Start with bismillah.

Give everyone a pencil and ask them to write their name with their eyes closed. Then with eyes open. Ask: "What does a pen let us do that talking can't?"

Watch the video showing how a calligraphy pen is cut from a reed. (A calligrapher's hands appear in it.)

Now listen to the ayah together in the app, with the translation. Ask: "What did Allah use to teach people?"

Each child keeps one wonder question, for example: "What would the world be like without writing?" Younger children can draw theirs.

Find it in the mushaf: Surah Al-'Alaq is surah 96. Find ayah 4. The word for pen here is al-qalam. There is also a whole surah called Al-Qalam (surah 68). Can you find it?

Fact: What were the earliest pens made from?

Ages 5–8: Pen hunt. Collect every kind of writing tool you can find at home. Line them up from oldest-looking to newest.

Ages 9–12: Make a reed pen. With an adult, cut a hollow stick or thick straw at a slant and try writing with ink or watered paint. What happens to your letters?

Finish with: "I found that a pen can be made from ___."

Talk together:

• Why is writing such a great gift from Allah?
• Which name of Allah does this remind you of?
• What has been written down that you are glad we still have?
• How can you use a pen for good this week?
• What would you write if you could send one message to every child in the world?

Make a small plan: "This week, I will use my pen to write ___ for ___."

• Copy out a dua you love in your neatest handwriting.
• Show your reed-pen letters to someone at home.
• Next time: the next ayah (96:5) is about everything Allah teaches us. Explore it together!

Action: Write a short thank-you note to someone who taught you something.