A Sample Hifdh Schedule for Children

Bismillaah,

Assalaamu alaikum,

this method  is one that I really like for teaching children or any beginners.
I have some other young children that I teach and this is the technique we use.  Alhamdulillaah I find it to be really effective and easy to work with.

It’s based upon the student listening to audios. These audios are special ones that have a Teacher reciting the surah and a group of children repeating what the teacher recited after him.

Here is an example with Surah Al-Fatihah

You can download these audios here: children’s hifdh audios.  This method can be started with your child as soon as they can speak alhamdulillaah.

Consistency is really important.  The steps are quick and easy to follow, but they have to be done on a daily basis and by the permission of Allaah, this is what gets the results.

Hifdh.

Step 1.
Pick a time everyday where the child will sit happily to learn the Qur’an. You won’t need long.   30minutes is the maximum.  I personally prefer the morning before breakfast but try to find a time that works best for you and your child that you can stick to. It helps if you both have a good energy level and there are minimal distractions around.  Also try to make sure that they aren’t going to follow their hifdh with an activity that takes a lot of thinking as this can distract them from what they’ve just memorised and Allaah knows best.

Step 2.
Let your child listen to the audio of the surah that they are learning.
They should read with the voices of the children imitating what the teacher has read.

They only need to do this once per day.

Praise them well when they have finished and if you wish, give them a nice sticker, star or food treat for their good work. We are aiming to build a positive association with their hifdh. We need them to grow up with good memories attached to this wonderful deed.  Even if they grow up and forget every ayah,  if they keep the positive attitude towards learning Qur’an then as for me, you’ve succeeded at your task.

IMPORTANT

While they’re reciting with the audio, don’t correct them , even if they make a blatant mistake.  It can take them awhile for them to get used to the pace of the audio but they tend to correct themselves after hearing it a few more times.

Step 3.
Every 3 days, let them recite the surah for you unassisted.  Take this time to gently correct any words they may mispronounce.  Ask them to stop reciting after the first 1 -3 mistakes depending on how easy it is for them to correct them. i.e if a child is learning Suratul Faatihah and says alhandu instead of alhamdu then, try to correct this mistake and stop on this ayah rather than moving onto the next to correct other errors.   We don’t want them to focus on too many corrections as this can de-motivate them.   You can allow them to finish reading the surah if they want to but don’t correct any more mistakes.  Praise them well and reward them with stickers or whichever reward system you prefer.
Repeat steps 1 -3 until they can recite the surah completely without mistakes.  You can prompt them a little if they forget a word or 2.  The accompanying revision program will help them to correct this over time.

TIPS

*Try your best to stay  upbeat and positive throughout and show them that you are happy with their progress and make dua for them openly and secretly.  The mere fact that they are making any effort is something to be proud of so let them know this.

*Hifdh charts to track their progress can be really encouraging for them.

*Let them listen to the hifdh audio or the surahs they are memorising during quiet time such as before bed, this can really help them learn.

*Do it too!  Children will always follow your example so let them see you reading, revising and memorising.

 

I’ll be posting a review schedule next in shaa Allaah.

Sorry if any of it seems unclear, I’ll probably be back to edit it some more, but for now, I just needed to stop delaying it and get it done. Please do let me know about any extra information you may need to understand this method properly.

Hope this helps

Baarakallaahu feekum