Start with bismillah.

Ask: "How many letters can you count at the start of this surah?"

Put on Khalid Al-Jaleel's Maryam from رفيق بن محمد المغربي and follow along for a little while.

Now listen to the ayah together in the app, with the translation. Ask: "Can you say the five letters after the reciter?"

Each child keeps one wonder question, for example: "Why does this surah start with five letters together?" Younger children can draw theirs.

Find it in the mushaf: Surah Maryam is surah 19. Find ayah 1. Kaf, Ha, Ya, Ayn, Sad is one of the longest groups of opening letters in the Quran. Their full meaning is with Allah. The surah is named after Maryam, and she is the one woman called by name in the Quran.

Fact: Which woman is called by name in the Quran? Find her name in this surah's title.

Ages 5–8: Letter count. Point to each of the five letters in your mushaf and count them.

Ages 9–12: Surah plan. Skim the translation and list the prophets mentioned in Maryam.

Finish with: "I counted ___ prophets."

Talk together:

• What do you already know about Maryam?
• Which name of Allah does this remind you of?
• Why might a surah be named after her?
• Which prophet are you most excited to read about?

Make a small plan: "This week, I will read a few ayat of Maryam's meaning each day."

• Read a little each day.
• Show your letter count.
• Share your prophets list.
• Next time: the next ayah (19:2) speaks of Allah's mercy to Zakariya. Explore it together!

Action: Read a few ayat of Maryam's meaning each day.