How can I introduce kindness in everyday greetings at home? 

Parenting Perspective 

The everyday greetings exchanged within a family set the tone for the entire home. When children learn to greet others with warmth, it transforms ordinary moments into opportunities to spread kindness. By introducing gentle and consistent habits around greetings, you can help your child to practise respect in a natural and unforced way. 

Make Greetings a Family Rule 

Encourage everyone in the family, including adults, to say ‘Assalamu Alaikum’ or another kind greeting when entering or leaving a room. It is important to reinforce this by responding warmly yourself: ‘Wa Alaikum Assalam, it is so nice to see you.’ This demonstrates that a greeting is more than just a formality; it is a sincere act of care. 

Model Enthusiasm and Warmth 

Make a conscious effort to smile, make eye contact, and say your greetings with genuine affection. Children are quick to copy the behaviour they see around them. When they consistently experience warmth from you in the way you greet them, they will naturally begin to offer it back to you and to others. 

Praise and Remind Gently 

When your child greets someone politely, be sure to acknowledge their effort. A simple comment like, ‘That was a lovely greeting; you made the room feel brighter with your salam,’ can be very encouraging. If they happen to forget, a gentle reminder such as, ‘Please try that again with a little more kindness in your voice,’ is all that is needed. 

Spiritual Insight 

In Islam, the greeting of peace (salam) is not merely a social custom but a profound act of worship and a prayer for the wellbeing of others. Nurturing this practice within the home is a vital part of a child’s Islamic upbringing. 

A Blessed Command from Allah 

The Quran makes it clear that offering greetings of peace is a command from Allah that brings blessings and goodness into the home. 

Allah Almighty states in the noble Quran at Surah Al Noor (24), Verses 61: 

‘…But when you enter the houses, then say Salaam in your greeting, pertaining to Allah (Almighty) for your own benefit, which is blessed and a source of purification…’ 

The Key to Mutual Love 

The prophetic tradition teaches that the simple act of spreading the greeting of peace is a direct means of nurturing love, unity, and faith within our families and communities. 

It is recorded in Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 68, that the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: 

‘You will not enter Paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I not tell you something which, if you do it, you will love one another? Spread the greeting of salam among you.’ 

By introducing kindness in everyday greetings, you are helping your child to see that respect begins with these small but powerful words of peace. They learn that each salam is not only a demonstration of good manners but also an act of worship that invites blessings, strengthens bonds, and grows love within the home.