Madinah | 3 August 2025. As part of the cultural program accompanying the Madinah International Book Fair 2025, a symposium titled "The Role of Culture in Shaping a Child's Personality" was held, featuring researcher and early-childhood education consultant Dr. Wafa Al-Tajel, drawing a notable audience of educators, parents and visitors.

During the symposium, Al-Tajel affirmed that culture is the cornerstone of shaping a child's personality, pointing to its vital role in developing intellectual and social skills from the earliest years and in strengthening awareness of identity and national belonging in the face of the challenges of globalization.

She highlighted the importance of involving children in diverse cultural activities such as reading, theatre and visual arts, stressing that these are not limited to entertainment but help polish talents, build self-confidence and instill human values such as tolerance and openness, alongside preserving cultural heritage.

She stressed that language is the essential gateway to forming a creative and intellectual personality, since it represents a living vessel of identity; the richer a child's vocabulary and ability to express themselves, the stronger their capacity to communicate and interact with the world around them.

Amid the rapid cultural shifts driven by the digital world and globalization, Al-Tajel addressed the challenges facing children today, such as conflicting values and the influence of media, noting that these challenges can be turned into developmental opportunities through a supportive educational and family environment, and by activating the school's role in instilling values of belonging and national-identity awareness.

Al-Tajel concluded by stressing the importance of role models in a child's life, calling for making use of cultural-exchange programs and modern technologies as effective tools to support cultural awareness and develop critical and creative thinking among young people.

The symposium reflects Madinah Book Fair 2025's vision of offering cultural dialogue platforms that link knowledge with childhood and contribute to building an educated, aware generation that engages intelligently with the changes of the times without losing its roots and identity.