5 tips to improve Arabic reading this summer
1. Visit your local library
If you live in a country that is multicultural, you are bound to find Arabic Storybooks in the library. A considerable collection or a tiny corner, doesn’t matter! All you need is a few books to start off with before you decide to order some of your own. Would you believe it when we say, most non-Arabic-speaking families, living in the UAE, have never explored the Arabic Storybook section at the local library? If you are guilty of this, let us change the narrative this year. We have to start somewhere and if we are not ready to monetarily invest in Arabic readers, libraries are always a gem spot, to begin with.
2. Join an e-library
We love getting feedback from our Arabically Tribe and the one thing that constantly comes up is the quality of books. The few daring ones that do visit libraries, always find the collection to be disappointing. We agree! Not all libraries have an engaging collection of Arabic titles. Do you invest in buying books off amazon? Not yet. We recommend investing in non-academic storybooks online, be it through apps or publishing spaces. Our personal favorites being Jordan based “Kutubee” for emerging readers and UAE-based “Wahat el Hekayat” for early readers.
(Head to Arabically Library to avail discounts on their annual subscriptions)
3. Organize an Arabic Storybook party
Perhaps reading books or reading out loud is not your thing. How about organizing a semi-annual book party where children decide on a particular book to bring along and have an entire session on exploring action words, funny, and strange bits in the story? Make the story come alive and have fun in the process. Arabic Storybook Books by Al Salwa publishing have a way to get you creative and the language used in the book is simple and entertaining for young readers.
4. Start a bilingual book club
This has to be a personal favorite. Reading books in a foreign language can be intimidating. We are no experts, so why stress about having a book club with Arabic as the only medium of instruction? During the pandemic, we explored Arabic-English Bilingual book clubs for our online audience and it was a hit. We chose books that were already available online for children to read beforehand. During the book club, we would talk about the characters, the setting, the weather, and unusual things that happen in the story. Not your typical book club isn’t it?!
5. Volunteer your basic skills to read out loud in playgroups
If you have older children, you are probably shaking your head right now. There is no way your 13-year-old will agree to a book dress-up. Why not empower them by letting them volunteer (with us 😉 ) or join other fantastic Arabic playgroups around the city? Read out loud, make some mistakes, have fun and keep them coming back for more Arabic Read Alouds.
We are happy to support you to the best of our ability! If you have an idea for us or would like to lead a project with Arabically, send us a quick interest email to [email protected] .
