Bedtime is six-year-old Luna and four-year-old Mohamed’s favourite period to bond with their mother, Hala Danaoui, because they enjoy reading fairy tales together before going to sleep.
The siblings' love for books, especially about western fairy tales, came as a timely hobby during Qatar Foundation’s National Reading Campaign at the Medina Centrale at The Pearl-Qatar on Friday.
Hosted by United Development Company (UDC), the master developer of The Pearl-Qatar, the event will also run on Saturday from 3pm to 9pm. Activities include storytelling sessions, “book hangout” on beanbags, book swap, jigsaw, bookmarks colouring, and “big scrabble.”
“Luna and Mohamed enjoy reading or listening to bedtime stories and it’s their favourite activity of the day. They really insist that we read bedtime stories together, otherwise they will be sad. At home, they are forbidden to use gadgets like iPads during weekdays, and they’re only allowed to use them during the weekends,” Danaoui said.
She said Luna’s favourite characters are Elsa and Anna from Disney’s Frozen. “She already knows how to read on her own but Mohamed has just started to learn how to read,” Danaoui said.



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“Our kids really find it interesting and they really look forward to going to bed and enjoy bonding with their mother by reading bedtime stories. Though the use of the electronic gadgets is not allowed during the week, our kids usually enjoy playing in the afternoons towards evening time,” added Danaoui’s husband, Wassef.
When their kids are not reading or playing, Danaoui said Luna and Mohamed spend time watching television. “Usually, they watch kids’ educational programmes, which are better than playing with an iPad,” she added.
According to Qatar Foundation, the National Reading Campaign was designed to develop “a love of literature among all residents, with a special focus on children.”
To promote the initiative, QF will partner with different organisations in Qatar to create a consolidated platform to raise awareness on the importance of reading.
The National Reading Campaign was launched earlier this month. QF’s president of Community Development, Fahad Saad al-Qahtani, earlier said: “Reading is the primary building block for learning, as it helps to encourage a range of soft skills in young minds, including learning, understanding and creativity.
“Extensive research has revealed that reading aloud is the single most important activity for improving language and literacy skills and, amongst other things, this initiative will seek to promote this activity. Ultimately, we hope that this campaign will contribute to the continuing development of this nation.”