What's Happening?
The 2025 World Parent-Child Shared Reading Festival took place in Shenzhen, China, from December 27, 2025, to January 4, 2026. The event featured a variety of activities such as children's theater, light
shows, storytelling sessions, and workshops aimed at fostering parent-child relationships and promoting educational equity. The festival was organized by the Iread Foundation, Wenweiqi Picture Book Art Museum, and Shenzhen Koko Technology Co., Ltd. It emphasized the importance of shared reading between parents and children as a means to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty and bridge educational gaps. The festival also included a point-based reward system to encourage family participation.
Why It's Important?
The festival highlights the growing international consensus on the value of parent-child reading in supporting early childhood development and fostering lifelong learning. Shared reading is seen as a cost-effective way to nurture a love of reading and enhance children's language acquisition and socio-emotional development. The event aligns with China's nationwide reading initiatives and the Regulation on Promoting Nationwide Reading, which supports public-interest reading initiatives. By promoting shared reading, the festival aims to strengthen family bonds and contribute to societal vitality, aligning with global educational and well-being goals.
