Mayous Parenting Blog

Category: Conscious Muslim Parenting

  • 10 Muslim-Friendly Summer Activities in Montreal

    10 Muslim-Friendly Summer Activities in Montreal

    Because Faith, Fun, and Family Can Coexist

    Explore these 10 Muslim-friendly summer activities in Montreal for a fun and fulfilling season.

    Summer is here.

    And for Muslim parents in Montreal, that often means one thing:

    Kids. At home. All. Day. Long.

    They’re bored.

    They want entertainment.

    And if we’re not careful, that means hours of screen time, snacks, and a glazed-over expression.

    But here’s the truth:

    You don’t need a packed schedule or Pinterest-perfect plans to have a meaningful summer.

    You just need intention, simplicity, and a little faith-based creativity.

    Here are 10 screen-free activities that bring fun and value to your child’s summer — right here in Montreal.

    1. Go on a “Signs of Allah” Nature Walk at Mount Royal Park

    Take a slow walk through Parc du Mont-Royal and challenge your child to find signs of Allah in creation:

    🌿 The design of a maple leaf
    🦆 Ducks by Beaver Lake
    🌥️ The way clouds roll over the hilltop
    🪵 A fallen tree still giving life

    Let them look, wonder, and ask questions.

    “Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding.”
    — Surah Aal-Imran (3:190)

    Nature becomes a quiet form of remembrance — a reminder that Allah’s signs are all around us.

    2. Make a Gratitude Jar on Rainy Days

    Montreal weather loves to surprise. Use cloudy days to create a family shukr jar.

    Every day, write one thing you’re thankful for.

    At the end of summer, read them all aloud.

    It’s a quiet, screen-free way to build gratitude — and God-consciousness — one moment at a time.

    3. Visit a Local Farm & Learn About Halal Animals

    Plan a day trip to Ferme Guyon in Chambly or La Ferme Quinn.

    Ask:

    • “Which animals are halal?”
    • “Which are not, and why?”
    • “What’s the wisdom in how Allah guides us to eat?”

    Let your child see animals up close and connect the rules of zabiha to everyday life.

    4. Read One Storybook a Day — But Add Reflection

    Make storytime intentional.

    Choose books that weave in faith, morals, or science.

    Ask questions like:

    • “What lesson did this character learn?”
    • “What does the Qur’an say about this?”
    • “Would you have done the same?”

    📚 Start with free Islamic stories:

    You can:
    👉 Read it for free
    👉 Or get your own copy

    5. Have a Weekly Sadaqah Challenge in Your Neighbourhood

    Every Sunday, give your child a new mission:

    📝 Write a card to an elderly neighbour
    🍪 Bake cookies for a family going through hardship
    🧸 Donate old toys at Renaissance

    Label it clearly: “This is sadaqah — a gift for Allah.”

    Not just kindness. Worship.

    6. Visit Parc Jean-Drapeau for Water + Reflection

    Spend a morning by the lake at Jean-Drapeau. Bring water balloons or just play by the fountains.

    Then sit in the shade and talk about water as mercy:

    • “Water can help or harm — like our actions.”
    • “Allah gave us balance in everything.”

    Let fun become reflection.

    7. Build a Blanket Fort and Make It a Story Cave

    Turn your living room into a cozy space filled with books, string lights, and pillows.

    At night, turn it into a quiet retreat for reading stories, having deep conversations, or simply winding down together — a gentle way to nurture stillness and imagination.

    8. Make DIY Islamic Crafts on Plateau Market Days

    Pick up supplies from the Avenue Duluth Sunday Market and let your child create:

    • A mini prayer mat from felt
    • A tasbih with wooden beads
    • Du’a cards to hang by their bed

    Montreal’s creative vibe makes this an easy (and affordable) win.

    9. Bake with Barakah

    Whether it’s date bars or banana bread, turn baking into an act of worship.

    Ask:

    • “Who will we share this with?”
    • “What du’a can we say while baking?”
    • “How is this small act a source of barakah?”

    Connect your kitchen to the heart.

    10. Let Them Tell Their Own Stories — With a Moral

    Give them a prompt and let them write or act out a tale.

    Ideas:

    • “A beaver who shares his dam”
    • “A girl who forgives her friend”
    • “A boy who learns to pray on his own…”

    Their imagination is where values come to life.

    Your Montreal Summer — Made Meaningful

    The best summer days don’t need tickets, screens, or packed itineraries.

    They just need attention, presence, and a sense of purpose.

    Montreal already has the beauty.

    You just bring the barakah.

