Introducing Fasting To Children Is Easy Nor Difficult, How's The Method?

Illustration (Pexel)

JAKARTA - Introducing and teaching children to do fasting, can be neither easy nor difficult but most importantly parents must provide explanations that are easy to understand and comprehend by children.

Reported by Antara, Thursday, April 15, a child and adolescent clinical psychologist from the Integrated Clinic University of Indonesia, Andini Sugeng said introducing children by fasting has various stages ranging from who fasts, what to do during fasting, when it is time and how to do it.

"First, the child must know and have heard the word fasting itself. He will also ask about the duration, if it is just the beginning and so as not to make the child afraid of the word fasting and become heavy, the training is gradual," said Andini.

To teach a child who is the first to start fasting, parents can provide explanations through concrete examples or can be seen and felt by the child, not based on abstract studies.

"The concrete explanation that children can feel, fasting is good for health because the stomach needs rest and there will be time to eat. It's just physical and visible," Andini said.

"If the abstract is the content of religion that needs to be analyzed, it is not understood by children, like sin or hell. They will ask what sin is, what hell is. That's what they haven't been able to see. Because of the age stage of the children, all they know is that they can see, hear, touch it directly," he added.

Andini also said children, especially those aged 5-7 years should not be forced to fast without giving an explanation. As for children who already have the requirement to fast, parents should also provide explanations and understandings that do not seem patronizing.

"There are rules when Muslims begin to fast. But if you are 5 years old or just entering elementary school, parents force fasting without giving an explanation, it is not permissible, the way should not be explained," said Andini.

Some parents may have difficulty communicating or giving knowledge about fasting. Andini suggests buying a fasting-themed children's book or asking someone nearby for help to give an introduction to fasting.

"The point is that the child has heard a few words related to fasting, it can actually be found out from the book. The books for the child's language have been adapted to what can be understood by the child," said Andini.