Juz 1: Surahs Fatiha & Baqarah Activities for Kids

Before you dive into the actual activities for each surah, spend some time reciting the surah together. In this case, recite Surah Fatiha and the first 141 ayahs of Surah Baqarah. If this is not possible, listen to the surah on a digital device. Since we will be recreating our masjid experience, we be listening to Mishari Rashid on our Quran explorer App.

If there are multiple Surahs in the Juz, you may choose to listen to one surah and complete the coordinating activities before moving on to the next surah. Alternatively, you may choose to listen to the entire Juz and then complete the activities for all the surahs in that Juz.

Surah Fatiha

The first surah in the Quran is Surah Fatiha. It is a Dua of the believer to Allah (SWT) asking for guidance. The Surahs that follow it provide that guidance.

Dua Burger

So for the first activity, it’s only fitting that we discuss the proper manner of making a Dua. This activity is inspired by the paragraphing burger activity my daughter recently received in her class. Clearly, you can see what is still on my mind.

Click here to download the activity.

Just like a burger has several layers, so should your Dua be sandwiched between layers of sincere praise for Allah and Durood. The top and bottom bun layers represent sincere Praise for Allah. The toppings on the top and bottom of the patty represent the Durood, and the patty is the actual Dua.

Activity modification for younger kids

Children that are too young to read and write, can simply color the drawing of the the burger for this activity. If they are able to, have them raise their hands to the air and make a Dua, any Dua they wish to. If they can do not understand what a Dua is, help them recite a simple Dua such as:

Rabbi zidni ilma

For children that may not be able to complete the worksheet but can understand the different layers of a Dua, take a few moments to verbally explain it to them. Then, spend some time coming up with duas they would like to make and practice each Dua sandwiched in between Praise for Allah and the Durood.

Activity extension for older kids

Have older children practice reciting their dua out loud after a prayer.

Word for word Surah Fatiha Flashcards

Another great activity for this surah is to memorize its word for word meaning. After all, it’s one of the most recited surahs. Wouldn’t it be nice to understand every word that you recite the next time you are praying?

For this activity, you’ll need the FREE printable found HERE.

Follow the instructions for making the flash card and then use them to help memorize the meaning of the words.

Activity modification for younger kids

If memorizing each word is overwhelming, have the children tape the words together to make an entire sentence. Then memorize the surah line by line rather than as word for word.

Surah Baqarah

The second surah in the Quran is also the longest surah. The title of Surah Baqarah, which means “the cow” comes from verses 67-73 which mentions the cow in the story of Prophet Musa (A). However, it is important to note that the titles of the Surahs do not always represent a chapter’s central theme. Surah Baqarah, in fact, has many themes or topics in it.

Cow Puzzle

To honor the many themes of Surah Baqarah, we will start out with a simple puzzle activity. This activity has several different variations so please choose the one that works best for your child.

Instructions: Download the puzzle by clicking HERE. Print pages 1 and 2 only. Then, cut along the lines to separate each of the pieces of the cow puzzle. Mix up the pieces and simply have the child rearrange the puzzle correctly on the blank mat provided, and glue it in place.

Variation #1:

If the child is too young to complete the puzzle, print page 3 and ask them to color it.

Variation #2: 

Use the blank mat (see attachment) as a template and guide to cut out pieces of cardboard that you can then glue to the back of the cow puzzle pieces. Use corrugated cardboard for younger kids. Once the backing has been glued, the puzzle can be used and reused like any other 16 piece puzzle.

Variation #3:

On the blank puzzle mat, choose and write down 16 themes from the list below. Have the child read the translation from a Quran with an easy to understand translation. I personally like this one . As they read the text, ask them to identify the topic of the Ayah. Children can only place puzzle pieces on those spots which have been identified. Do this until all the topics have been identified.

Topics List:

Creation, Tawhid, Guidance, Qualities of a believer, Allah’s favors on the Israelites, trials of Ibrahim (A), Adam (A), Musa (A), Change of Qibla, fasting, fighting, Drinking, Intoxication & Gambling, Divorce, Mahr/Dowry, interest, debt, supplication & Repentence, Fate, Charity

Variation #4:

Read through the surah and figure the topics of each Ayah. For every correct answer, the child earns a puzzle piece. Once they have all pieces, they can put the puzzle together and glue it into the blank puzzle mat.

Characteristics of the Muttaqeen

Our next activity for Juz 1 focuses on the first 20 ayahs of Surah Baqarah. The surah begins by defining the characteristics of three types of people: the muttaqeen (the believers), the kafireen (the disbelievers), and the munafiqeen (the hypocrites).

Download the worksheet HERE. This is a self explanatory worksheet with directions at the top of the page. This worksheet for Surah Baqarah ayahs 2-20 has two variations. For younger children, use the first page. For older children, use the second page. The third page is the answer sheet.

Completing this activity will allow the children an opportunity to understand the characteristics of a person that are most pleasing to Allah (SWT), as well those that are the most displeasing.

Kaabah Activity

This activity is based on the last few ayahs of Surah Baqarah (ayahs 124-141) in which Allah mentions Ibrahim (A) and the Kaabah. I won’t share any specific activity for this portion, instead I will share my Pinterest board in which I have pinned a couple different Kaabah related activities. There’s no sense in reinventing the wheel. There are plenty of Kaabah related crafts and activities available on the internet. Please check out my Pinterest Board: Kaabah Activities for ideas, but do NOT limit yourself to just those. Any activity, including a simple Kaabah coloring page, can be used to talk about Ibrahim (A) and Ismail (A) as mentioned in these ayahs.

Prophet Ibrahim (A) Dua

Ayah 128 of Surah Baqarah has a beautiful dua made by the Prophet Ibrahim (A). For our last and final activity, I would suggest memorizing this dua. For younger children, you can recite it for them a few times. Little children are quick to memorize. They may surprise you. The older children can memorize this dua and recite it after their prayers. To make the activity a little more fun, have the children compete to see who can memorize it first. The winner gets a small prize.