Early Childhood Week 2026: family events in Abu Dhabi, 16 to 22 November

On Saturday 14 November at 3.30pm, the UAE National Orchestra will introduce Abu Dhabi’s youngest concertgoers to Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf at The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi, a preview concert ahead of the first national edition of Early Childhood Week, which runs across the UAE from 16 to 22 November under the theme Every Moment Matters.

If you have young children and a free weekend, this is the week to plan around, and we have picked out the moments worth booking.

Peter and the Wolf, for little ears

Prokofiev wrote Peter and the Wolf to teach children the sounds of the orchestra, giving each character its own instrument, and that is exactly how the National Orchestra will present it as part of its Once Upon a Tune family concert series. Children will follow the story through the instruments and, in a special Meet the Conductor segment, get to put their questions to the person in charge of the whole performance. It is a gentle, joyful first concert, and an hour that can stay with a child for years. Registration is through the Early Childhood Week website.

Two hours a day without screens

The second idea is one every family can join from home. Moments That Can’t Be Replaced is a nationwide campaign running until 22 November that asks families to put social media aside every evening from 6pm to 8pm and spend that time together instead, through games, storytelling, outdoor play and other shared activities. There is nothing to book and nothing to buy; the only requirement is to put the phones away.

A week across the whole country

Early Childhood Week has grown out of Abu Dhabi, where the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority ran the first two editions. This year the Ministry of Family leads it nationally for the first time, in collaboration with the ECA, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and as part of the national programmes for the UAE Year of the Family. Gulf News reports more than 300 educational, cultural, sporting and family activities across all seven emirates, with more than 130 organisations taking part.

Among the highlights already announced, the Ministry of Education will run A Moment Together at School, bringing a child together with a parent or caregiver for a short shared session of reading, play, discovery or conversation. The Ministry of Family has also published Everyday Moments for a More Connected Family, a bilingual Arabic and English guide developed with the Behavioural Science Group of the Development Affairs Office. With UNICEF and partner organisations, the Ministry will stage a Children’s Run on 20 November to coincide with World Children’s Day.

Why it matters

The thinking behind the week is simple: the earliest years shape the rest of a child’s life, and the most valuable thing a family can give is time. The 2025 Abu Dhabi edition was held under the banner Together We Can Make Abu Dhabi a Family-Friendly Emirate, and Sana bint Mohammed Suhail, Minister of Family and Director General of the ECA, said at its close that “the early years of a child’s life are the most important”. Taking the week national carries that conviction to every emirate.

The full programme, with venues, timings and registration links, is published at ecweek.ae, and many activities need advance registration, so it is worth booking early.

Early Childhood Week 2026
16 to 22 November, across the UAE
Preview concert: Peter and the Wolf, UAE National Orchestra, Saturday 14 November, 3.30pm, The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi
Programme and registration: ecweek.ae

Imagery courtesy of the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority.