How to Get Your Child to Write His First Word in Arabic

The first word Angela wrote in Arabic was أزرق or blue. I had written in on the chalk board when we were learning about the colors in Arabic. I was surprised of how easily she could copy my word below it. If you look at the word, you can see that each of the letters is as it is written in the alphabet, meaning the letters are not conjoined. The challenge, I thought, would be to get her to write words with conjoined letters, like جمل for example. It would have been a lot easier, if Arabic was a straight forward language like English, so جمل would simply be written as ج م ل.

The best way of doing that is combining different approaches depending on how you feel your child can get on. I tried today with few words and could see Angela struggle a bit. I used a worksheet I had downloaded from the web, where she was required to trace and copy the words. However, the worksheets looked a bit confusing for her, as they did not explain how the letters came together in the first place to form the word. I used the chalkboard to complement the worksheet and explained for her.

Even though I am sure probably just 50% sank in, I'm going to keep trying every day. Visually seeing the different ways letters are written and words are formed will click in with time. Just as in other languages, you need to practice and repeat. In combination with reading stories, I expect to see good improvements on the long run.

For this purpose I took it on my own to create much needed worksheets, which show how the letters come together to form the word. And, in addition, they allow the child to trace the letters and words, to fully understand the whole word. Of course fun pictures are included.

You can download and use these worksheets below by clicking here or saving the pictures directly. I will probably make more as needed in the near future and share them with you. Stay tuned.

For free Arabic learning and reading resources, check out our Stories and Downloads pages. Don't miss out on any new additions and free resources, subscribe to the blog (click subscribe from the main menu). And stay tuned by Liking our Facebook Page. It's the best way to stay in touch! Please feel free to share any ideas, comments or resources with other readers by leaving a comment below or emailing directly to the blog.