Tamdeen Group’s ‘My Book My Friend’ reading program successfully concludes its first season Storytelling sessions in 360 Mall, Souq Al-Kout become popular events

My book my friend, the initiative under Tamdeen Group recently concluded the first season of its community initiative ‘My Book My Friend’ which aims to support and encourage reading and storytelling in Kuwait, and foster a community of book readers in Kuwait; both children and adults alike.

Through a series of regular events and awareness activities, the initiative has succeeded in making a positive impact by encouraging children to discover the pleasure of books and stories as well as driving parents to spend more time reading with their children.

Since its launch in September 2016, over 400 children enjoyed storytelling sessions that were organized by ‘My Book My Friend’ at 360 Mall and Souq Al-Kout. Stories were read by engaging storytellers in Arabic or English followed by related activities such as coloring, puppet shows, music and group discussions.

Muath Al-Roumi, GM Marketing, Tamdeen Group said: “We are pleased to see how ‘My Book My Friend’ has attracted children to the story-telling sessions every week. What is most exciting is witnessing how involved and passionate parents are too, and how they became engaged with our storytellers to learn new, educative ways to immerse their children in the story and make it an exciting part of their daily lives.”

More than just storytelling sessions, ‘My Book My Friend’s’ bi-weekly events have succeeded in bringing together like-minded parents who are passionate about books and reading, and who have pledged to increase the time they spend reading stories and sharing the pleasure of this great activity with their children.

The first season of the initiative also included a session that was especially designed to offer tips to parents on how they can make reading more fun and an engaging activity. Through incorporating simple but powerful techniques such as visual stimulation, play-acting and allowing children to use their creativity to complete a story in their own way, parents learnt many ways to keep their children interested and passionate about reading.

“We have much more in store for Kuwait’s reading community in the upcoming season of ‘My Book My Friend’ and are looking forward to hosting joint sessions with some of Kuwait’s leading schools and community organizations,” added Roumi. “This initiative is open to ideas of partnership and contribution and we welcome any ideas from educators, child development professionals, organizations and interested individuals that will help promote reading and storytelling in our community.” Parents are also encouraged to take the pledge on social media pages of the initiative on Instagram and Facebook and invite their friends and family members to join in.

Season two of ‘My Book My Friend’ will resume after the summer holidays in September and includes more storytelling and sessions focused on language, moral development, and stories that help shape positive behavior as well as special workshops for adults to improve their storytelling skills and learn how to make story time more meaningful, engaging and exciting.