The annual Reading Aloud Week will begin this Saturday in Flanders and Brussels.
This year’s theme, “Keep Reading Aloud!”, encourages parents not to give up even if their child shows little interest and highlights the benefits for older children and adults. Schools are inviting parents and grandparents to participate in a special reading day.
The parent associations of community, Catholic, and municipal/provincial schools are organising the ‘Big Reading Day’ for the twelfth time as part of Reading Aloud Week. Between 24 and 28 November, 320 schools across Flanders and Brussels are inviting parents and grandparents to read aloud in diverse settings, from classrooms to playgrounds, parks, or even inside reading tents or caravans.
On Friday, Queen Mathilde visited the youth library Kubus in Antwerp, where she participated in a reading session and engaged with attendees.
Outside schools, libraries, childcare centres, and care homes are also joining in, with some featuring well-known readers and special events. Highlights include reading marathons in Aalst and Ghent, a ‘Big Reading Brunch’ at Antwerp libraries, ‘Bookstart Day’ in Mechelen, a fairy tale-themed reading festival in Hasselt, a spotlight on audiobooks in Bruges, and a musical children’s workshop in Leuven.
Reading Aloud Week is an initiative organised annually by the non-profit group Iedereen Leest.
