The article on practicing salah was very helpful and thorough but included some technical prayers and terminology that were a little more difficult to understand. Even though Muslims who have not yet gone through puberty are not required to partake in salah, I began to wonder how children were involved in learning salah and when children were encouraged to practice.
I found videos on YouTube that were designed to teach children about salah. The first video was a Muslim father narrating a cartoon video about encouraging his children to engage in prayer time. Although he explains his approach comically, which provides entertainment for me as the viewer, he explains how he wants his children to engage in the practice when they are serious about prayer. He explains how prayer is important for him and wants it to be important for his children as well. However, as he puts it, sometimes children are more occupied in playing with legos than wanting to engage in prayer time. He mentions a good age to start learning about salah is seven or eight.
The second video I watched was an animated show for Muslim children. It appeared to be similar to a show like Peppa Pig. This video showed a young boy practicing the prayer in his bedroom and narrating his actions. The explanation of his actions, thoughts, and speech were much simpler to understand than the article we read about salah. He was explaining his actions in a simple and understandable manner, which was easier to understand than the videos we watched of adults practicing Muslim prayer. Once again, he emphasized the importance of practicing prayer and honoring “the Master.”
Sometimes it is beneficial to try to learn something new through the lens of a child because of the naivety and open mind he/she approaches the learning opportunity with. Although these videos were designed for children, it helped me understand the practice of the prayer. It also helped me understand the importance of the prayer for Muslims and how parents want to instill this value in their children.