Noor Elbayan AcademyUsing Grandparents Abroad to Motivate Quran Learning
Grandparents living abroad can be one of the strongest motivators for a child learning the Quran, because they give the learning an audience and a purpose. A short weekly call in which your child recites what they have learned, a surah recorded as a gift, and a family celebration when a milestone is reached all turn private practice into something that matters to people the child loves. None of it requires the grandparents to teach, only to listen.
Why an audience changes everything
Ask a child why they are learning a surah and the honest answer is often “because my teacher said so”. That is a thin reason to practise on a wet Tuesday. Now imagine the same child knows that on Friday their grandmother, in another country, will be waiting to hear it. The surah has acquired a listener, a date and a reason.
Grandparents are particularly suited to this role. They tend to have time, they are generous with praise, and for many of them hearing a grandchild recite is a deep joy. For the child, especially one growing up far from the family’s country of origin, it also strengthens a bond that distance makes fragile. The Quran becomes something the generations share, not merely a subject.
The weekly recitation call
The simplest idea is also the most effective: a fixed, short video call each week in which the child recites to a grandparent.
How to set it up
- Fix the day and time. A regular slot becomes a family custom; “whenever we manage” does not.
- Keep the recitation to about five minutes, then let the call become ordinary family chat.
- Recite only what is ready. The call is a performance of work already learned, not a test of this week’s unfinished lines.
- Let the child lead. They announce the surah, begin when ready and may hold the mushaf if they are reading rather than reciting from memory.
- Use whatever the grandparents find easy, whether a video call or simply a telephone call.
Finding a time across time zones
Weekend mornings or early evenings usually work. The table shows where 17:00 in the United Kingdom falls in winter for some common destinations.
| Grandparents live in | Their local time |
|---|---|
| Morocco (UTC+1) | 18:00 |
| Egypt (UTC+2) | 19:00 |
| Turkey or Saudi Arabia (UTC+3) | 20:00 |
| Pakistan (UTC+5) | 22:00 |
| Bangladesh (UTC+6) | 23:00 |
For relatives further east, a weekend morning is kinder: 10:00 in the United Kingdom in winter is 15:00 in Pakistan and 16:00 in Bangladesh. These times are indicative and shift by an hour when daylight saving begins or ends, so check again in spring and autumn.
Brief the grandparents first
A loving grandparent can accidentally undo the good of the call by correcting every slip. Have a quiet word beforehand and agree a few simple rules.
| Helpful | Better avoided |
|---|---|
| Listening to the end without interrupting | Stopping the child at each mistake |
| Specific praise: “Your voice was so clear” | Comparing with cousins or neighbours’ children |
| Asking, “What will you recite for me next week?” | Asking why they have not learned more |
| A short du’a for the child at the end | Turning the call into a lesson |
| Sharing a memory of how they themselves learned | Criticising the teacher’s method in front of the child |
If a grandparent notices a genuine error, the best route is a private message to you, which you can pass on to the teacher. Small differences in pronunciation habits between regions are common, and the teacher is the right person to settle what the child should follow.
Recording a surah as a gift
A recording is a present no shop sells. It suits Eid, a grandparent’s return from Hajj or Umrah, a time of illness, or no occasion at all.
- Choose the surah with your child and, if possible, with the teacher, so that it is one the child can recite well.
- Practise it over a week or two; ask the teacher to polish it during lessons.
- Record in a quiet room, audio only or video, in one take if you can. Small imperfections are part of the charm.
- Let the child add a spoken message at the start: “This is for you, Grandad.”
- Send it, and make sure the child hears or sees the reaction.
Recordings have a second benefit. Kept in a family folder, they become a record of progress: the same child reciting at seven, eight and nine. Children enjoy hearing how far they have come.
Celebrating milestones across countries
Finishing the reading primer, memorising a first long surah, completing a whole juz: these deserve to be marked, and distance need not prevent it.
- Hold a family video call on which the child recites the final lines with everyone listening.
- Ask each household to prepare something sweet and eat it together on the call.
- Invite a grandparent to make a du’a for the child at the end.
- Collect short voice messages of congratulation from aunts, uncles and cousins and play them one after another.
- Save the full celebration for the next visit: recite in person and let the grandparents present a small gift.
Plan the celebration when the goal is set, not when it is reached. A child memorising on a structured Hifz track works differently when a date with the whole family is already in the diary.
More ways to involve the wider family
- Cousins’ recitation circle: once a month, cousins in different countries each recite something short on a group call.
- The grandparent’s request: a grandparent names a favourite surah and the child works towards it as a surprise.
- A shared chart: a photo of the progress chart goes to the family group every Friday.
- Stories of the family’s learning: grandparents describe who taught them and where. Children are fascinated to find they are continuing something.
- Language practice: if the grandparents speak Arabic, a few sentences from the child’s Arabic lessons make a warm addition to the call.
Keeping it gentle
An audience motivates; it can also weigh on a shy child. Watch for signs that the call has become a source of worry and adjust accordingly.
- Let a nervous child begin with audio only, or with a recording instead of a live call.
- Never use the grandparents as a threat: “What will Nana say when she hears you have not practised?”
- Allow the child to skip a week without fuss.
- Keep the focus on sharing, not on performing perfectly.
Not every family has grandparents who can take this part. An aunt, an older cousin or a close family friend can fill it just as well; what matters is a caring listener outside the daily household.
Where the teacher fits in
The teacher prepares what the family hears. Tell the teacher about the weekly call so that each lesson ends with something ready to recite. At Noor Elbayan Academy a written report follows every lesson, and many parents forward its highlights to the grandparents, who then know precisely what to ask for and what to praise.
Frequently asked questions
What if the grandparents do not recite well themselves?
It does not matter. Their task is to listen and encourage, not to correct; the teacher takes care of accuracy.
How long should the weekly call be?
About five minutes of recitation is enough, followed by normal conversation. Short and regular works better than long and rare.
My child is shy and refuses to recite on camera. What can I do?
Start with a voice recording made privately, then a telephone call, and move to video only when your child is comfortable.
The grandparents correct the recitation differently from the teacher. Whom should we follow?
Follow the teacher for consistency, and thank the grandparents warmly. You can raise any specific point with the teacher after the lesson.
Can grandparents watch a lesson?
Speak to the academy first. In most cases, sharing the report and the weekly recitation gives them a fuller picture without distracting the child.
Give your child something to recite on next week’s call. Book a free trial lesson with a certified teacher and start the family tradition this month.