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Getting your kids to recite beautifully

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On our facebook page I wrote about how my parents (may Allah have mercy on them) immersed me and my siblings in the Quran. Then came the questions:

My son’s 7 years old – what are important reminders to make him a great qari? How many hours practice minimum should he recite to help as a qari when he’s older?

I have a 4 year old brother – he’s young at the moment – but at what age should I start developing his voice to make it beautiful when he grows up? How long should I practice with him every day?

Here are a few quick points to think about:

The first thing to realize is that kids for the most part learn differently than adults – they’re able to pick things up a lot quicker, almost by osmosis/assimilation rather than formal learning. I touched on this previously, using the example of learning a language. If your child is exposed to a certain reciter a lot, inevitably he or she will internalize and pick up the tune of that reciter. So my first recommendation is to expose your child to a lot of one style of recitation, for example a lot of Sh. Abdulbasit/Sh. Minshawi, or a lot of Sh. Sudais/Sh.Shuraim, depending of course on your preferences. In addition, if your child has a good Quran teacher who recites beautifully him/herself, then this will aid your child as well.

Find ways to immerse your kids in the Quran. If you’re at home taking care of the cooking/cleaning with a small child around, play Quran audio rather than just leaving the TV running. In the car, you can play Quran CD’s/mp3’s instead of listening to the radio.

Instead of thinking about how many hours to practice with your child, think more in terms of how you can instill in your child a genuine love for the Quran. Help them to dream BIG – to really believe that they too can recite like their favourite Qari – and help them to follow that dream. At that point you won’t need to sit them down and get them to practice; rather they might drive their own practice by trying to push their voice and imitate their favourite reciter. (You’ll have to give your kids structure and goals in terms of learning to recite and memorize, but what I’m referring to here is in terms of developing the beauty in their voice.)

Obviously, confidence is huge. Your child will need lots of encouragement in order to have the confidence to practice out loud at home when others are around. If your child is ashamed of their voice due to some negative feedback from others (including siblings), or if they fear being judged when they recite out loud, then they’re not going to get the spontaneous practice they need. If your home is a place where creativity is stifled and talents are best left unexpressed – where kids are meant to be seen but not heard, then this won’t help either.

Lastly, and this may seem a bit way out of left field, but for really small kids, singing lullabies and nursery rhymes together will help your child develop and strengthen their ear for pitch recognition.

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The Overnight Qari: Your essential guide to reciting in style

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