Start with bismillah.

Ask: "Have you ever heard a story about someone that turned out not to be true?"

Watch the Fresberg Cartoon video If They Gossip With You, They'll Gossip About You.

Now listen to the ayah together in the app, with the translation. Ask: "What were the deniers busy doing?"

Each child keeps one wonder question, for example: "Why is talking about others behind their backs so harmful?" Younger children can draw theirs.

Find it in the mushaf: Surah At-Tur is surah 52. Find ayah 12. The key words fi khawdin yal'abun mean wading into talk while playing. The deniers treated serious matters as a game and filled their time with idle chatter. Our words matter, so we try to make them kind and useful.

Fact: What is one good thing you can say when someone starts to gossip?

Ages 5–8: Word sort. Sort word cards into "kind words" and "hurtful words".

Ages 9–12: Gossip stopper. Write three polite ways to change the subject when gossip starts.

Finish with: "I found that when gossip starts I can say ___."

Talk together:

• Why is it easy to slip into gossip?
• Which name of Allah does this remind you of?
• How does gossip make the person being talked about feel?
• What kind of talk makes a gathering better?
• What would you like to ask about this ayah?

Make a small plan: "This week, I will change the subject kindly if anyone starts gossiping."

• Change the subject kindly.
• Sort the word cards.
• Share your gossip stoppers.
• Next time: the next ayah (52:13) tells what will happen to the deniers. Explore it together!

Action: Change the subject kindly if anyone starts gossiping.