A perfect weekend for little ones

It was a joyous day for thousands of children, participating in the first day of “Evaly-Kids Time Fair 2019” on Bangladesh Shishu Academy premises in the capital yesterday.

Right when the fair gate opened at 10am, excited young ones entered the venue, and celebrated their creativity, passion for making new things and outdoor play at the daylong fair. 

“Today’s children are tomorrow’s future; so the most important thing to keep in perspective are the children of today’s society, and that is why this fair has been organised to develop their future skills,” said Waliullah Bhuiyan, CEO of Light of Hope, a nonprofit that organised the event.

The weekend brought an opportunity for children to engage in creative activities like crafting, creative design, art, puppet making and gaming -- activities they do not get a chance to participate in often. 

“I brought my daughter to the fair so she can play and enjoy. She looks forward to such events, and they help her learn as well,” said Fatima Islam, who came with her daughter Yeasha.

The second-grader at Viqarunnisa Noon School and College told The Daily Star that she wants to be an artist. “I am drawing a picture of Shaheed Minar,” she showed this correspondent excitedly.

Asked if she knew the history, she spoke passionately about the historical Language Movement of 1952.

There were two separate activity zones for children -- one junior section for children aged between three to six years, and a senior section for seven and above.

With children involved in creative activities at the zones, some instructors appointed by the organisers also worked with them to draw pictures, make puppets, doodle and host their own puppet show.

A stall named “Iccheghor” was also part of the event, where children talked about their dreams and ambitions.

On the main stage, the most enjoyable part of the fair was programmes like magic and puppet shows.

Besides the engaging activities for children, there were stalls from Goofi, Babuland, Yoda, Ikrimikri, Styline, Mayurpangkhi and Batterylow. They brought a range of products and experiences for both children and parents.

“My son loves to watch cartoons. So I bought some educative books on cartoons” said Tamanna Khan, mother of six-year-old Tonmoy.

Tamanna, a private service holder, hopped that the fair would help her son become more creative and innovative.

Besides parents, teachers of various schools also visited the fair with their students.

“Over 10,000 children visited the fair on the first day. I think the day is a true celebration of a child’s genius, imagination and creativity,” said one of the organisers Ahmadul Ameen, assistant manager of Light of Hope. He stressed on organising such fairs at others parts of the country.

The event, which was sponsored by Evaly Limited, one of the largest e-commerce companies in Bangladesh, will continue till 5pm starting from 10am today, said organisers.