قصص مايا

Maya's Stories

Where UAE and Arab stories
come alive for children

Original storytelling experiences rooted in Emirati culture and Arab heritage, designed for children, families and the institutions that serve them.

ABOUT MAYA'S STORIES

Some stories are told. Some are felt. Maya’s Stories was built for the second kind.

Home to original characters, worlds and stories created in-house, Maya’s Stories is rooted in the UAE’s landscapes, traditions and everyday life. We also bring beloved tales to life, drawing from curated Emirati and Arab literature, regional folktales and the wider richness of Arab storytelling.

Through storytelling, play and hands-on discovery, we create moments where children don’t just listen. They step inside the story. They laugh, they wonder, they remember.

Our intention is not to teach culture. It is to let children experience it naturally, through familiar environments, sensory play, games, activities and story. Delivered in Arabic, English or bilingual formats.

Because the stories we hear as children become part of who we are.

Meet
the Team

Lina Hadj Hamou
Founder & CEO  |  Creative Director, Writer & Show Producer

Maya’s Stories began, like most meaningful things, with a feeling.

Lina has lived in the UAE since 2014. She watched her own children, born here, grow up surrounded by the country’s beauty, history and culture, and noticed how few stories truly reflected it back to them.

She is the creator behind Maya’s Stories’ original worlds, characters and live experiences. Her work sits at the intersection of storytelling, cultural imagination, child engagement and experiential design. She writes original stories rooted in the UAE and Arab world, develops them into live performances, and designs the interactive experiences that bring them to life.

Lina holds a master in business from HEC Paris. With a background in strategy, business development and large-scale execution across organisations including ADNOC and OCP Group, Lina combines creative vision with operational discipline, building experiences that are both deeply meaningful and scalable.

Today, she leads Maya’s Stories with a clear ambition: to bring culturally rich, beautifully told stories to every child growing up in this region, through parents and institutions that believe the same.

Yasmine Ayoub
Head of Educational Programme Design

Lebanese, born and raised in the UAE, Yasmine has spent close to 20 years working in nurseries and schools, close to children, close to educators, and deeply attuned to what actually works in a learning environment. Her expertise spans child development, classroom practice and early years learning frameworks.

She shapes every Maya’s Stories programme from the inside out, ensuring each experience is not only imaginative and engaging, but grounded in play-based learning principles, developmentally sound, age-appropriate and safe for every child.

our offerings

Every child deserves a story that meets them where they are. Our formats are designed around different ages, spaces and lengths of time, so the experience always feels right.

First Storytime

For toddlers · 1 Hour

A warm, intimate storytelling session where even the smallest children feel invited in. Through original tales, sensory play, artistic creation and gentle movement, toddlers experience stories in a way that feels completely natural and joyful.

Story Circle

For nurseries, schools & groups · 1.5 Hours

Story opens the door. Play is where children walk through it. Storytelling woven with guided games, creative activities and moments of shared reflection.

Story Festival

For families, communities & mixed ages · 2.5 Hours

Our most expansive format, designed for communities and families to experience stories together. Can be delivered fully bilingually, across multiple age groups, or both.

Maya’s Pathways

Term Programme · For nurseries, early years centres & schools

A term-long storytelling journey that builds familiarity, language and belonging visit by visit. 6 visits per term, flexible scheduling, up to 4 groups per visit.

Maya’s Hakawati

Theatrical Production · For festivals, venues & large-scale events

Original Maya’s Stories titles transformed into full live theatrical productions combining narrative, visuals, music and audience interaction.

At Maya’s Stories, we bring stories to life through immersive, interactive and thoughtfully crafted experiences.

  • Stories that spark curiosity, strengthen cultural appreciation and bring communities together
  • Original characters, worlds and stories created entirely in-house
  • Each experience designed with intention: engaging for children, meaningful for families, seamless for partners
  • Bilingual delivery in Arabic and English, so every child feels at home in the story
  • Formats built for real institutions: easy to schedule, smooth to deliver, memorable to attend
  • Able to deliver across multiple venues or branches
  • Marked experience delivering sessions at government-owned entities, schools and nurseries
  • We bring everything and manage the energy in the room, so your team can focus on what they do best

Thoughtfully designed for children.

Practically designed for partners.

why
work
with
us!