They say every child is different…

I am not sure whether I was in denial or just being lazy.

My daughter enjoyed learning her Arabic alphabet, and all I had to do was print out some flashcards and download the Qaaidah Nuuraniyyah app, wala! No complaints and she was learning.

I thought I would do the same with my son, except he had no interest in learning his Arabic alphabet. He did like listening to the qaaidah (once in awhile), but ask him to do anything else…. there was just no way!

This is where I got a little lazy and thought both my kids learned in the same way… so I waited too long to incorporate the toys that he already loved as a way to help him learn his Arabic alphabet. It is how he learned his alphabet, numbers, and much more. Through play, and hands-on activities.

Importance of learning through play:

For children play is a serious way to learn and develop skills. While playing pretend grocery children will often times use math and literacy. They learn new vocabulary as they are playing and counting their toy fruits/vegetables. But most of the time when we hear learning through play we tend to over complicate it. We think of all the toys to buy and think of ways to incorporate them.

Instead, I learned to focus on open-ended quality wooden toys that will last and allow you to use it in more than one way.

It’s not the quantity (of the toys) that matters as much as the quality of the toys in terms of longevity and purpose of the toy. This is sort of a minimalist way of looking at toys before bringing them into the house.

Toys we have been using to help learn the Arabic Alphabet:

• Story Books (knowing this I entered a few giveaway and won an Arabic storybook which I will tell you all about next time Insha Allah).
• Puzzles (we received an Arabic alphabet puzzle two years ago that recently fell apart and now we only have the ThinkerNation Arabic Puzzle)
• Anything with trains, construction trucks, and animals.

Playing Arabic Alphabet Games with what you have:

There are so many ways for kids to learn letters while playing games, so I gathered a list of my favorite Arabic alphabet games. These games are sure to make learning the Arabic alphabet a fun and playful experience. Plus as an added bonus you won’t need much to set it up these games. We have actually found that we use one toy over and over again.

ThinkerNation Arabic Alphabet Puzzle:

Since receiving the Arabic puzzle we have found many ways to use it. I say we but really it was the children’s imagination that took over. I watched and followed their lead. The best thing about this puzzle is that the letters are big. Big enough to be used as

• Stamps in play dough

• Building interesting structures/towers and Balancing them

I also doubt that I will be losing one letter under the fridge, dishwasher or oven anytime soon. All moms can relate to the mixed feeling of not wanting to move those big appliances and knowing a small toy is under there.

I have been so impressed by the quality of the puzzle so far in fact it has made me question my loyalty to Malissa and Doug wooden toys and puzzles. The quality is not even comparable, to be honest. I will do a comparison soon Insha Allah. For now just look at the size difference. (P.S the letter S that’s missing is under the fridge :’)

Now on to the games we have been enjoying. The first one is the Arabic Letter Matching game. This one is easy to set up and younger children (preschoolers) love matching activities.

For older children a “what comes next” game will not only encourage revision but is also challenging for children who already know most or all their Arabic Alphabet.

Another game that develops gross motor skills and works on hand-eye coordination is “feed the zakkah box”. We started off with a big box that the children aimed for as a target but to keep it challenging we now use a smaller one.

I am sure we will continue to find more ways to enjoy the ThinkerNation Arabic Puzzle. So if formal lessons and flashcards are not your child’s thing. Maybe they just need more games and toys incorporated into their learning.

With that said, do you play games to learn Arabic? If you have more game ideas for us, do share it by commenting below.

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