Frequently Asked Questions

What does the word Kheloney mean?
The word Kheloney means toys in Urdu Language and symbolizes free, imaginative play. Urdu is widely spoken and understood in Pakistan and India and the business is named to pay homage to Miral’s country of birth, Pakistan.

How does Kheloney benefit my community?
All communities need spaces like Kheloney so that our children can discover the world through stories and play.

The space is designed so that children of all ages can benefit socially and educationally, as can their teenage siblings, parents, grandparents, and guardians. This not only results in positive changes within present day communities, but lays the foundations for inclusive, collaborative communities of the future.

Please follow us on Instagram to hear Miral speak about the motivation behind Kheloney and what we hope to achieve.

What are Kheloney’s objectives?

Kheloney is designed to help raise the bar of literacy for our children. Through storytelling in multiple languages, we hope to inspire younger generations to be proud of who they are and to connect with their peers with confidence, empathy and admiration.

The objectives of the Kheloney play space:

1. Create a warm, safe, judgment-free environment and leave behind perfectionism.
2. Show how to become friends with challenges and make a better version of ourselves.
3. Show the world through different lenses and appreciate our similarities and differences.
4. Show the beauty of our world in which all people were created equal and have rich cultures and heritages.
5. Discover how everyone brings something to the table, everyone has a gift and a purpose, and we can all learn from each other.
6. Revive the tradition of storytelling and reading aloud to children.
7. Allow children to do multiple things like doodling on a chalkboard table, playing with toys, scribbling on our glass walls whilst they are listening. Children are not required to sit still. They can feel comfortable and do any activity sitting, standing, and lying down – albeit quietly.
8. Expose the children to many languages through storytelling, at an affordable price.
9. Make it possible for the community to gift playdates to each other, allowing us to extend our reach to children who would never be able to attend such sessions but would benefit immensely from our work.
10. Share the benefits of free play. This play space will allow children to be creative without any pressure.
11. Preserve the natural “fitra” of the child – an Arabic word which means disposition. By taking things slowly and maintaining a low-pressure environment, we can leave perfectionism and stress at the door enabling both children and adults to flourish.

Who is Kheloney’s target audience?
Everyone. We at Kheloney welcome infantcs and children accompanied by people of all ages from teenagers to the elderly. We celebrate a diverse range of backgrounds, races, cultures and religions and only ask that you play by our rules set out in The Kheloney Pledge.

Is Kheloney a religious institution?
Kheloney is an inclusive space where children can explore different languages and enjoy the benefits of open-ended play. Miral, the owner of Kheloney, is a Muslim immigrant from Pakistan and welcomes a diverse mixture of beliefs to the play space. Kheloney’s objective is to celebrate our world and those we share it with without prejudice, judgement or bias.

What is the age range for Kheloney sessions?
Any one aged 2yrs  – 99 yrs of age that would like to play.

Can I bring a younger child?
Children 3 and under are welcome and can play with all available toys. Parent supervision is required at all times.

How many adults can accompany a child?
One adult per child only.

Can children be dropped off?
Children aged 5 and above can be dropped off in time for the beginning of the session. Please call us if you are running late.

Payment

Our prices are extremely competitive and give you excellent value for money. You can also gift playdates to friends and loved ones.

Are there any discounts?
We offer a 10% discount for additional siblings attending the same session at the same time.

Amenities

Can we bring food and drinks with us?
We encourage children to bring water only. Exceptions can be made for children who have a serious medical condition but please make us aware of this at least 24 hours before the session.

In order for the space to remain inclusive to all, we are a nut-free facility.

Do you have restrooms?
We offer a restroom facility and baby changing station at the back of the play space. We ask that you please dispose of dirty diapers in the designated waste bin outside the restroom.

Is there a nursing area?
We have a small seating arrangement in the back of the store where mothers can nurse in privacy.

What is Kheloney’s mask policy?
We currently require masks to be worn within our facility as we welcome children with all health conditions. Masks must be worn over the nose and mouth.

