Explore Muslim Holidays With Ramadan & Eid al-Fitr Activities
Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, is considered one of the holiest times of the year for Muslims. This month of fasting and reflection helps bring those who observe closer to their faith, friends, and family members. It ends with Eid al-Fitr, known as the Festival of Breaking Fast, where Muslims gather to celebrate with family, food, prayer, and other traditions.
To help you teach your students about these two important Islamic holidays, we’ve curated a group of resources to bring Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr activities into your classroom:
Explore Ramadan texts
Teach students about the Muslim holy month through literature and informational texts to help them see both real-life and fictionalized versions of Ramadan celebrations:
Watch an interactive video to build background knowledge about the holiday of Ramadan.
Read the fictional story “Gifts of Ramadan” by Kim Ellis and explore how the theme of self-control follows the main character, Asef, throughout the story.
Have students write a poem from Asef’s point of view that could take place during the story. Have them use details that they learned about Ramadan from the video and the story to enhance their poem.
Discover the history and traditions of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr
Build students’ background knowledge about Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, and other spring holidays, and start discussions about diverse perspectives with these social studies resources:
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Celebrating Ramadan
Explore the celebrations and sacrifices that take place during the ninth month of the Islamic year to help students better understand the significance of Ramadan:
Give students an introduction to the Islamic faith and the prophet Muhammad to build background knowledge about the holiday and its significance.
Read about how Muslim families balance their religious duties of fasting, prayer, and reflection with their daily schedules and routines during Ramadan.
See how one Michigan TikTok star’s Ramadan recipes videos were a hit on the app—and how he brought those viral dishes straight to the “Chopped” kitchen!
Celebrating Eid al-Fitr
Teach students about the joyous celebration of Eid al-Fitr and why Muslims celebrate this holiday after the month of Ramadan:
Watch an interactive video that explains the history and significance of Eid al-Fitr.
Learn why the College Board expanded Advance Placement testing options for students in 2021 to respect the holy day of Eid al-Fitr.
Start a thoughtful discussion with students considering whether public schools in the United States should recognize and accommodate more Muslim and Jewish holidays in their calendars.
Religious celebrations in April
Give your students an overview of the histories and traditions of various religious celebrations that happen during April:
Discover the similarities and differences among Christian, Jewish, and Muslim holidays like Passover, Easter, Ramadan, and Eid al-Fitr.
Break students into jigsaw groups and assign each group a holiday to study and create a presentation for the class.
Have students share their presentations with the class using the information they learned. Encourage the listeners to ask questions and take notes about information they find interesting.
Add more skills practice to your Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr activities
Did you know it’s easy to add additional skills practice to any Newsela lesson? With our updated skills search filter for Newsela ELA, you can select which skills you want to teach in the classroom and find articles that match your topic! Plus, with skill labels on each article, you get a snapshot of which ones fit your lesson best. Ready to give it a try? Log into your Newsela account to see how it works!