As all Muslims know salah is an incredibly vital part of our lives. It is the beating heart of our day and for many of us it is a source of peace, humility and faith. When I came across My Salah Mat, I thought this is an absolutely perfect starting point for my children to help them with their salah practice.
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Command your children to pray when they become seven years old…” [Abi Dawud]
As a mother of three young children, it is always on my mind that my children learn lots at school, but learning their deen starts from home. Parents, especially mothers are the first teachers for their children and teaching them about their deen shouldn’t be forced. It should be first shown by being a role model for them to look up to and learn from.
Salah is obviously something that we have been instructed to perform daily and it is something that we should strive to perform in front of our children so their love grows for it too.
My Salah Mat is a fantastic tool that can also support them in their learning and it is fun and interactive which is brilliant to keep children focused during their learning.
When I was growing up as a child, we had little resources available like the things that are available today. There is a vast amount of choice that doesn’t make learning boring or feel like time is dragging along whilst we struggle to learn.
What appeals to me is the visual attractiveness of My Salah Mat. It is inviting, appealing and easily laid out for children to follow the salah in order. If they forget a certain section, they simply touch the square that they have forgotten and the recitation will begin. The mat has 36 touch sensitive keys, which include the adhan, reminds little ones how to perform wudu, recites surahs and plays duas.
They can also be played in 7 different languages which makes it more accessible to people. What I also liked was the reminder on the mat of how many rakat each prayer had. There are also visual reminders for where the hands and feet must go.
For children with anxiety or special educational needs (which means they need to learn in a different way then your ‘typical’ child) the visual reminders are a brilliant tool to aid them in their learning. I am a huge advocate for visual learning and I use these tools with my children, especially when they were younger because they are excellent at reminding the child of the task in hand, aid them in the next step and lower anxiety levels as the visuals prepare for what is going to happen next.
The mat comes with a free 12 page activity book which is beautifully laid out. Once again, it is clear, visually attractive and it includes some charming activities such as word searches, spot the difference and colouring. Another thing that I love about the mat is the material. Obviously young children have accidents and if toddlers are enjoying the mat, they can obviously have spills and dribbles! So this is wipeable and as a mother with 3 young kids, that saves me worrying about washing and drying before the next salah!
I always say to friends and family that spending in the way of deen for my children is a priceless matter especially if it aids them in their learning. I truly believe that My Salah Mat is highly beneficial to help children learn in fun interactive way, without the added pressure of memorisation on demand, and that for me is something all children will benefit from.
Inside the activity book
If you would like to purchase a Salah mat, you can enter a 10% discount code – 10yearslater10. Just enter at the checkout page. The code is valid until 16 November 2019.
Ten years later 