Try These Eid al-Fitr Activities in Your Classroom

Eid al-Fitr—also called the Festival of Breaking the Fast—is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. Celebrated over two or three days, it includes special prayers, gift-giving, and shared meals with family and community members.

You can use Eid al-Fitr activities in ELA and social studies to build background knowledge, explore global cultures, and help students see themselves reflected in their learning. And you can do it all while strengthening reading, discussion, and writing skills.

Jump to:

• See how people celebrate Eid al-Fitr with ELA activities
• Explore the history and traditions of Eid al-Fitr in social studies

[See how people celebrate Eid al-Fitr with ELA activities](id-ela)

Key takeaways:

• Eid al-Fitr activities support reading, writing, and discussion through real-world cultural topics.
• Students can build background knowledge before writing, leading to stronger, more informed responses.
• Writing tasks encourage students to reflect, explain, and apply what they learn in multiple formats.

Eid al-Fitr offers meaningful opportunities for reading, discussion, and writing in your ELA classrooms. These Eid al-Fitr activities help students build cultural understanding while practicing core literacy skills using authentic texts and engaging prompts.

How can ELA lessons help students explore Eid al-Fitr?

Whether students celebrate Eid at home or are learning about it for the first time in your class, a structured ELA lesson can help them understand its significance while practicing core literacy skills. Start by grounding students in the basics of the holiday, then layer in multimedia and writing for deeper engagement.

• First, have students read an article explaining the significance of Eid and how it’s celebrated.
• Next, assign an interactive video that explains the holy month of Ramadan, which happens before Eid.
• Finally, ask students to write a short story about Eid al-Fitr using what they learned, plus any background knowledge they have on the topic.

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Newsela Knack: Level up your writing activity with Newsela Writing. You can assign personal narrative, informational, or expository writing tasks and give students instant, personalized feedback to support revision and growth.

[Explore the history and traditions of Eid al-Fitr in social studies](id-ss)

Key takeaways:

• Eid al-Fitr activities help students explore how holidays are recognized across countries and institutions.
• Students can examine religious traditions alongside civic policies and public decision-making.
• Use lessons that support cultural literacy and global awareness through historical and contemporary examples.

Social studies lessons on Eid al-Fitr help students connect global events, religious traditions, and civic decisions to real people and places. These Eid al-Fitr activities build background knowledge while encouraging respectful discussion and critical thinking about how societies recognize and accommodate cultural holidays.

How do countries around the world acknowledge Eid al-Fitr?

Around the world, governments, schools, and organizations recognize Eid al-Fitr in different ways. Exploring these examples helps students understand how religious holidays influence public policy, education systems, and workplace practices.

Students can explore articles on topics like:

• Why the College Board expanded Advanced Placement testing options to respect the holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
• Whether public schools in the United States should recognize and accommodate more Muslim and Jewish holidays.
• How and why fasting and prayer are such important parts of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr.

What do your students know about Islamic culture?

Islam has a long and complex history that spans continents and centuries. Teaching about the origins and spread of holidays like Eid al-Fitr helps students better understand the cultural and historical context behind them.

Students can explore:

• How Islam spread in Africa and made an impact on African culture.
• How Jews, Christians, and Muslims worship the same God in different belief systems.
• An explainer article about the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

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Newsela Knack: Interested in more religious studies? Check out our Comparative Religions social studies elective course that explores Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Dharmic religions, East Asian and Indigenous religions, and contemporary religious issues.

How can students compare religious celebrations in spring?

Spring includes several major religious holidays that are meaningful to many students and families. Comparing these celebrations helps students recognize shared themes, understand key differences, and practice respectful discussion about belief systems and traditions around the world.

With this lesson, you can:

• Discover the similarities and differences among Christian, Jewish, and Muslim holidays like Passover, Easter, Ramadan, and Eid al-Fitr. 
• Break students into jigsaw groups, assign each group a holiday to study, and create a presentation for the class.
• Have students share their presentations with the class using the information they learned. Encourage the listeners to ask questions and take notes about information they find interesting.

Teach about all the spring holidays with Newsela

Teaching about Eid al-Fitr and other spring holidays helps students build cultural awareness while strengthening literacy and critical thinking skills. With timely texts and flexible lesson options, you can create inclusive lessons that reflect students' experiences in your classroom and around the world.

If you’re not a Newsela customer yet, create an account to get a 45-day free trial of all our premium, differentiated content and activities that make it easier to plan engaging lessons for every spring holiday.