In an effort to bring children closer to books and literature, the Foundation of the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle and the Modern History of Macedonia (IMMA) has been organising reading promotion and creative writing workshops for children for the past four years. This educational programme combines reading, writing and entertainment and takes place on a weekly basis — the first programme of its kind in a Greek museum!

From October 2026 to May 2027, every Wednesday afternoon, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m., the Museum welcomes children aged 5–10. Each workshop features a different children’s book that has received recognition in Greece or abroad, along with a variety of drama and music games, arts and crafts, and screenings of films and presentations of artworks related to the themes and characters of the books.

In a safe and welcoming environment, children will spend “Every Wednesday at the Museum, in the Company of a Book!” They will also have the opportunity to meet distinguished authors and illustrators, who will join us online from their own creative spaces — the very places where they bring their stories to life!

Together, we will share our favourite ideas and stories, take part in exciting reading challenges, and enjoy creative writing and illustration activities!

This year, a new section entitled “Young Journalists” will be added to the workshop programme. Well-known journalists from Thessaloniki will visit the Museum to talk with the children and share the secrets of journalism, interviewing, article writing and creating television commercials. They will also introduce children to ways of identifying fake news!

As in previous years, one workshop per month will take place outside the Museum, at another cultural or reading venue, such as an art gallery, bookshop, museum or concert hall. Our aim is to familiarise children with reading books in different everyday settings while developing their collaboration, communication and critical thinking skills.

We look forward to welcoming you!

Workshop Facilitator: Katerina Tzavara, Author – Educator, MSc, Head of Educational Programmes at IMMA

Organised by: Foundation of the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle and the Modern History of Macedonia

First Workshop Cycle: October–December 2026

Workshop Dates

• OCTOBER: 7, 14, 21

• NOVEMBER: 4, 11, 18, 25

• DECEMBER: 2, 9, 16, 23

Participation Fees

First Cycle (11 workshops): €90, payable in two instalments.

Full payment in advance: €80, payable at the beginning of the cycle.

To reserve a place and ensure the smooth running of the workshops, an initial payment of 50% of the standard participation fee (€45) is required at the beginning of the cycle.

Information & Reservations:

Tel: +30 2310 229778

Email: kemit.education@imma.edu.gr

Educational and Scientific Framework of the Programme

Creative writing takes children on a unique journey into the world of literature. It enriches and improves their oral and written communication skills, promotes positive life values, and encourages creative expression and personal development.

Through literary reading, children discover the world, while the Museum provides a stimulating environment in which they can experiment with words, images and different cultures, develop their talents, and form their own opinions on a range of social issues. They learn to support their views with arguments and make their voices heard.

The Museum’s educational programme is based on contemporary theories of pedagogy and reading promotion, according to which children’s active engagement with literature contributes to their linguistic, communicative and socio-emotional development. The use of experiential, collaborative and interdisciplinary activities fosters creativity, self-expression and critical thinking.

At the same time, creative writing and interaction with authors, illustrators and journalists strengthen children’s multiliteracy skills and cultivate the soft skills needed for learning and social participation. These skills are essential not only during their school years but also for their future active participation as socially aware and well-informed citizens.

By connecting books, art, culture and digital media, the programme creates a multimodal learning environment that promotes active participation and collaborative learning.

The Role of Workshop Facilitators

During the creative writing process, facilitators provide individual support to each child while encouraging the group as a whole. Their aim is to help all participants express their thoughts, discover their talents and gradually develop independence and creative communication skills.

The role of the facilitator is crucial, as appropriate group management techniques help children build self-esteem, confidence and flexible thinking through reading and writing games.

At IMMA’s reading promotion workshops, we keep groups small, with a maximum of 10 children. This allows the workshop facilitator to guide each child’s development as a young writer on an individual basis while also creating the right conditions for collaborative group activities.

Workshop Content & Activities

Through a scientifically structured and original programme of activities, tailored to the children’s ages, personalities and needs, we will discover the hidden messages within books, dive into the colours of Art, bring images to life through music and theatre, sketch dialogues, and meet authors and illustrators in person!

All this will take place within the Museum’s galleries, where children will interact and engage with the exhibits through dialogue and play.

Reading and discussing books will be followed by a variety of story-based activities, including exploratory discovery games, painting and illustration, comic book creation, drama activities, creating new stories or poems, digital games, robotics activities inspired by book characters, film screenings, and much more.

Each workshop will take a different children’s book as its starting point and source of inspiration. Additional material will include excerpts from other books, poems, visual artworks, observations of the urban environment surrounding the IMMA building, small research projects and online games, award-winning short films, photographs and, of course, the Museum’s own collections!

Children will discover important works of Greek and international children’s literature and become familiar with their authors and illustrators. They will explore the structure and narrative elements of stories and discover different ways of reading and writing short stories and poetry.

We build on children’s own experiences, play with words and help them overcome any fears they may have about reading and writing at school.

At the end of the workshops, a collection of texts exploring a variety of themes, illustrated by our young museum enthusiasts, will be presented!

This year, the selection of books will focus on stories that strengthen each child’s unique identity and support their overall personal development. We will also explore texts and artworks that highlight every child’s right to education, culture, storytelling and reading.

Workshop Facilitator’s Biography

Katerina Tzavara is an educator and author based in Thessaloniki. She is a graduate of Anatolia College and has studied Pedagogy at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH).

Her postgraduate studies and research interests focus on Creative Writing in Education, as well as Physical Activity and Quality of Life for Children.

She has worked for many years in both private and public education, holding teaching and administrative positions. She has served as Coordinator of Student Teaching Practice at the Department of Early Childhood Education at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and as Head of the Career Development Office for Public and Private Vocational Training Institutes in the Prefecture of Thessaloniki, under the Organisation for Vocational Education and Training (OEEK).

She has also served as facilitator of the Children’s Creative Writing Club at IANOS, the cultural bookshop chain in Thessaloniki, and as Scientific Coordinator and Facilitator of the Creative Expression and Writing Club for Adults at Chalkos Gallery.

She collaborates with public and private organisations as Scientific Coordinator of educational activities and professional development programmes. She participates as a speaker in international conferences, training programmes and workshops focusing on art and reading promotion in education.

She contributes articles to print and online magazines and is a member of the Education and Culture Committee of YMCA Thessaloniki, the Scientific Association for the Promotion of Educational Innovation (EEPEK), and the Women’s Literary Association (Gynaikeia Logotechniki Syntrofia).

Since 2019, she has been working as Head of Educational Programmes at the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle in Thessaloniki.

Twenty-four of her books for children and educators have been published by Diaplous Publications, along with her first collection of short stories for adults, entitled TWELVE / Stories Born in Thessaloniki.