  • Islam and Delayed Gratification: Building Resilient Kids

    Islam and Delayed Gratification: Building Resilient Kids

    From Farmers, to Factory Workers, to Sedentary Office Workers… in Less Than 100 Years

    islam and delayed gratification shortening over the ages

    Many of us have heard the hadith that, in the end of times, time will accelerate.
    But is time just time? Or is it the events that happen within it that truly define what time is?

    When we look back at the last century, the growth of our lifestyle has been unprecedented.
    Our great-grandfathers worked the land. Our grandfathers were simple merchants or held straightforward jobs during the height of the industrial era.
    And we… make our living sitting in front of screens, working alongside AI, in a deeply connected, digital world.

    However… this article isn’t about AI doomsday predictions, nor is it a nostalgic plea to return to the “good old days.”

    Let’s talk about something that hasn’t changed, no matter the era, technology, or lifestyle:

    The Time It Takes for Things to Grow

    Whether we’re talking about planting a seed that becomes food, training muscles through physical effort, or developing our minds to gain new skills or strengthen character—things take time.

    And nothing changes that.

    The fact that our attention span has shrunk to just 3 seconds, thanks to the lightning pace of information, has completely reshaped what we expect from the world.
    But it shouldn’t.

    Good things take time to build—just as they take time to grow.

    Kids Living in the 3-Second Age

    This is especially important for our kids, who are growing up in a world where everything is instantly available.
    Bored? Tap a screen. Need something? It appears in seconds.
    Even parents rush to help or provide, unknowingly feeding this expectation of speed and ease.

    But this sets children up for struggle when faced with reality: learning takes time, homework can feel endless, and progress often feels slow.
    If they’re not taught to wait, to trust the process, and to persevere—they’ll see effort as failure and slowness as punishment.

    So How Do We Teach Sabr?

    One of the gentlest and most powerful ways to teach sabr (patience) is through storytelling.

    Our storybook With Sabr, What Allah Plans Always Grows is a fully illustrated tale that captures this exact lesson. It blends heart, moral, and science—explaining how patience is not just a virtue, but a universal truth.

    📖 Inside the story, your child will discover:

    • A simple fable inspired by nature
    • The Quran concept of sabr
    • Scientific facts about how plants grow over time

    You can:
    👉 Read it for free
    👉 Or get your own copy

    Let them grow with the stories you plant. 🌱

  • Between the Parents With the 4-Year-Old in Hijab — and the Ones Who Pour Wine at Eid

    Between the Parents With the 4-Year-Old in Hijab — and the Ones Who Pour Wine at Eid

    There’s a split happening.

    And it’s not small.

    On one side:

    You’ve got the hyper-strict crowd —

    The parents who dress their 4-year-old daughters in full hijab, ban Disney movies, avoid playgrounds with music, and throw around words like haram and kufr like confetti.

    On the other:

    You’ve got the hyper-assimilated crowd —

    The ones who pour wine at Eid dinner, say things like “I’m spiritual, not religious,” let their kids joke about fasting with bacon, and call anyone trying to teach prayer a “fundamentalist.”

    And then…

    There’s you.

    Somewhere in the middle.

    Tired of pretending to belong to either side.

    Trying to raise your kids with faith, compassion, and common sense — without turning them into either robots or rebels.

    You’re Not Extreme. You’re Just Trying to Be Intentional.

    You don’t want to raise kids who wear Islam like a costume.

    But you also don’t want them to grow up seeing faith as optional, shallow, or embarrassing.

    You believe in God.

    You believe in raising kids who know why they believe.

    You want them to:

    • Feel spiritually grounded

    • Be emotionally secure

    • Ask questions

    • Make mistakes

    • Learn values, not just rules

    But most of what’s out there is either too preachy or too watered down.

    So where do you go?

    This Is the No Man’s Land Most Muslim Parents Are In

    We don’t relate to the loudest voices online.

    We’re not halal-police.

    We’re not progressive-without-boundaries.

    We’re in the middle.

    We love our faith. We also love nuance.

    And we want to raise kids who are spiritually connected and emotionally well.

    Not just “good Muslims.”

    Whole Muslims.

    That’s Why We Built Mayous.

    We write children’s storybooks for Muslim parents like you — the quiet majority who are done with extremes.

    • Stories rooted in Qur’anic values

    • Morals that actually mean something

    • Characters who reflect real feelings, real questions, and real growth

    • No fear tactics. No fluff. Just faith with depth.

    Because we believe the middle path isn’t boring — it’s brave.

    Want to Raise Spiritually Conscious, Emotionally Smart Muslim Kids?

    📚 Visit our free eBook library to start reading storybooks designed for families like yours — where God is part of the story, but guilt isn’t.

    👉 Read now at mayous.org/read

    You’re not alone.

    And you don’t have to choose between hijab-at-four and wine-at-Eid.

    There’s a third way.

    And it starts with the stories we tell our kids.