The love of Allah is already there in our children’s hearts as every child is born with a true faith of Islam (Fitrah) and it is our duty as parents to help nurture and sustain that love.
However, as a parent, I have always found it very challenging when it comes to sustaining that love in my kids who are growing up in a fast-growing digital world. We, as parents, do not need to tell our children to love Allah, but we just need to show them the endless reasons to love Him and to express that love to Him in a proper way. We need to educate them on the significance of the daily connection with our Lord through Salah.
Growing up, I always remember copying every movement my mother used to make in her Salah, and her constant reminders kept the spirit of Salah present in my mind and heart, Alhamdulillah!
However, times have now changed and technology has allowed kids to learn various things through interactive ways. Even though parents are still the principle teachers in a child’s life, today’s digital kids need innovative tools to make learning engaging and interactive.
I have always been on the search for Islamic toys for my kids, which has been a tough journey for me as I live in a non-Muslim country, and the only toys that are available here have un-Islamic values in them, thus making it harder differentiating between the good and the bad in a toy.
That was when I came across My Salah Mat and, being absolutely amazed by the innovative features of this product, I decided to do an honest review. I have been telling all my family and friends about it.
I have also sent a massive ‘thank you’ note to Brother Kamal (founder of the My Salah Mat Company) for designing this and helping me, both as a parent and a teacher, teach kids how to perform Salah in a fun and engaging manner.
In a world full of gadgets that play a major role in distracting our children, we need a replacement to those screens that can offer the essential requirements a kid needs from a toy: the fun element, the interactive element, and the ease-of-use element.
These three major requirements are available in this toy, all at the same time, as it is a fun, easy and interactive prayer mat. However, an additional benefit is the fact that it is educational and thus, offers the kids a step-by-step guidance on the process of Salah.
Furthermore, it nurtures the love of Salah in children’s hearts as they get to have their very own special mat. As I mentioned earlier, we need to deepen that love of Allah in them through a daily connection with their Lord. This will only be possible when we make sure that the first interaction with Allah is one that is positive and inspirational and leaves an everlasting good impression in their memories, and this in turn will make them want to learn about Salah and fall in love with its performance. As they say, first impressions last longer.
I am very impressed by all the hard work that has gone into the research, creation and manufacturing of this product that can cater to different types of children from visual learners to audio learners to kinaesthetic learners, among the many more types present.
As you read on, you will see how.
How it Works
This toy should be introduced as a teaching tool for both Muslim households as well as schools since it covers the seven well-known learning styles.
It is recognised that every person has their own learning styles and techniques and this applies to younger ones as well.
Here is why the mat is effective as a teaching tool:
- It has 36 Touch-Sensitive Square Keys that can be touched to play pre-recorded sounds of various recitations required during prayer. These keys are marked with writings or illustrations and provide a layout that easily takes a child through the different stages of prayer: Wudhu, Takbir, Qiyam, Ruku, I’tidal, Sujood, Julus and finally Salaam. The combination of bright colours on the mat, the pictures on the keys and the way in which they are laid out with a “Start” and an “End” has been really helpful for my kids and covers both visual learners who prefer using images as well as kinaesthetic learners who prefer using their body and sense of touch to grasp the concept.
- It speaks seven languages: Urdu, English, Arabic, Indonesian, Malaysian, French and Turkish. The presence of diverse languages in the same toy exposed my kids to other languages that I had never heard of in my life, which was something positive as our Prophet ﷺ advised us to learn other languages. This toy boosts their interests in foreign languages. It is a combo-deal of spiritual learning and language learning. In this way, it also caters to bi- and multilingual children as they get a chance to learn about Salah in their mother tongue. This also covers aural learners who learn through sounds.
- It teaches kids short Surahs and the essential Duas like the Dua before sleeping, after waking up, leaving the house and many more. This increases their knowledge capacity. I have also witnessed my 2-year-old child trying to recite Surah Fatiha and, even though her words were not clear, the “Ameen!” was pronounced loud enough to be recognized. How cute is that! Allahuma Baarik Laha.
- It also covers both social and solitary learners. Social learners prefer to learn in groups and the same toy can be used to form a Jama’ah (congregational prayer) where the Imam (child) leads the prayer through the toy’s assistance by guiding on every step. This was what my kids enjoyed the most – leading me in prayer. As for the solitary learners, they prefer to pray alone and learn by themselves and this toy covers exactly that by providing a manual that guides the child at every step to pray by himself/herself.
- It is fire-, water- and dust proof, so do not worry about it being spoiled in the playground!
- There is a great Free Activity Book included with the prayer mat, which has cute drawings, colouring pages, crossword puzzles and mazes. All this helps your child learn more about Islamic terms and concepts. Verbal learners, who prefer learning by using words, and logical learners, who learn by using logic and reasoning, are both catered to through the Activity Book as they work with hands-on activities available in the book.
If you believe every child is different, then you definitely believe every child learns differently and this is why, as a mother and a teacher, I strongly recommend this product because it covers every child’s learning preference.
Learning about Salah does not always have to be in the traditional way. Let us utilise technological advances in teaching a child about Salah through this amazing prayer mat, which caters to all learning styles.
This was my sincere review and I will definitely recommend My Salah Mat for every child out there.
How to Buy
My Salah Mat Company ships worldwide.
Order yours now at www.mysalahmat.com
Contact us HERE for collaborations.
Baaraka Allah Feekum.
Sr. Amatullah B.M.
Founder & President
©Islamic Reflections Blog