Kids and Ramadan 2027: Practice Fasts, Crafts and School

Ramadan 2027 is a good year for children to try fasting. It is expected to run from Monday 8 February to Monday 8 March, in the school term for most countries, but the fasts are short: about 11 to 13 hours in Europe and North America, and the hunger of a winter afternoon is easier than a summer one. This guide covers what is expected of children religiously, how to build up fasting safely, and how to make the month feel like a festival rather than a restriction.

What is required, and what is not

Fasting is obligatory from puberty. Before that a child owes nothing: no fast, no make-up, no fidyah. The same applies to prayer, though the Prophet (peace be upon him) told parents to teach children to pray from seven (Sunan Abu Dawud 495), and the companions trained their children to fast, keeping them busy with toys until iftar (reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim). So the model is training by stages, not an age cut-off.

Keep this in mind when a child gives up at 2 pm: nothing is lost. A broken practice fast is a complete success at the age of eight.

Practice fasts by age

Every child is different; this is a typical ladder, not a rule. Talk to your doctor before any fasting if your child has diabetes, is underweight, or has any ongoing condition.

Worked example for London, where Fajr on 15 February 2027 is 05:38 and Maghrib 17:15: an eight-year-old eats suhoor at 05:15, fasts until lunch at 12:30 (about 7 hours), and joins the family iftar at 17:15 with a date and the dua. A twelve-year-old does the full 11 hours 37 minutes on Saturday and a lunch-time fast on school days.

Practical points:

• A good suhoor is the key: porridge, eggs, yoghurt, fruit, and water, eaten close to Fajr. See healthy suhoor.
• Let children drink freely in the evening; thirst is the usual reason they struggle, not hunger.
• Do not use fasting as punishment or competition between siblings.
• Praise the attempt, and let the child "break" the fast at iftar with everyone even if they ate at lunch.

Make the month visible: calendar, jar, jobs

A Ramadan calendar. Thirty pockets, envelopes or paper boxes on a string, one opened each evening after iftar. Fill them with a small note (a sunnah of the day, a short dua to learn, a good deed to do), a sweet, or a tiny toy. Children count the days to Eid and absorb something each day. For the last ten nights, mark the odd nights in a different colour.

A charity jar. A jar in the kitchen; each child drops in a coin from pocket money every day, parents match it, and on 7 March the family gives it together as sadaqah or zakat al-fitr. Explain that feeding a fasting person earns the same reward as the fast (Jami' al-Tirmidhi 807) and let children hand out dates at the mosque.

Iftar jobs. Children set out the dates and water, watch the clock for Maghrib, call out the time, and say the dua. Owning the moment matters more than fasting for it.

Crafts. A paper lantern, a crescent-and-star banner for the door, a "good deeds tree" where each leaf is a kindness done, an Eid card for grandparents sent in the last week.

Qur'an and dua. One short surah learned over the month, the iftar dua ("Dhahaba al-zama'u…", Sunan Abu Dawud 2357), and the Laylat al-Qadr dua for the last ten nights. Keep sessions to ten minutes.

School days in 2027

Ramadan 2027 overlaps the February half-term break in England (around 15 to 19 February), ski holidays in parts of Europe and February breaks in some North American districts. Use the break for full-day practice fasts, and keep school days light.

• Tell the class teacher and the PE teacher in the first week: which children are fasting, which days, and that they may stop at any time.
• Ask whether fasting children can sit in the library or a quiet room at lunch; most schools agree.
• Pack a snack and water in the bag anyway, with permission to use them if the child feels unwell.
• Avoid full-day fasts on days with sports fixtures, exams or long trips.
• For teenagers with exams, see studying and exams in Ramadan.

Tarawih ends by about 21:30 in most northern cities in February, so children can attend on Fridays and Saturdays and still sleep; on school nights, pray Isha and a few rak'ahs at home together. See teaching kids to pray.

Eid for children

Eid al-Fitr is expected on Tuesday 9 March 2027. Plan it with them: new clothes laid out the night before, dates before the Eid prayer (Sahih al-Bukhari 953), the takbir in the car, the prayer, then visits and gifts. If Eid falls on a school day, most schools accept a request for religious absence if it is made in advance. Details are in Eid al-Fitr 2027.

When a child is unwell

Headache, dizziness, nausea, confusion or unusual sleepiness mean the fast ends now, with water and food. A practice fast is never worth a doctor's visit. Children with diabetes, epilepsy or other conditions should fast only with a doctor's plan; the NHS advises against fasting for young children and for anyone unwell. This is general information, not medical advice.

The month's expected dates, timetable and all other guides are on Ramadan 2027, and the daily times for your city on the Ramadan timetable. Dates are expected; the actual dates in your country depend on moon sighting or the local authority and may differ by a day.