Dr Cheng Wan-Ni, SCCL Dean of Early Childhood Care and Education, was invited to deliver a keynote at the "Let Children Become the Sun — 2025 International Academic Conference" hosted by Soochow University from 1-2 November 2025. She delivered a keynote presentation titled "Child Culture Design × 5E Framework: Creating a Reading Universe that Supports Child Agency". On 15 November, Dr Cheng was invited to participate in the Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC) Family Reading Carnival, organised by CDAC, conducting Chinese storytelling sessions and guiding parents in supporting their children's reading development. Dr Cheng was also invited to present her paper at the International Scientific and Practical Conference "The Child in the World of Culture: Values and Meanings" hosted by Southern Federal University in Russia from 19-21 February 2026. Dr Cheng delivered her paper, "Reimagining Santa Claus in a Tropical Asian City: Cultural Codes of Childhood in Singapore Picture Books", online.

Dr Cheng Wan-Ni, Dean of Early Childhood Care and Education

1. Let Children Become the Sun — 2025 International Academic Conference

         At the "Let Children Become the Sun — 2025 International Academic Conference" hosted by Soochow University from 1-2 November 2025, Dr Cheng Wan-Ni, SCCL Dean of Early Childhood Care and Education, was invited to deliver a keynote presentation titled "Child Culture Design × 5E Framework: Creating a Reading Universe that Supports Child Agency".

         In her presentation, Dr Cheng introduced the concept of Child Culture Design, advocating for a return to child-centered picture book creation and reading experiences. She emphasised entertainment, playfulness, and participation as essential entry points for meaningful early childhood learning. She further expounded her 5E Picture Book Design Framework—Extendable, Enabling, Engaging, Educational, and Enjoyable—offering a structured yet forward-looking approach to both picture book pedagogy and creative practice.

         Drawing on her original works, including Mozzie Finds a New Home, The Journey of Little Stone, The Animals' Picnic, A Hug for You!, Ah-Choo!, and My Blankie, Dr Cheng demonstrated a range of innovative interactive designs. These included rearrangeable transparent storyboards, theatre-like unfolding reading formats, and open-ended book structures that invite multiple interpretations.

         Such designs not only challenge conventional reading practices but also return interpretive agencies to young readers, embodying the educational principle of child agency. Her presentation offered compelling insights into how design thinking can reshape early childhood literacy experiences, making it one of the most forward-looking and thought-provoking highlights of the conference. Dr Cheng's presentation drew strong engagement and was highly regarded by international scholars and early childhood educators.

Dr Cheng Wan-Ni presenting Singapore's locally grounded picture book development

2. CDAC Family Reading Carnival

         On 15 Nov 2025, Dr Cheng Wan-Ni was invited to participate in the CDAC Family Reading Carnival, organised by Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC), conducting Chinese storytelling sessions and guiding parents in supporting their children's reading development. The event engaged approximately 200 families through interactive booths, bilingual storytelling sessions, and hands-on activities designed to promote family literacy and joyful reading experiences.

         In her sessions, Dr Cheng adopted a highly immersive storytelling approach, carefully orchestrating atmosphere, character engagement, and real-time interaction. Together with Teacher Liu Bin and Teacher Chen Pan, she transformed storytelling into a multi-participant experience, moving beyond traditional delivery into a dynamic, co-constructed reading environment.

         The sessions were marked by continuous laughter, strong engagement, and a relaxed, joyful atmosphere. Children and parents connected naturally through shared participation, experiencing a multi-sensory and immersive form of reading that emphasised co-creation and emotional engagement—an approach that remains relatively rare within the local public literacy landscape.

         Dr Cheng's work demonstrated how immersive design can extend pedagogical practice into meaningful community engagement, strengthening family reading culture and parent-child connections.

Dr Cheng engaging children on site through a highly interactive storytelling approach

3. International Scientific and Practical Conference "The Child in the World of Culture: Values and Meanings"

         Dr Cheng Wan-Ni was invited to present at the International Scientific and Practical Conference "The Child in the World of Culture: Values and Meanings", hosted by Southern Federal University in Russia from 19-21 February 2026. The conference brought together international scholars to examine contemporary research on childhood culture, value formation, and educational practice, drawing strong attention from the international academic community.

         In her online presentation "Reimagining Santa Claus in a Tropical Asian City: Cultural Codes of Childhood in Singapore Picture Books", Dr Cheng examined a series of Singaporean picture books through the conceptual lenses of cultural translation and cultural codes of childhood. She explored how the global cultural figure of Santa Claus is reimagined within the everyday realities of a tropical Asian city. Rather than reproducing conventional winter imagery—such as snow and chimneys—the picture books reposition Santa Claus within high-rise public housing, hawker centres, humid climate conditions, and a service-oriented urban society. Through these locally grounded contexts, childhood values are constructed through lived experience rather than abstract instruction.

         Drawing on dimensions such as space, bodily experience, labour, identity, and empathy, Dr Cheng demonstrated how picture books function as cultural texts that mediate children's understanding of social relationships and values. She argued that childhood is not a universal developmental stage, but a culturally situated learning process shaped through everyday life.

         Her presentation offered a culturally grounded perspective on childhood studies and education, highlighting the theoretical and practical significance of Singaporean picture books within global academic discourse. It stood out as a thought-provoking contribution that bridges cultural theory, literacy, and early childhood education.

Dr Cheng with Professor Raisa Mikhailovna Chumicheva from Southern Federal University during an academic gathering

Dr Cheng delivering an online presentation in English on her Singapore-based Santa Claus picture book series and its cultural perspectives