Ramadan calendar ideas for kids: DIY calendars and a 30-day plan

A Ramadan calendar is a countdown with one envelope, pocket or slip for each of Ramadan’s 29 or 30 days. The best mix a good deed, a short learning task and an occasional small treat, with something special on the odd nights of the last ten. The quickest are an envelope garland, a jar of slips or a paper chain.

What is a Ramadan calendar?

A Ramadan calendar is a countdown with a pocket, envelope or box for each day of Ramadan. It gives children something to look forward to every day, marks the passing of the month and turns small good deeds into a habit. It is a modern family custom rather than a religious practice, and it can be as simple or as fancy as you like.

When is Ramadan 2027?

Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin on or around Monday 8 February 2027, with the first Taraweeh on the evening of Sunday 7 February. The exact start depends on the sighting of the new moon, so it may move by a day. Islamic months follow the moon (Qur’an 2:189), and each Islamic day begins at sunset.

If the month starts a day later, move every date on by one. Your local mosque will confirm.

Which type of Ramadan calendar is best?

For most families, an envelope garland is best: it is cheap, quick to make and works for every age. A paper chain suits toddlers, and a felt or wooden calendar lasts for years.

How do you make a DIY Ramadan calendar?

The three easiest calendars take 30 minutes to an hour, using envelopes, paper or a jar. Here is each one, step by step.

Envelope garland (ages 3+, about 1 hour)

You’ll need: 30 small envelopes, 30 mini pegs, 3 metres of string, pens and stickers, 30 slips of paper.

1. Number the envelopes 1 to 30.
2. Let the children decorate each one with a crescent, a star or a lantern.
3. Write the slips using the 30-day plan below and put one in each envelope.
4. Use a gold sticker or a different-coloured envelope for days 20, 22, 24, 26 and 28: these are opened on the evenings that begin the odd nights.
5. Peg the envelopes along the string in order.
6. Hang it somewhere everyone passes, such as the kitchen or the stairs.

Paper chain (ages 2+, 30 minutes)

You’ll need: 30 strips of coloured paper about 3 × 20 cm, a glue stick or stapler, a pen.

1. Write a deed or task on each strip, or leave them blank for toddlers.
2. Loop the first strip into a ring and glue it.
3. Thread the next strip through, loop and glue it, and keep going.
4. Hang the chain where your child can reach it.
5. Each evening, they tear off one link and you read it together. When the chain is gone, it is Eid.

Jar of slips (ages 6+, 30 minutes)

You’ll need: a clean jar, 30 slips of paper, a pen, a label.

1. Write one task on each slip: a deed, an ayah, a quiz question or an experience.
2. Fold the slips and put them in the jar.
3. Label the jar “Ramadan” and decorate it.
4. Each evening, one child pulls out a slip. Older children can write some of the slips for younger siblings.

What do you put in a Ramadan calendar?

Put a mix of good deeds, short learning tasks, experiences and occasional small treats inside. The deed and the learning matter more than the treat.

Keep sweets small and occasional, so the calendar doesn’t become about the treat.

A 30-day Ramadan calendar plan

Open each envelope after iftar. Because Islamic days begin at sunset, the envelopes for days 20, 22, 24, 26 and 28 are opened on the evenings that begin the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th and 29th nights.

The dua for the last ten nights is the one the Prophet (peace be upon him) taught ‘A’ishah when she asked what to say on Laylat al-Qadr: “Allahumma innaka ‘afuwwun tuhibbul ‘afwa fa‘fu ‘anni” (“O Allah, You are pardoning and You love to pardon, so pardon me”) (Jami‘ at-Tirmidhi 3513, graded sahih by al-Albani).

For the story days, our retellings of Nuh, Ibrahim and Musa are written for children and give the Qur’an references. Hudhud, a UK personalised Islamic storybook, tells the stories of Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, Isa and Muhammad (peace be upon them) with the child’s own name and likeness, so a story day can be a chapter of their own book.

How do you make the last ten nights special?

Mark the odd nights of the last ten on the calendar and put something a little bigger in those envelopes. The last ten nights include Laylat al-Qadr, which is “better than a thousand months” (Qur’an 97:3), and the Prophet (peace be upon him) told Muslims to seek it in the odd nights of the last ten (Sahih al-Bukhari 2017).

• Use gold envelopes or stars for the odd nights so children see them coming.
• Inside, put a new book, a special late-night snack or a lantern walk round the garden.
• Let children stay up a little later on one or two odd nights, with a short prayer and a dua list.
• Keep it gentle: young children don’t need to stay up all night to share in it.

Should you do a countdown to Ramadan?

A short countdown in the week before Ramadan builds excitement and means the first night arrives with everything ready. Try one small job a day: put up decorations, make the sadaqah jar, fill the calendar, choose a Ramadan goal, read a Ramadan picture book, and on the last evening look for the new moon.

Tips and common mistakes

• Open it at the same time each day, such as after iftar or before school.
• Keep each day small. The habit matters more than the size of the treat.
• Don’t forget day 30. If the month has 29 days, open envelope 30 on Eid morning instead.
• Plan for siblings. Take turns opening, or give each child their own row.
• Fill it before Ramadan. Writing 30 slips while fasting is hard work.
• Store it after Eid so it is ready for next year.

Pair the calendar with our Ramadan crafts for kids and the ideas in Ramadan with young children.