Love of languages draws youngsters to Sharjah Children's Reading Festival
Marie makes the most of her time at the SCRF.
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.
According to Lebanese mum Racha El Khawand, the 12-day festival running at the Sharjah Expo Centre until May 12, is a unique place that offers a valuable opportunity for children to expand their linguistic horizons in a fun and interactive way. "My daughter has a huge fascination for foreign languages. At SCRF, she and children like her have the chance to explore languages that they may not encounter in their everyday lives," says El Khawand.
She came to the event earlier this week with her multilingual eight-year-old daughter Maria, who is keen to learn Spanish after watching and reading about the exploits of Dora, a seven-year-old girl of Latin American descent who embarks upon numerous adventures in the wilderness with her friend Boots, a monkey.
“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.
Whether it's learning to say "hello" in Arabic, counting in French, or singing songs in Spanish, SCRF offers children a unique and immersive language learning experience that will stay with them for a lifetime.
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.”
It's the same motivation for her Egyptian friend Yomna Hatim who came to the annual festival of reading in hopes of buying some language books for her four-year-old son Raheem. “I know my child is too small, but I want him to pick up some early lessons in a language like Spanish. I am glad I found some illustrated books with a few words that are just fit for him. I believe kids at this age are fast learners and I don’t think he will have problems in adding another language to a growing vocabulary,” said the 27-year-old pharmacist who spends considerable time with her son teaching him English and Arabic.
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.
