It’s bedtime. You ask your child to recite Surah Al-Kawthar, the one they knew perfectly last month. Halfway through, they stop, look up at you and say, “I forgot.”
If your heart sank a little in that moment, you’re not alone. It happens in almost every Muslim home, and it doesn’t mean your child isn’t clever, or that you’ve done anything wrong. Most of the time, children forget surahs simply because they haven’t been revised often enough, or because new surahs were added faster than the old ones could settle. The good news? That is very fixable.
So let’s talk about why it happens, and the small, gentle changes that help surahs stay.
- Forgetting is natural. Even adults forget what they don’t revise.
- The usual cause is too little revision, not a weak memory.
- Split practice into three parts: the new lesson, recent revision and older revision.
- Reciting surahs in salah is one of the best ways to keep them strong.
Forgetting is normal: the Prophet ﷺ warned us about it
If you’ve ever felt guilty about this, here is something comforting. The Prophet ﷺ told us that the Quran needs constant care: “Keep refreshing your knowledge of the Quran, for it escapes faster than camels from their ropes” (meaning of Sahih al-Bukhari 5033).
That advice was given to the best generation of Muslims. So when our little ones need regular revision too, it isn’t a sign of failure. It’s just how memory works, and revision needs a bit more room in the week.
Memory research says the same thing. More than a century ago, the psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus showed that we forget new information quickly unless we come back to it. In 2015, researchers at the University of Amsterdam repeated his experiment and found the same “forgetting curve” (Murre and Dros, PLOS ONE, 2015). A large review of hundreds of memory experiments also found that spreading practice out over time leads to much better long-term memory than cramming it all at once (Cepeda and colleagues, Psychological Bulletin, 2006). In other words: little and often really does work.
The 6 most common reasons children forget
See if any of these sound familiar. Most families will recognise at least one or two.
- Not enough revision. The surah was memorised, celebrated, and then left alone for weeks.
- Moving on too fast. A new surah arrives before the last one is really solid. It’s tempting, because progress feels good!
- A shaky first memorisation. The surah was “nearly” there, and the small gaps grew over time.
- Reading mistakes. If your child can’t read the verses fluently, they can’t check themselves when they get stuck.
- No real use. Surahs that are never recited in salah fade faster.
- A busy, irregular week. School, clubs, holidays… life happens, and Quran time quietly slips.
A note from Omar Saeed, Quran teacher at Bloomtivo
I remember working with a young boy who could recite Surah Al-Fil beautifully one week, but struggled to get past the first few verses the next.
At first, I thought he simply needed more practice. But after speaking with him, I realised something: he was learning new surahs every week, yet hardly spending any time revising the old ones.
So we changed one small thing.
Instead of rushing into a new surah at the beginning of each lesson, we spent the first few minutes revisiting what he already knew. We also turned revision into a little challenge. He could choose which surah to recite, and I would sometimes deliberately pause so he could help me continue.
Gradually, he became more confident with his older surahs.
That experience reminded me of something I often tell parents: memorising a surah is an achievement, but keeping it strong is a habit.
— Omar Saeed, Quran Teacher at Bloomtivo
The fix: a three-part revision plan
Quran teachers around the world use a simple routine that you can bring home too. Each day’s practice has three parts. In many UK madrasas you may hear them called sabaq, sabqi and manzil.
| Part | What it is | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| New lesson (sabaq) | Today’s new verses | Keeps your child moving forward |
| Recent revision (sabqi) | What was memorised over roughly the last week or two | Locks new verses in before they slip |
| Older revision (manzil) | Earlier surahs, in a rotation, a portion each day | Keeps everything memorised alive |
As your child learns more, the revision parts naturally grow, and that’s a good sign. Sometimes a teacher will slow down new memorisation for a while so revision can catch up. It can feel like going backwards, but for a child who keeps forgetting, it’s often the kindest and smartest decision.
