Are you simply tempted to just quickly correct your child and tell them the next Ayah? Mistakes are normal and your child is bound to make mistakes during hifdh. While at times it can be very frustrating, there are things you can do to help your child.  The way you correct your child’s mistakes can have a great impact in helping to reduce mistakes and also strengthen their hifdh. Remember the ultimate aim is to reduce or eliminate the same mistakes.

Here are simple ways to help your child. Choose the methods that are suitable for your child depending on the stage of their memorization.

1. Use the order of verses

 

When your child gets stuck and doesn’t know what the next verse is, help them remember the next Ayah by telling them the order of the Ayahs. Here is an example:

If your child has recited verse 4 of Surah Kafirun:

وَلَآ أَنَا۟ عَابِدٌ مَّا عَبَدتُّمۡ

And then they jump to the last Ayah and skip Ayah 5:

وَلَآ أَنتُمۡ عَـٰبِدُونَ مَآ أَعۡبُد

Simply say “oh theres an Ayah before this Ayah or you’ve skipped an Ayah. Tell them to go back and recite the previous Ayah so they can get another chance to remember the next verses. By doing this, your child will try hard to remember the Ayah and they will likely be able to remember this Ayah the next time they recite this surah.

2. Use location of the page

 

Sometimes it helps to direct your child to the location of the Ayah on the page. This is especially useful for visual learners where they will try to picture the Ayahs on the page as they recite from memory. For example, you can say the following:

• This is the last Ayah on the page
• The next Ayah is on the next page
• You’re still on the same page- this Ayah is in the middle.

 

3. Count the number of things mentioned

 

If there is a list of things mentioned in one Ayah or there are many ayahs that mention a list of things, get your child to count them as they recite. They can even use their fingers to count as they recite. For example, in surah Ghashiyah there are these four Ayahs that mention 4 things (camel, heaven, mountains, earth):

أَفَلَا يَنظُرُونَ إِلَى ٱلۡإِبِلِ ڪَيۡفَ خُلِقَتۡ

وَإِلَى ٱلسَّمَآءِ ڪَيۡفَ رُفِعَتۡ

وَإِلَى ٱلۡجِبَالِ كَيۡفَ نُصِبَتۡ

وَإِلَى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ كَيۡفَ سُطِحَتۡ

If your child recites only 2 or 3 of these verses, you can simply say:

Remember there are 4 things Allah mentions. You’ve missed 1 or 2 etc. With these Ayahs, it helps to know the meaning of the verses so your child can easily count and remember the list.

4. Stop at the word where they have made a mistake

 

Go back and repeat the ayah or a portion of the Ayah and stop on the last word they recited correctly to indicate where they have made a mistake. For example, if your child recites the following verse from surah Naba and makes a mistake on the last word:

أَلَمۡ نَجۡعَلِ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ مِهَـٰدًا

You can recite the Ayah again and stop on the word ٱلۡأَرۡضَ to indicate where they need to correct. You can repeat this a few times to give them time to remember. If they still can’t figure out the right word, then you can tell them.

5. Use the translation of the word

 

Tell them the translation of the word(s) if they know Arabic. For example, instead of telling them the whole verse, tell them the translation:

وَأُمِّهِۦ وَأَبِيهِ

And from his mother and his father,

 

6. Give a small prompt

 

Give your child a small prompt to help them remember the next word such as the beginning letter of the word or you can tell them the first word of the Ayah if they are really stuck. For example, if they get stuck on the verse below:

فِى صُحُفٍ مُّكَرَّمَةٍ

You can say something like ‘it starts with فِى ’ instead of the whole Ayah

 

“Don’t be overcritical of your child’s mistakes. You’re there to help, support and encourage, not put them down.”

 

Remember, mistakes are okay but you should try to work towards eliminating the same mistakes. By using the methods above to correct your child’s mistakes, you will in fact be helping your child to rely on their memory rather than being corrected straightaway. They will learn to focus more and stay engaged during the revision session.

Next time you’re listening to your child recite from memory, try to use these methods of correction in order to support your child. We hope you find these tips useful and that they help you to correct your child’s mistakes.