As a child, I faced some difficulties because I did not know Arabic well. My parents tried very hard to keep us speaking Arabic, but we were very stubborn unfortunately, may Allah forgive us. So as a mom, I decided that I would do everything I could so that my children would not have to go through those same struggles. My husband and I saw many children from Arabic speaking families who did not speak Arabic and this made us determined to ensure that our kids spoke Arabic well. And as the years went by, we started seeing the benefits of our efforts, by the help and mercy of Allah.
The benefits of kids learning Arabic well from a young age:
1- Easier for the child to read, memorize, and understand the Qur'an. Arabic is the language of the Qur'an. Allah chose Arabic because of the deep linguistic attributes of this language that no other language in the world has, it is an amazing language.
2- Able to communicate well with their grandparents, relatives, and especially cousins on the phone and when they travel overseas.
3- When they get married, they would be able to speak to their spouse and in-laws.
These things seem trivial, but I personally went through these struggles. Also, it is important to start when the child is young because when they get older it will be so much more difficult for them to learn Arabic and Qur'an. Believe me, I struggled for years.
Tips for Raising Arabic Speaking Children:
1- Make a rule for the house - Only Arabic is to be spoken in the house. If a child speaks English, you just calmly repeat what they said in Arabic and have them repeat it in Arabic. If they said it in English, it means they need a reminder and practice in how to say it in Arabic, not someone to yell at them to speak Arabic.
2- Read a story in Arabic to your child daily. Alternative: find audio book online. Or start Arabic story time with an Arabic-speaking friend.
3- Watch 1/2 hour of Arabic cartoons daily. I make YouTube playlists from Baraem channel. Then I use AppleTV to play them on the TV. The twins actually speak fusha now even though I don't speak fusha to them subhanAllah.
4 - Delay preschool: if they go to school they will learn English. At that age, their Arabic is not strong enough yet, so if they learn English they will stop speaking Arabic. At 4 years old I only teach them the English alphabet only, and I allow them to play with English speaking children to learn to speak. Then at 5 I send them to Kindergarten. Alternative: find or make and Arabic preschool. Or at least try to find a preschool that is only for a short time, a few days a week. If you don't delay preschool, believe me that enforcing the Arabic only rule in the house will be a big struggle.
5- At the age of 5 or 6 they should start learning how to read and write Arabic. The best choice is to get them an Arabic tutor in your house or online. I heard from friends that StudioArabiya.com is a good online program for kids. If you can teach them yourself that is a good option too. A good textbook you can find on noorart.com is 'Horizons in the Arabic Language' Al-Afaq. If these are not possible, find a Weekend school program that has a strong Arabic curriculum. They will protest sometimes, but they will thank you later. Most parents think that it is too much on the child to learn two languages at the same time. And that it is more important for the child to learn English so they can do well in school. My children learned both languages at the same time and they were fine and still did very well in school alhamdulillah. My third son learned to read and write in Arabic and English in the same year. Even though he was only going to Arabic class one day a week and occasional help from his father at home, by the end of the year he was reading ma sha' Allah. Young children are more capable of learning that you can imagine. They are like sponges.
6- Visit an Arabic speaking country every other summer. The goal here is Arabic immersion. If you are unable to travel overseas, try to find a way for the kids to be with kids who speak Arabic only.
7- Make du'a for your kids. Oh Allah make my children from the righteous. Oh Allah increase their beneficial knowledge. Oh Allah make useful for them what you have taught them and teach them knowledge that will be useful to them. Oh Allah make the Qur'an easy for them to read and memorize and understand. Oh Allah make the Qur'an the spring of their hearts, and the light of their chests, and the reliever of their sadness. Oh Allah I grant my children the understanding of the prophets and the memory of the messengers, and those nearest to you. Oh Allah give my children wisdom and join them with the righteous and give them a truthful tongue. Oh Allah expand their breasts, and make their affairs easy on them, and make their speech clear for all to understand. Oh Allah there is nothing that is easy unless you make it easy, so make it easy on my children. Oh Allah make my spouse and children the coolness of my eyes.
للَّهُمَّ انْفَعْنِي بِمَا عَلَّمْـتَنِي وَ عَلِّمْنِي مَا يَنْفَعُنِي
.اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ فَهْمَ النَّ بِيِّينَ وَ حِفْظَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ
اَللّٰهُمَّ اَخْرِجْنِيْ مِنْ ظُلُمَاتِ الْوَهْمِ وَ اَكْرِمْنِيْ بِنُوْرِ الْفَهْمِ
اَللّٰهُمَّ افْتَحْ عَلَيْنَا اَبْوَابَ رَحْمَتِكَ وَ انْشُرْ عَلَيْنَا خَزَآئِنَ
عُلُوْمِكَ بِرَحْمَتِكَ يَا اَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِيْ
اَللَّهُمَّ وَفِّقْنِيْ فِىْ الْمُطَالَعَةِ بِحَلِّ جَمِيْعِ مُشْكِلاَتِ الْمَسَآئِلِ مِنَ الْكُتُبِ بِرَحْمَتِكَ يَا اَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِيْنَ.
اللَّهُمَّ لاَ سَهْلاً إِلّاَ مَا جَعَلّتَهٌ سَهْلاً وَأَنّتَ تَجّعَلَ الحَزَنَ إِذَا شِئتَ سَهْلاً
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْألُكَ عِلْماً نَافِعاَ وَعَمَلاً صَالِحاً وَحِفْظاً قَوِيّاً وَفَهْماً كَامِلاً وَعَقْلاً سَالِماً بِرَحْمَتِكَ يَا اَرْحَمَ ٱلرَّاحِمِينَ اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلى مُحَمَّدٍ وَّآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ
Even if you don't speak Arabic, you should still do everything you can to help your child learn Arabic for the sake of making the Qur'an easy for them in sha' Allah. It is much easier to memorize Qur'an when you can read it rather than having to read the transliteration as I used to have to do. It is much easier to concentrate in your prayers when you can understand what you are saying. If our kids don't know Arabic, it will be hard for them to make a relationship with the Qur'an- which they will need to get through the difficulties in life and be successful in this world and the hereafter. If they know Arabic, they can get the wisdom and knowledge about life directly from the One who created them by reading the Qur'an. Make Arabic and Qur'an a priority in your child's life and you will see how it will guide them and benefit them in so many ways throughout their whole life in sha' Allah.
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