How to create a Ramadan Countdown Calendar: DIY Photo Tutorial
Ramadan is such a special time of the year, and being a mother of two children, I want to make this month not only beneficial but also exciting for them.
As this year will be the first Ramadan that I will be fasting as a mother of two, I also want to ensure that I do not experience any burn out, and the key to this is planning ahead, especially when it comes to little activities that can keep their hands and minds busy. Therefore, I have decided to create a Ramadan Countdown Calendar (amongst other things), which will get my children not only excited about counting down to Eid, but for each day, they will be encouraged to do a good deed that I will insert into the day’s pocket.
When I say “they”, it will only be my elder son that will be able to partake in most of the activities this year of course, as my one year old is far too young, but now that I have made this calendar, I hope to In sha Allah make it a tradition that both my boys will grow to love every Ramadan.
I have also included links to various free printable inserts for the calendar at the end of this post, so make sure to have a look.
I would also like to take this opportunity to highlight that this calendar is in no way wholly my idea, and has been inspired immensely by this gorgeous Ramadan calendar ,designed by the truly talented @handmadebeginnings, who sells the most exquisite Ramadan calendars each year as well as other Islamic toys and sewing classes. So do make sure to check out her page and website for more.
I was also inspired by many other Ramadan Countdown Calendars through hours of scrolling on Pinterest, including the embellished 3D Ramadan calendars by @paisleydrop and this gorgeous one by @helloholydays who launched a number of Ramadan products that are just stunning!
So let me share with you how I created my DIY Ramadan Countdown Calendar. Materials you will need:
- Felt (Lots of it!)
- Dowel
- Thread
- Hot Glue Gun
- Numbers 1-30
- Alphabet Stickers
- Embellishments/Decoration such as pom poms (optional)
Sourced From: Majority of the materials mentioned above were purchased from Daiso Japan ME store and local stationary shops. The dowel was bought from ACE Hardware. (#notsponsored)
Step 1:
Take your largest piece of felt of whatever size you want the base of your Ramadan Countdown Calendar to be. I went for a 70 x 90 cm piece of Grey coloured felt. At either end of this large piece of felt, attach one wooden dowel, slightly longer than the length of the felt. Wrap up the dowel at the end and glue into place using your hot glue gun, on the back side of the felt.
Step 2:
Cut up 30 little rectangles that will fit into the calendar. I have gone for an assortment of printed felt, with a Night Sky theme in mind.
Step 3:
Arrange all the smaller rectangular felt pieces on to the calendar, and glue three of the four sides down with hot glue gun. Remember to leave the top of the rectangular felt “open” so as to create a pocket. Also, leave some space at the top for the “Ramadan” title.
Step 4:
Using another piece of felt, cut out two moons, of a size that will fit into the felt pockets, and glue together with some stuffing inside. Add embellishments and some thread, and attach it to the end of the top dowel on your calendar. Make sure the thread is long enough to reach the number 30 at the very bottom of your calendar. (Also add another piece of thread to the top ends of your dowel so you are able to hang up the calendar.)
This moon will help you countdown the days till Eid, by inserting it into the pocket of the corresponding day of Ramadan.
Step 5:
Using your trustee hot glue gun, attach the numbers 1-30 on each of the felt pockets to number them. Also, add the alphabet stickers to spell out RAMADAN at the top of your calendar.
Step 6:
Add any embellishements and final touches to your calendar to complete the look. I have added glitter pom poms at the ends of the dowels to soften the edges….and Voila! Your DIY Ramadan Countdown Calendar is ready.
Fill the pockets with notes encouraging good deeds, arabic letters, treats or whatever you wish to fill them with to get the kids excited for Ramadan and Eid!
Free Printables:
Here’s some ideas for free printable inserts that can be found online:
Zair Zabr Play – 30 Ramadan Good Deeds Free Printable
Sand In My Toes – Ramadan Kindness Calendar
In the Playroom – 30 Days of Good Deeds
MumzyNotebook – Little Acts of Kindness
For more kids-friendly Ramadan resources, check out this humongous list curated by Ayeina here.
What do you think? I love the way it turned out, and I can’t wait for my boys to use this calendar not only this Ramadan, but In sha Allah many more Ramadans to come.
