Kinderboekenweek 2026 at home: 6 ideas for toddlers

Kinderboekenweek, the Dutch Children’s Book Week, is back. Schools and daycares go all out, but at home you do not need a big plan. These six ideas fit a sofa, a torch and a toddler.

This year’s theme is all about performing: singing, dancing, acting and telling stories. Toddlers and preschoolers rarely need a theme week for that. They sing, dance and make up stories anyway.

Kinderboekenweek 2026 at a glance

When:: 30 September to 11 October 2026
Theme:: Spot aan! (Spotlight on!)
Picture book:: Herrie in de tent by Harmen van Straaten
Gift book:: Terug naar de schoenenboom by Milouska Meulens

What is the theme of Kinderboekenweek 2026?

The theme of Kinderboekenweek 2026 is Spot aan!, with the campaign line “We gaan de planken op!”, roughly “We are taking to the stage!”. It celebrates performers of every kind: singers, dancers, magicians and the child who makes the whole class laugh. The official information is on the official Kinderboekenweek website.

For toddlers and young preschoolers the Kinderboekenweek picture book is the natural fit: Herrie in de tent (Racket in the tent) by Harmen van Straaten. Hippo sets off with his trombone towards the big music tent and a whole parade of animals joins in along the way. During Kinderboekenweek it costs €7,99 at bookshops. The Kinderboekenweek gift book, Terug naar de schoenenboom by Milouska Meulens, is free when you spend €13,50 on children’s books.

The personalized books "De avonturen van Pim" and "Pim en de gestreepte luchtballon" by BoekjesAtelier

What can you do at home during Kinderboekenweek with a toddler or preschooler?

You do not need to prepare anything. A book, a few cushions and things you already have around the house are enough to celebrate Kinderboekenweek at home.

1. Turn the sofa into a stage

Two cushions on the floor, a blanket over the backrest, and the sofa is a stage. Line up the stuffed animals as the audience and announce that the show is about to start.

What comes next is anyone’s guess. A song from daycare, a dance, or the same jump from sofa to cushion three times in a row. Clap at the end, even if the performance lasted four seconds. For a toddler, the announcement is often the best part.

A torch makes it complete. Lights off, spotlight on, and suddenly your child is really on stage. Expect your child to want to hold the torch within a minute, which makes you the audience.

2. Read aloud as if you were on stage yourself

Pick a book you both know well and overdo it. The bear growls, the mouse squeaks, the hippo honks. You do not need to be an actor. One clear difference per character is enough for a toddler to join in.

Let your child take over the sounds as soon as they can. With a book like Herrie in de tent that comes naturally: on every page another animal turns up with its own instrument. What that instrument sounds like is up to your child.

Why a bad reading voice is often the best one: Reading with silly voices: why funny dad voices are so much fun.

3. Make music together with anything that makes a sound

A pan, a wooden spoon and a small box of rice get you surprisingly far. A lid works as a cymbal.

Agree on one thing: when you raise your hand, it goes quiet. That is playing conductor, and toddlers often enjoy stopping as much as starting. Especially if you follow it with a hugely exaggerated sigh of relief.

Save the orchestra for a rainy Saturday morning rather than the ten minutes before bedtime.

4. Let your child make up a story

Torch as spotlight, stuffed animals as audience, and one question: “Who are you today?” A dragon, a singer, a firefighter. Ask your child to tell you three sentences about what that dragon is going to do. Then act it out together.

Do not expect a coherent story. A two-year-old says “dragon” and starts roaring. A four-year-old sometimes builds a whole plot with a birthday, a burglar and an ice cream. You can help with “and then?”, but the story stays your child’s.

Write those three sentences down somewhere. A year from now they are one of the nicest things to read back.

5. See what your library or bookshop is organising

Many Dutch libraries organise story times, a workshop or a small performance around Kinderboekenweek, often free of charge. What exactly is on, and for which age, differs per branch. Have a look at your own library’s website to see what there is for toddlers and preschoolers.

Bookshops take part too. That is where you can pick up the picture book Herrie in de tent, and some hold a story morning. If you go, let your child choose one book themselves. It will almost certainly not be the book you would have picked.

Looking for reading tips for ages zero to four? Our own favourites are in Our favorite children's books for babies and toddlers.

6. Give your child the leading role in a story

Spot aan! is about standing in the spotlight. Say your child’s name in a story and chances are you suddenly have their full attention. That can simply be a made-up tale on the sofa, where your child is the dragon who saves the music tent.

At BoekjesAtelier you can turn that into a real book too. Your child gets the leading role, and a sibling, parent, pet or favourite stuffed animal can join the story. We make the illustrations with AI, based on a photo of your child. Before you order anything, you can look through the whole book first. How that works is explained in What makes a truly personalized children’s book with a photo?.

So it does not have to become a full Kinderboekenweek programme. A torch, a book and five minutes on the sofa are often enough. Especially when the one in the spotlight happens to be your own toddler.