Play with Arabic (Workbook)

Play with Arabic (Workbook) is a bright, full-color introduction that makes a child’s very first encounter with the Arabic letters joyful, gentle, and rewarding. Written by experienced Quran teacher Said Hassan Dhore, this workbook is designed so that learning to recognize and write Arabic feels like play rather than work — exactly the kind of happy first step that builds a lasting love for the language of the Quran. Every page invites young learners to look, trace, and write, so that confidence grows naturally from the very first lesson, by the permission of Allah.

Across its colorful pages, the workbook introduces the Arabic alphabet and helps children become comfortable with each letter — its shape, its sound, and how it is written by hand. Generous tracing and guided writing practice train little hands to form the letters correctly, while the full-color, engaging layout keeps young learners interested and motivated. By pairing reading and writing together from the start, the book lays a firm and authentic foundation that prepares a child to go on and read the Quran with proper Tajweed in the years ahead.

Presented as a 75-page, full-color paperback in a large, child-friendly 8.5" × 11" format (second edition, February 2025), this is the ideal first book for pre-school and early-primary children at home, in the masjid, and in weekend and full-time Islamic schools. It is also the opening step in a complete learning path from the same author: once a child is comfortable with the letters, they can build their foundations with 14 Essential Arabic Lessons (Workbook), then progress to the full course in Your Way to the Quran (Workbook) and reinforce their reading with Beginners Arabic Reading. When they are ready to recite from the Quran itself, titles such as Juz ‘Amma for School Students and Juz Tabarak (Part 29 of the Quran) are the natural next step.

About the Author

Said Hassan Dhore is originally from Somalia and resides in Nashville, Tennessee. He memorized the Book of Allah at a young age at the masjid of Sheikh Ali Sufi in Mogadishu, Somalia. After arriving in the United States, he began teaching the Quran at his local masjid and, by the mercy of Allah, guided many students to read and write the Quran with proper Tajweed. He went on to found the Tajweed Center of Tennessee, which he continues to run and operate, where students learn Arabic reading, writing, and Quran memorization alongside discipline and good character. He has also taught Arabic at Valor Collegiate Academy, a preparatory charter school in Nashville. Drawing on these years in the classroom, he has authored several books on reading and writing Arabic with the aim of teaching students the Quran — of which this workbook is one. In addition to his Islamic studies, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Management and Leadership from Trevecca Nazarene University.

May Allah make his work fruitful, bless his teachers and his parents, and reward him with the highest reward; indeed He is able to do all things and has power over everything. Aameen.