Toddler Group

Who: Children 1 - 5 years of age
When: Tuesdays, 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
Where: Old Masjid
What: Learn, create, explore and play in an Islamic environment

Statement of Purpose:
Living in a predominantly Non-Muslim society, it is important to instill Islamic concepts in our children from a young age. The Dar Al-Taqwa Toddler Group has been able to combine Islamic and secular educational concepts in a fun way and present it to toddlers (and their parents). The session starts off slow with a short “play time” to give the children a chance to get comfortable with their environment and have fun with toys different from what they are used to. Next is circle time in which we recite the Quran as a group, focusing on teaching the children small surahs. Then we read interactive stories with the children (both children’s books and Islamic stories). The children then take a break and have a snack and then continue with a simple Arabic lesson and an activity or craft.

In addition to the Islamic benefits, the toddler group is valuable from a developmental perspective. Children can learn different skills and behaviors just by seeing other children doing them. Also, the interaction of children with other children their age can build their confidence and comfort levels and improve social behaviors. Its benefits extend to the mothers as well in the sense that they now have a Muslim support system that they can turn to.

Bringing our children to the Masjid once a week to attend the Dar Al-Taqwa Toddler group is a perfect way of showing them the importance of a holistic Masjid in our community and how, more than just being a place to pray, the Masjid is a community center. It is an early stepping stone to encourage our children to continue to learn from and enjoy being at the Masjid. Several of our members have mentioned that their children had an easy transition to the Saturday School because, having attended the Toddler Group, they were already comfortable being at the Masjid.

The Dar Al-Taqwa Toddler Group is the only one of its kind in this area and has proven to be very popular among many mothers and children in the community for those reasons. We regularly have sisters coming from Baltimore, Laurel, and Silver Spring. There already exist Muslim-owned day care centers and Islamic schools, but this is the only local program serving the community of Muslim stay-at-home mothers with small children. It is important that we not underestimate our young children and their ability to absorb enormous amounts of information as well as the benefits gained by interacting with other Muslim children in an Islamic environment.