Most children start with Al-Fatihah, then the short surahs at the end of the Quran: An-Nas, Al-Falaq, Al-Ikhlas, then working back through Al-Masad, An-Nasr, Al-Kafirun, Al-Kawthar, Al-Ma'un and Quraysh. They are short, used in daily prayer, and build confidence quickly.
Why start at the end of the Quran
The last surahs of the Quran are among the shortest, which makes them the natural place for a child to begin. A child can finish one in a few days and feel it, which matters far more at six than any long-term plan. They are also the surahs a child will use in prayer, so they are learned for a reason the child can see.
The ten, in the order many children learn them
- 1. Al-Fatihah (1)
- 7 verses. Recited in every unit of prayer, so it comes first.
- 2. An-Nas (114)
- 6 verses. Short lines with a repeated ending, easy for young children.
- 3. Al-Falaq (113)
- 5 verses. Learned alongside An-Nas.
- 4. Al-Ikhlas (112)
- 4 verses. Short, and one of the best known.
- 5. Al-Masad (111)
- 5 verses.
- 6. An-Nasr (110)
- 3 verses.
- 7. Al-Kafirun (109)
- 6 verses. Repeated phrases that children need to keep in the right order.
- 8. Al-Kawthar (108)
- 3 verses. The shortest surah in the Quran.
- 9. Al-Ma'un (107)
- 7 verses.
- 10. Quraysh (106)
- 4 verses.
The order is a common one, not the only right one. Many teachers adjust it to the child.
How to help a child remember
- Correct reading first, memory second. A surah memorised with wrong sounds is hard to fix later.
- One verse at a time, repeated until it is easy, then joined to the one before.
- Recite it in their prayers. A surah that is used does not get forgotten.
- Revise old surahs every week. Children forget faster than adults expect, and older surahs slip first.
- Listen together to a clear, slow reciter. Hearing it often does half the work.
How long does it take?
It varies widely with age and practice. A child who can already read Arabic fluently learns these far faster than one memorising purely by ear. The honest answer is that steady daily repetition matters much more than the number of hours in any one week.
Once these ten are secure, many children move on through the rest of Juz Amma, the thirtieth part of the Quran, which is where most Hifz journeys begin.
Related
How to teach namaz to kids
Where these surahs get used every day.
Tajweed rules for kids
Reading correctly before memorising.
Our Hifz classes
Quran memorisation for children, one to one.