From pixel art and chemistry, to robotics and storytelling, the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF 2025) is back with a vibrant mix of learning and fun for the whole family. Taking place from April 23 to May 4 at Expo Centre Sharjah, the 16th edition of the festival promises an immersive experience with more than 600 creative workshops and activities, all under the theme Dive into Books.
Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), this year’s agenda will be led by a global cast of 22 guests from 11 countries and unfold across eight themed zones. With a programme that blends science, art, technology, and literature, the festival transforms reading into a multi-sensory adventure—welcoming children, teenagers, and adults to explore more than 600 hands-on workshops, interactive sessions, and live performances designed to inspire every kind of young mind.
One highlight is the “Digital Cubes” workshop, where children use LED lights to create pixel-inspired art, drawing inspiration from old-school video games and contemporary design. Then there’s “Spinning Robots”, a session that combines simple circuits with colourful spinning paper discs, encouraging kids to learn electronics while having a go at kinetic art.
In the “Retro Tote Bags” workshop, young artists will design and personalise canvas bags with embroidered patterns inspired by cassette tapes. The “Make Your Own Bristlebot” workshop will have children build tiny vibrating robots using motors, batteries, and toothbrush heads.
Workshops including “Heartbeat of Life” take a more anatomical approach, guiding participants through how the heart works using DIY models and colourful liquids to mimic blood flow. Meanwhile, in “Bubble World”, young scientists will get hands-on with giant bubbles and foam towers as they explore surface tension, air pressure and light reflection.
And it wouldn’t be a science festival without something a bit magical. The “Dry Ice Wonders” introduces children to the sublimation phenomenon, where dry ice skips the liquid phase and transforms into gas, creating dramatic fog and fizz in a safe, controlled setting.
The creative offerings continue with “Lucky Dolls”, where children craft fabric figures and personalise them with embroidery and beads, each telling a small story of its maker. Budding chemists will enjoy “Colourful Chemistry”, which uses natural ingredients like cabbage juice to explore acids, bases, and the vivid reactions between them. There's even a “DNA Discovery” workshop where sweets and beads bring genetics to life, teaching children about the double-helix structure of DNA in the most hands-on way possible.
The 16th edition also features exciting collaborations with leading educational and creative organisations, including Lego, Wikipedia, Voices of the Future, and Young Voices of Arabia. These partnerships bring fresh energy to the programme through joint workshops such as “Engineer Mohannad’s Science Lab,” “Building Superheroes,” and “The Illustrators,” alongside engaging reading sessions and training activities that blend play with learning.
The festival isn’t just for kids, either. Three specially curated English-language workshops for adults will also be held. Each session costs AED 150 and runs from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM. On Saturday, April 26, literary agent Janna Morishima leads “Graphic Novels for Fluent Reading,” an insightful session on how visual storytelling can help children become confident readers, suited for teachers, parents and anyone curious about educational trends.
On April 27, inspirational speaker and mental health expert Nicola Morgan presents “Unlocking the Teenage Brain”, sharing research and practical tools for understanding teen thinking, behaviour and emotional wellbeing. Then on Tuesday, April 29, award-winning children’s author Roxana Khan offers a session titled “Creative Writing: How to Write a Bestselling Book”, aimed at aspiring writers, teachers, and book lovers eager to explore storytelling techniques that connect with young readers.
For full details on workshops, tickets and repeat sessions, visit: www.scrf.ae.
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