Do you do a temperature check?
All children and adults in the facility will have their temperatures checked before checking in. If your child is sick, please do not being them in; we can gladly reschedule their session.

What is the inclement weather policy?
The session will be closed if there is inclement weather that makes roads dangerous to drive on. We will reschedule the session to any session of your choice in the upcoming weeks.

How do I find out about new sessions?
Please sign up to our mailing list and follow us on Instagram for information about new sessions.

How far in advance can I book a session?
Please book your session one week in advance. Summer camps can be booked months in advance.

What is your cancellation policy?
We have a strict 24-hour cancellation policy. If you cancel with less than 24 hours’ notice, we can rearrange your session subject to availability, but no refund will be available.

Is Kheloney a bilingual school?
We are not a bilingual school.

Are the bilingual story sessions conducted by a certified language teacher?
No, most story times will be conducted by Miral or an assistant and we learn right alongside the children using learning materials from certified sources.

What languages are the story times in?
We are proud to have story times in 5 languages. English, Urdu, Arabic, Spanish and French.

We do have bilingual staff at hand who can help you during your session.

Do you follow a language curriculum?
We do not follow any language curriculum. We do highlight private small content creators and use various resources to help our story times to come to life.

What kind of stories are being read in the bilingual story sessions?
We read stories from all genres that are age appropriate. No story will have any explicit content or promote bad language or behavior. The stories will explore different religious celebrations from around the world, especially during those specific holiday seasons.

How is Kheloney ensuring that the stories are inclusive?
Having story times in 5 languages is one way to do it. Representation matters and Miral handpicks stories every week that will explore a new place or will be presented from a new authors’ perspective. In addition to bilingual stories, we will also explore albeit briefly the region that the story is talking about and the people of the region.

How regularly do you switch stories / languages?
We do one story per language per week. It gives everyone a chance to come to a day of their choice and enjoy the same story and helps us maintain a measured pace.

What resources do you use?
We use many different resources for our bilingual playdate sessions. We incorporate items that we sell in our store extensively and use books that have been collected by Miral, for her own children, over the years and represent authors from diverse regions, religions and cultures. We use all resources that have been tried and tested with Miral’s children for years, and she intends to benefit her community by sharing these experiences.

Why are products being sold at Kheloney on the higher price point?
Wooden toys are mostly handmade and the process of manufacturing them is painstakingly slow. Because the turnover is not as fast, the toys are sold at a higher price. The good news is that you are investing in a piece that will last you many generations with some light cleaning and care. The products are also nontoxic and do not require any expensive battery changes.

What forms of payment do you accept?
We are a cashless facility and accept all forms of payments except American Express.

Do you offer gift wrapping?
We offer wrapping for a small charge of $4 in addition to the purchase price of the product.

Please browse a few of our wrapping papers and indicate the ones you like.

Can I order online?
You are able to order online. All our online orders are tracked through UPS.

What if there is a mistake in my order?
In case of a mistake in your order, please reach out to us within 5 days of receipt of your order and we will rectify immediately.

What is your returns policy?

We have a generous returns policy and accept returns made to us within 14 days of receiving an item for a full refund of purchase price minus the shipping cost. The item must be in a new condition and in their unmarked packaging. You must ship through UPS and provide us with a tracking number.

What is State Tax?

Maryland State Tax will automatically be applied at checkout at 6%.

What is the background music being played in the store?

We play music scores by Babel Babies and Adam wa Mishmish. We sell babel babies music CDs which are scores of traditional rhymes being sung in multiple languages. We highly recommend these CDs as they familiarize children and adults of all ages with multiple languages around the globe. The songs have catchy tunes and do not be shocked if you find yourself humming to the songs in a few days of back to back playing.

Adam Wa Mishmish is an educational cartoon created for children to learn and love the Arabic language. It is aimed at children in the early years, ages 0 to 5, and all episodes are music based for Arabic learning. Each episode is between 1 to 3 minutes long and focuses on a different subject each time, ranging from alphabets, numbers, musical instruments, animals etc. You can find them on YouTube and their own exclusive app.