ICRA Christmas party enthralls town

On Dec. 16, families gathered at the International Chinese Reading Association’s (ICRA) Christmas Party at Westwood Council on Aging. Families enjoyed the programs like Chinese Poetry recitation, Chinese Song, Chinese drama play performed by children ages 4-6. Other entertainments included Chinese drumming and Chinese dance performances from Westwood Chinese School. Emily Liu hosted the show. Emily is an 8th grade student at Thurston Middle School. She learns Mandarin Chinese at Westwood Chinese School.

Founded in 2016 by a group of Chinese parents passionate about Chinese language and traditional culture, International Chinese reading association(ICRA) is a 510(c)3 nonprofit organization that promotes immersive Chinese language learning experience for kids under 6. With more parent volunteers joining ICRA every year, we hope to serve more people that are interested in Chinese language and traditional culture through our Chinese Story Time program and beyond.

ICRA Westwood Chinese Story Time is a volunteer-run story time program hosted in Westwood Public Library. Story times are usually held on Saturday mornings. With the help of volunteers, kids (6 months - 6 years old) immerse themselves in Chinese stories, traditional rhymes and songs, games and crafts, learning and practicing Chinese with peers in a relaxing and family friendly environment.

To celebrate special days like Chinese traditional holidays and US holidays, volunteers organize themed parties where kids can learn the traditions through stories, games and other fun activities.

Individuals interested in either attending or volunteering for a Chinese Story time may contact westwood-ma@chinesestorytime.org.