Teaching kids about Islam-need help

[Ummu Sufyaan]

i need some help regarding how to teach kids about Islam. i know what to do, im just not sure how to go about it. please, if you have any related links, videos, etc do post.

also, if anyone has done any type of teaching, please pitch in as well.

i have 2 hours a week to teach kids aged between 4-9 about Islam...i have decided to focus on 2 topics for now: aqeedah and history (including not only stories of the anbiyaa, sahabi's, etc, but also men and women who has built this ummah throughout the ages- i want to focus on this topic for role models)...

so now im sort of stuck.

1) i need a list of Islamic books, resources, etc i can derive my teaching material from.

2)i need to know what are the actual topics i need to cover (especially for the history one...its very vast)...like for aqeedah, i intend on basing this on the 6 pillars but even then, it can get...vast...

3) i know i must "miniaturize" the information to conform with their intellect, but how? like how do i deliver the material in such a way that it interests them and stimulates their brains?

4) how do i deliver my material? as in are there different methods of teaching i should know about which are equally as effective then just talking?

5) is there anything else i need to know such as the kids themselves...for example, is a teaching a 4 year old about aqeedah "too much", etc etc...like the difference in intellect of a 4 yr old compared to a 9 yr old is considerably different so im sort of worried that 1 age group will get bored because the other is too slow, etc...how much time should i focus on one topic?


above all, i need (if possible) some kind of time table/curriculum/syllabus, etc
Does anyone know links to a programme i can get ideas from? obviously something like this has probably been done before.


sorry for all the demands my brain is seriosuly not functioning and i cant even think of what to type into Google for ideas...

 

[mht]

:wa:
What you should consider doing is getting them active at your local Masjid activity, such as youth group (for the older ones). Also you should enroll them at an Islamic School or weekend school. To be honest children tend to listen to others than from home.

 

[- Qatada -]

:salamext:


tell them that if they be good, you'll let them watch these;

the boy and the king; http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6099011565430984134#
habil and qabil; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmsnAgqd9hc

 

[GuestFellow]

This is a good website for Islamic resources: www.kalamullah.com. You should also get a Encyclopedia of Islam and a short introduction to Islam. The first will give you in-depth analysis of Islam and the second will give you a quick reminder.

You are going to be teaching young children, so it is best to teach them very basic information about Islam. Do not go into too much detail as this may confuse them.

You should create a checklist. For example:

1. What is Islam?
2. Who is Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H)?
3. The Five Pillars of Islam (short introduction)
4. History of Islam (keep it simple)
5. Manners in Islam
6. Introduction to the Arabic Language (alphabet only)

You are going to teach 4-9 year old students. You need to keep the information as basic as possible. You need to get them a good overview of what you are teaching. This is where the short introduction to Islam book might be useful, because it will have already summarised the complex information. The students must be equipped with a firm foundation, and then introduce complex topics.

It will be useful to understand what these students already know about Islam. So type up a Quiz, photocopy it and give each student to complete. This will tell you how much they know. Make it a multiple choice questions.

During the lesson, start off with the topic title and the learning objective. You can talk, give a powerpoint presentation with sound effects, use the whiteboard, make them watch a video on Islam kids version, give them activities in the lesson and etc...

Since you have students with different age backgrounds, you have to present the information that will appeal to all of them. Mix older students with the younger ones, the older ones might help the younger one.

The older students might ask more complex questions about Islam. Some students are a pain and always ask questions like, why or how. This is where the Encyclopedia of Islam comes in because you can give them a detailed explanation...

I would hate to be a teacher, I would go mad. :skeleton:

 

[Banu_Hashim]

I've taught in a Sunday Islamic School before... and we used a circulum of books from South Africa. They were quite good and covered Fiqh, History, Imaan etc. I will check on the details of those books and get back to you inshaAllah.