Eid Stories for Kids
The two Eids, what each one is actually for, and how to keep Ramadan going after it stops.
For most children, Eid means new clothes, money from relatives, and being allowed to eat all day. That is fine, and it should be joyful. But it is worth ten minutes to tell them what each Eid is actually for, because the two are not the same festival with different dates.
Eid al-Fitr: the celebration of finishing
Eid al-Fitr comes the morning after Ramadan ends. It is a celebration of having completed something difficult, and the completion is the point. Allah says in the Qur'an that He wants ease for us and not hardship, and that we should complete the count and magnify Allah for having guided us, and be grateful. That is the whole meaning of the day: you finished, so say Allahu akbar, and be thankful.
Tell them about the charity too. Before the Eid prayer, every household gives zakat al-fitr, so that nobody in the community is left out of the celebration. Children understand that instantly, and it is more interesting to them than the prayer times.
Eid al-Adha: the story behind it
Eid al-Adha, about two months later, has an actual story attached, and it is one of the biggest in the Qur'an. Prophet Ibrahim, alayhi salaam, saw in a dream that he was to sacrifice his son. He told Ismail, and Ismail said: father, do what you have been commanded, you will find me patient. And when they had both submitted, Allah called out and stopped him, and ransomed the boy with a great sacrifice instead. Nobody was harmed. That is the part to say clearly to a child, early, so they are not frightened. Read the story of Prophet Ibrahim →
How to keep the month going after it ends
The hardest part of Eid for parents is the day after, when everything that was special in Ramadan quietly stops. If you kept a nightly story through the month, the single best thing you can do is not stop it. Cut it to three nights a week if you need to. The habit is the thing you built, and Ramadan was the scaffolding.
- Keep one Ramadan habit, not all of them. One kept habit beats five abandoned ones.
- Let them choose which one. They will keep the one they chose.
- Mark the six fasts of Shawwal if your household does them, so the month does not end with a cliff.
The Sukun Kids app is built for exactly that stretch, when the enthusiasm is gone but the habit is worth keeping. Browse the stories →
Read the full stories
Frequently asked
What is the difference between Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha?+
Eid al-Fitr comes at the end of Ramadan and celebrates completing the month of fasting. Eid al-Adha comes about two months later, during the days of Hajj, and remembers Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son and Allah ransoming him with a great sacrifice instead.
How do I tell the Eid al-Adha story without frightening my child?+
Say the ending early. Tell them at the start that Allah stopped it and nobody was hurt, then tell the story. Children can hold a difficult middle if they already know it ends safely.
How do we keep good Ramadan habits after Eid?+
Keep one, not all of them, and let the child pick which. A nightly story cut down to a few nights a week survives; an ambitious full programme usually does not last a fortnight.
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Bring these stories to bedtime.
Sukun Kids narrates the prophets' stories softly for sleep. Free to start.