From Screens to Sketchbooks: The Lebanese Initiative Sparking Kids’ Creativity Across the Region

By: Noura Shaheen
Educational expert, Harvard Graduate School, MEPLI Regional Lead convenor, and Learning and Development Specialist

In a rapidly changing world, early childhood, from ages three to five, has become one of the most crucial stages in shaping a child’s future and establishing their personality, cognitive abilities, and emotional skills.

During this sensitive period, a child’s awareness of the world around them develops, and their communication, thinking, and analytical skills take shape.

With the advancement of technology and the proliferation of smart devices in every home, children today face an increasing risk of excessive screen time, whether from televisions, phones, or tablets.

Recent studies indicate that excessive screen use at a young age leads to speech delays, poor concentration, reduced social interaction, and even sleep and behavioral disorders.

It is a silent phenomenon that permeates the details of daily life, posing a double challenge for parents: how to protect their children from excessive screen time while simultaneously providing them with a stimulating and enjoyable learning environment.

Mix it up: alternate between coloring, matching, and dot-connecting sheets to keep things fresh.

In Lebanon, early childhood education faces numerous challenges. Successive economic and social crises have directly impacted the quality of education and services provided in kindergartens and nurseries.

Parents’ purchasing power has declined, and many families are now unable to enroll their children in specialized educational institutions, making the home the primary and essential learning environment.

At the regional level, the greatest focus remains on early academic learning based on rote memorization, rather than developing life skills and creativity.

Today, we need a new model that redefines early childhood education as a process of building the individual from their very first moments in the world of learning, not merely traditional academic preparation for school. The Solution: Developing Children’s Skills from a Young Age Through Smart Educational Resources

In light of this reality, innovative digital initiatives have emerged, aiming to bridge the gap between traditional learning and contemporary needs.

Among the most prominent is the Sharekkna Online Digital Products Marketplace, an educational digital platform designed to support parents and educators in Lebanon and the region by providing interactive and practical resources that can be used at home or in the classroom.

The platform offers a comprehensive bundle called The Ultimate Homeschooling Mega Bundle, featuring over 1,000 printable activity sheets and coloring pages covering diverse areas, including:

• Learning letters and numbers
• Math puzzles and logical thinking
• Animals and nature
• Seasonal and creative activities
• Educational and artistic coloring pages

The bundle is distinguished by its perfect blend of education and fun, providing parents and teachers with a practical way to replace screen time with active and creative activities that develop children’s skills in interactive and enjoyable ways.

1. An effective and safe alternative to screens: Paper-based and interactive activities stimulate the senses, movement, and thinking, rather than passive viewing.

2. Low cost and easy access: Materials can be downloaded and printed directly from home without the need for expensive resources.

3. Holistic child development: Covers language skills, logic, creativity, and emotional intelligence.

4. An economic opportunity for parents and educators: The package includes Master Resell Rights, enabling users to turn it into an additional source of digital income.

Initiatives like this from Sharekkna Online represent a real-world model for digital transformation in Arab education, where technology is harnessed to serve humanity, and children in particular, instead of replacing human interaction with electronic instruction.

• Gradually reduce screen time and replace it with tangible activities: coloring, cutting and pasting, and simple building blocks.

• Establish a daily routine that includes dedicated times for play, reading, and physical activity.

• Utilize specialized educational resources such as the Sharekkna Online bundle, which provides content tailored to the needs of children aged 3 to 7.

• Foster social interaction through playgroups or group activities at daycare or at home.

Towards a Balanced Learning Environment
Investing in a child’s development from an early age is an investment in the future of society.

With accessible and easy-to-use resources like The Ultimate Homeschooling Mega Bundle, parents and educators in Lebanon and the region can build a balanced learning environment that rekindles a child’s passion for discovery, free from digital addiction.

In closing, Noura Shaheen says:

“When we instill a love of learning in children at an early age and provide them with tools for discovery away from screens, we are not just teaching them to read and write, but also how to think, create, and express themselves confidently. This is the true education we are building together.”

To learn more about the initiative and the complete educational bundle: Sharekkna Online Digital Marketplace