Love of languages draws youngsters to Sharjah Children's Reading Festival
- 09 May 2024
Gulf Today, Staff Reporter
The ongoing 15th annual Sharjah Children's Reading Festival (SCRF) is much more than a grand celebration of books and reading. It is a melting pot of cultures, languages and diverse experiences. One of the festival's most exciting aspects is its role in introducing young children to foreign languages that they may not encounter at home or in school, say parents.
“I know English and I speak Arabic at home while I am learning French in school. But now I want to add Spanish to my language list and I was excited to find books that’ll teach me the language,” said the student of Al Mawakeb school.
Meanwhile, for someone like Lale Meredova, who speaks Russian, Turkmen and English, SCRF is an exciting adventure that allows her to explore the world through languages. "This is my first SCRF visit, and I love it because I get to learn new languages and make new friends from different countries. It's so much fun,” said the seven-year-old from Turkmenistan’s capital of Ashgabat. She moved to the UAE just last year with her parents and siblings Maral, nine, and Khan Murat, four.
“We love UAE for its diversity and you get a slice of it at this festival with books from so many languages available,” added Lale’s mother Mahim, 34.
Perfect place to begin
American-Egyptian dentist Abrar Abubakr, a 28-year-old mum of two – five-year-old Celine and her three-year-old sister Julia – noted, “My children speak English and Arabic at home and in school anyway, but I would love for them to learn other widely spoken languages like French and Spanish which I don’t know, and this is the perfect place to start that journey.”
For many other children, learning a new language opens up a world of opportunities, allowing them to connect with people from different backgrounds and cultures.
At SCRF, being organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), young visitors have the chance to explore a variety of foreign languages through interactive workshops, storytelling sessions, and language-based activities.
