by Tamania Jaffri – Follow @urdumom
This post was originally posted on Urdu Mom and is republished with permission. All photos are courtesy of the blog’s founder, Tamania Jaffri.
Eid is an important event in the Muslim calendar marked by celebrations, grand feasts, and acts of charity. I have fond memories of Eid from my childhood as we received Eidi (cash gifts), rejoiced with family and enjoyed days of celebrations. Since having children of my own, I have tried to maintain traditions so that they have fond memories and associations with their Pakistani-Muslim heritage.
Children sometimes get lost in the grand celebrations of big Eid dinners. How about planning an Eid party for children this year tailored to their needs and enjoyment? Here are some ideas to make it work and get across the beautiful lessons of Eid celebrations in age-appropriate ways.
EID PARTY FOR CHILDREN
Plan an Eid party of Children during the Eid break or on the nearest weekend. Make sure you are clear in the communication that this party is tailored for children.
INVITES
Send out the invite a few weeks prior, before families have finalized their plans for Eid. Invite children in the same age group. Make sure you ask the children to wear their Eid best outfits.
LOCATION
You can plan the party at home indoors or outdoors. If you can manage outdoors that would be great so that the kids have a lot of space to run and play.
TIMING
Eid is a busy day for families with morning prayers at the mosque and lots of family commitments. Pick a time when kids would be fresh and not tired. This can be the morning of Eid right after prayers or the morning of the nearest weekend.
DECORATIONS
Keep it festive but simple. Children are happy with a few balloons. Try to repurpose things around your house for decorations. Also, there are many free downloads available for Eid decorations or for quite cheap on Etsy. I used this one by In My Studio for an Eid poster, straw flags and cupcake wrappers.
[Read More: 7 Simple Ways to Raise a Confident Child ]
ACTIVITIES AND GAMES
- Have lots of gender inclusive activities. While girls might enjoy getting henna applied on their hands, boys might like making henna patterns squirting it from cones onto paper.
- Print lots of Eid coloring sheets (available for free online) and put out crayons for kids.
- Put out supplies to make Eid cards for family and friends.
- Play-Doh is always a hit!
- For younger kids, set up a mat/blanket with lots of toys
- Set a reading corner for Eid themed books. Some of our favorites are the Ilyas & Duck series and My Eid Mubarak Story book.
- If budget allows, have a face painter come in. Or maybe you have a friend with special talents who can volunteer!
- Usu, lly kids enjoy free play more but have a few games like a scavenger hunt or a game of good ol’ tug-of-war if kids need some direction
- Put on some great music!
- Use disposable table covers to make cleanup easy.
- Make sure you have goodie bags for the kids when they leave!
FOOD
- Have a kid-friendly menu with chicken nuggets, fries, cupcakes usually being party favorites!
- Make sure there is food for the adults also!
- An Eid-themed cake can be a great idea for dessert!
Hope you enjoyed all these tips and the pictures from our party! Wishing you a very happy and blessed Eid!
Tamania blogs about her Pakistani-Canadian family at UrduMom.com sharing the journey of raising bilingual children, teaching them Urdu in fun ways and their multicultural life in Canada.