A simple daily plan you can copy
Here is what a calm 15 to 20 minute session can look like for a child who is memorising from An-Nas upwards and has reached Surah At-Takathur. Change the amounts to suit your child’s age and level, or ask their teacher what fits best.
| Time | What to do | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 5 minutes | New lesson: listen to, read and repeat today’s new verses | The first 3 verses of Surah Al-Qari’ah |
| 5 minutes | Recent revision: recite what was learned over the last week or two | Surah At-Takathur and Surah Al-Asr |
| 5 to 10 minutes | Older revision: today’s surahs from the weekly rotation below | Monday: An-Nas and Al-Falaq |
And here is a weekly rotation, so every older surah comes back at least once a week without anyone having to remember whose turn it is:
| Day | Older revision |
|---|---|
| Monday | An-Nas and Al-Falaq |
| Tuesday | Al-Ikhlas and Al-Masad |
| Wednesday | An-Nasr and Al-Kafirun |
| Thursday | Al-Kawthar and Al-Ma’un |
| Friday | Quraysh, Al-Fil and Al-Humazah |
| Saturday | Catch-up day: any surah that felt shaky this week |
| Sunday | A lighter day: your child recites a favourite surah to the family |
When the list of surahs grows, simply add them to the days. You can tick off each session on the free My Quran Journey planner.
Small daily habits that make surahs stick
You don’t need a long study session. These little moments fit into a normal family day:
- Recite in salah. Encourage your child to use different surahs in their prayers, not only the same two.
- Use the “in-between” moments. The car journey to school or the walk to the shop is perfect for one older surah.
- Listen together. Playing a clear recitation of the surahs your child knows keeps them fresh, even while they play.
- Stick to the same mushaf. Children often remember where a verse sits on the page, and changing copies can confuse that memory.
- Let them be the teacher. Children love reciting to a younger sibling, or “testing” you.
- The bedtime surahs. Before sleeping, the Prophet ﷺ would recite Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq and An-Nas, blow into his hands and wipe over his body (Sahih al-Bukhari 5017). Doing this together is a beautiful Sunnah, and gentle revision at the end of the day.
Talk about what the surah means
Children hold on to what makes sense to them. Before a new surah, tell your child in one or two simple sentences what it is about. Surah Al-Fil, for example, is the story of the army with the elephant that came to destroy the Kaaba, and how Allah protected it. Once the verses become a story your child understands, they are much easier to remember, and the surah starts to mean something to them, not just sounds to repeat.
Teacher’s tip: make a simple revision wheel. Write your child’s surahs around a paper circle and spin an arrow each evening. Whatever surah it lands on, they recite. Suddenly revision is a game, not a chore.
What not to do
We know it’s frustrating, especially when you’ve both worked so hard. A few things to gently avoid:
- Don’t panic or scold. A worried child remembers less. A calm “Let’s read it together” works far better than “How did you forget again?”
- Don’t only chase new surahs. Counting surahs is tempting, but a few strong surahs are worth more than many weak ones.
- Don’t wait for the holidays. A few minutes every day beats a big catch-up later.
When to ask a teacher for help
If your child keeps forgetting even with regular revision, please don’t carry it alone. A teacher can usually spot the reason quickly: a reading mistake, a pace that’s a little too fast, or gaps in the first memorisation. Our guide on how long it takes a child to memorise the Quran also explains why a slower, steady pace often means more is memorised in the end.
Keep every surah strong with Bloomtivo
Our Quran Revision programme was made for exactly this. A kind teacher listens to your child’s revision, corrects mistakes gently and keeps a clear plan, to help your child hold on to what they have memorised. Children who are still memorising join our Hifz programme, where revision is part of every single lesson. Lessons are live and 1-to-1, and you receive a progress report every month. You can start with 2 free trial lessons, then continue on a paid plan if it feels right for your family.
Sources and further reading: Sahih al-Bukhari 5033 (Sunnah.com) · Sahih al-Bukhari 5017 (Sunnah.com) · Murre & Dros (2015), Replication and Analysis of Ebbinghaus’ Forgetting Curve, PLOS ONE · Cepeda et al. (2006), Distributed practice in verbal recall tasks, Psychological Bulletin
