put the steps of the prayer in order.

Prophets quiz

Questions about the prophets from the Quran, at three levels.

99 Names match

Match the Names of Allah to their meanings.

Islamic quiz

Questions on the basics of Islam, for the whole family.

Prayer, trackers and duas

Salah tracker, kids mode

Each prayer becomes a star, with a reward goal for each child and a printable chart.

Quran tracker for kids

Al-Fatiha and Juz Amma surah by surah, with stars and a printable sheet.

How to make wudu

The ten steps with the dua, for a child and a parent to practise together.

How to pray

Every step of the prayer in the Hanafi way, with the words.

Duas library

Short duas for eating, sleeping, entering the home and more.

Morning and evening adhkar

Short, simple remembrance for the start and end of the day.

The six kalimas

Arabic, transliteration and meaning, for children who learn them at madrasa.

Stories

Stories of the prophets

A page for each prophet from the Quran, in simple English.

Life of the Prophet ﷺ

The seerah told in stages, for older children.

99 Names of Allah

Each Name with its meaning and audio.

The games need no account. The trackers save on this device only, so each family keeps its own.

For parents

Seven tips that help.

Short and dailyTen to fifteen minutes every day works better than one long weekend lesson.
Model itChildren copy what you do. Let them see you pray, read Quran and say Bismillah.
Praise effortSay what you saw: "You tried hard on that letter." Stars and a small goal help, but they are not the purpose.
Play firstA game, a story or a song opens the door. Then add one small thing to learn.
Do not force a very young childPrayer is not yet fard on a child. Invite, do not push, until seven, and be firm but kind from ten.
Answer questions honestly"I do not know, let us find out together" is a good answer. Use the Q&A to look it up.
Make dua for themThe Prophet ﷺ made dua for the children around him. Yours is part of their education.

Most asked

Questions parents ask.

Did not find your question? Ask our team.

Search all 1,905 answers on AmalKit, or send us your question. We write answers to the questions people ask most, Hanafi first, with the Quran and hadith behind each one.

Ask a question All children answers

Questions

Good to know

At what age should a child start praying?

Tell children to pray from the age of seven and be firmer from ten, as the Prophet ﷺ instructed. Prayer becomes fard on the child at puberty.

At what age should a child start learning Quran?

There is no fixed age. Many families begin the Arabic letters and short surahs around four or five. In the Hanafi school parents must make sure a child learns al-Fatihah and enough Quran to pray.

Do children have to fast?

Fasting becomes fard at puberty. Before that, parents can have a child fast when able, from about seven, starting with half days.

What is the best order to teach a child to read the Quran?

The Arabic letters first, then the Noorani Qaida, then Al-Fatiha and the short surahs, then Juz Amma with tajweed.

Are these tools free?

Yes. The games need no account, and the trackers save on your own device.

Not answered here? Ask our team.

Sources

Where this comes from

Sunan Abi Dawud 495, from Amr ibn Shuayb: command the children to pray at seven and discipline them at ten. Graded hasan sahih by al-Albani.
Al-Marghinani, al-Hidayah, Kitab al-Salah; Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, on teaching and disciplining children. The other madhhabs' positions are summarised from their standard manuals.
The Q&A answers linked on this page, each with its own Quran and hadith references.
Noorani Qaida pacing: from the Noorani Qaida page of this site (15 to 20 minutes a day, three to six months for most children).

Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar.