Mission Possible: Teen Da'wah

Mission Islam has an article entitled "Mission Possible: Teen Da'wah" which presents some strategies that parents can use to present their faith to their children:

"Do you get the feeling that every Islamic oriented discussion with your teens is falling on deaf ears lately? If so, you're not alone, but it may not be as bad as you think. Many children feel an exaggerated sense of independence when they reach adolescence.

As a result, they may feel they no longer need their parent's intervention or advice; perhaps feeling their parents are old-fashioned or out to touch. Sound familiar? For us, as parents, to get our point across, it all comes down to simply this: technique. You may feel as if you are taking one step forward and two steps back, but it's possible that you just need to overhaul your method and revise your strategy.

Timing is Everything

It's true. Timing can really make all the difference. If you try talking to your teens in the midst of them running out the door to go to a friend's house, chances are they will absorb less than 5% of what you just said. Their focus at that point in time is getting where they want to go, as fast as humanly possible.

Smart Strategies

Keep it Short and Sweet - Children young and old have short attention spans and easily be distracted. The less time you spend talking, the more effective your point will be.

Fresh Ideas

Family Outings - Do some research before the next outing and have your kids look up the miracles in the Holy Qur'an that deal with nature (bees and plants etc.). Then on your outing, have a scavenger hunt to search for those miracles."

Read the full article, with each of these strategies outlined in more detail here.