Category: children’s personalized books

Bedtime Story Starters

Posted on | by KD Novelties

Reading is a key skill for children to have, and one of the best ways they can develop their language skills is to listen. Reading books can be a great way to share stories and telling stories can have just as much of an impact on your child’s imagination and their ability to develop listening skills. Listening is not the same as reading, but speaking to your child acquaints them with language and helps them identify things like tone and subject matter while also improving their overall vocabulary.

Telling a story before bed is a great way to keep kids calm and still before drifting off to sleep. Some of these tips and tricks can help you keep your child’s attention while also guaranteeing that you tell a story that they’re interested in.

Appeal to an Interest

Whether you make your child’s favorite toy the main character of the tale or make the local park the story’s setting, populating a bedtime story with things that your child is already interested in and familiar with can be a great launching-off point.

Keep it Simple

There’s no need to be elaborate or complicated, and too many twist and turns can actually be distracting. Telling a straightforward story is a better way to keep your kid’s attention. The more engaged they are, the quieter they’ll be and the more likely they’ll be able to follow the story in order to fully listen.

Share Your Favorites

Folk tales, fairy tales, or even sharing remixed versions of your favorite age-appropriate books or movies can make for some interesting storytelling. Have fun with it and see how your kids react. They may become more interested if they know that you’re sharing a story you love with them, and you may be able to bond over a shared love of the same story. If you have a particular folk tale or story that is unique to your familial background, nationality, or ethnicity, story time can also provide your child with an opportunity to connect with their heritage as well.

Try to Teach a Lesson

Parents can also try to take advantage of story time to help encourage kids to learn and grow, or even overcome their fears. If your child is having trouble with potty training, make up a story about another little girl or boy with the same problem who eventually learns to overcome their obstacles. You can even feature some of their favorite characters from TV shows or movies to make the story more appealing to them while also helping them feel more connected to the story and to themselves, too. Personalize it for them! A personalized potty training book will sure jumpstart the process and help them overcome much faster.

Teamwork

If you’re pressed for story ideas, ask kids for suggestions. They may even end up telling you a story they made up themselves! You can also try tag teaming each other, sharing in the storytelling process or taking cues along the way.

Look to History and Mythology

Some folk tales are tried and true, but can get old after a while. Most kids know about Goldilocks or the Three Little Pigs, but they may not know about mythical figures and tales from other, older cultures. Look to Greek, Egyptian, Chinese, and other ancient civilizations for unique tales. You may even find different, and interesting, versions of tales you are already familiar with like Cinderella or Beauty and the Beast. Many cultures share similar stories and fairy tales, so even looking for different versions of yours or your child’s favorites complete with unique twists and differences can prove to make an interesting bedtime adventure.

Where Do Dreams Come From? personalized bedtime storybook

Your Child is the Star

Personalized books published by KD Novelties can make your child the main character of their own adventure. Insert them into a story you already know they love, or you can make up something that is completely new and exciting. Your child may even have some suggestions and join in on the fun!

 

Fun St. Patrick’s Day Crafts and Activities

Posted on | by KD Novelties

St. Patrick’s Day is the first holiday of the spring season, even if it just falls short of the spring equinox on March 20th. Whether you happen to be Irish or not, St. Patrick’s Day is all about what’s good and green, and there are plenty of spring-inspired activities to entertain children this time of year.

Arts and Crafts

There are two things that people associate with St. Patrick’s Day: the color green and shamrocks. Incorporating these features into any art activity can be easy, but to make things a little more fun, you can get creative and make DIY decorations, create your own games or even your own St. Patrick’s Day outfits and props.

Here are some cute crafts you can make easily with items from home:

Coffee Filter Shamrock Materials:

● Coffee filter

● 2 baby food jars

● Water

● Scissors

● Blue and yellow food coloring

● Q-tips

Instructions: Cut the coffee filter out into the shape of a shamrock. Put water in two baby food jars or similar containers. Add yellow food coloring to one jar and blue to the other. Give kids Q-tips or small cotton swabs and let them mix the colors on the coffee filter. You end up with a a cool tye-dyed green shamrock!

Shamrock Wands Materials:

● Green construction paper

● Scissors

● Glue

● Stapler

● Gold glitter

● Green straw

● Ribbon, Green and Gold

Instructions: Cut three heart shapes using the green paper. Then, glue the tips of the three hearts together to form a shamrock when combined. Staple the shamrock in the center to the end of the straw which will form your handle. Decorate the shamrock with gold glitter and other materials as desired. Cut ribbons into 3 foot strands. Gather ribbons together at one end, and staple them to the back of the shamrock at the center so that the ends hang down from the shamrock wand. If desired, cut several tiny shamrocks from the remainder of the paper and staple them along the ribbons as well.

Reading and Research

The word ‘research’ may not always inspire excitement, but learning more about the St. Patrick’s Day holiday and the Irish culture can be interesting, and fun too. There are plenty of traditional songs, poems, and dances that you can discover and try along with your kids. Put on a play or a performance including some of the stuff you and your children have learned!

Reading can also be exciting, too. There are fantastical tales of leprechauns and the luck of the Irish, but there are also plenty of children’s books and reference materials that can teach you and your kids more about the holiday, St. Patrick, and other Irish traditions.

Whip Up Some Treats

Around the end of March, corned beef and cabbage suddenly become very in-demand. Cooking with kids is a great way to introduce them to new foods, but it can also provide you with some memory-making bonding time, too. Whether you decide to make a traditional Irish dinner or simply want to indulge in some Irish Soda Bread, enlist your kids to help you gather ingredients, prepare the meal, and eat it as well!

There is always room for St. Patrick’s Day themed cakes and cookies, as well. Play around with the color green, mint or pistachio flavored treats, and go to town! Cut cookies out into shamrock shapes, add fun St. Patrick’s themed straws, sprinkles, and more. If you want to try and be a bit healthier, you can also try to create a dish like a healthy shake or smoothie using hearty, healthy greens like kale, spinach, and other fruits and veggies to keep with the spirit of the holiday.

Get Your Kids Into the Kitchen and… READ!

Posted on | by KD Novelties
Reading is important, not just for children but for adults as well. Reading is emphasized throughout childhood to help sustain a healthy love of learning and to help develop problem solving, critical thinking and imaginative skills in individuals. But… as we all know, it is not so easy to get every individual to read. When it comes to kids, reluctant readers may often feel uninterested in books and find other pastimes more exciting instead. Personalized books can help with this problem. Personalized children’s books are special because they are individualized and interactive. When kids see that they become the star of their own adventure, they are more likely to pick up the book, read through it, and learn some key skills along the way.  However, personalized books are not the only interactive books out there, in fact, some have been around for ages… like cookbooks.

When it comes to getting reluctant kids to try new things, interactivity is a great way to pique their interest. Cookbooks allow kids to participate in the preparation as well as the cooking or baking alongside their parents or older siblings. This is a great project for families to work on together where every member can play a vital role in the outcome, with everyone sharing, eating and enjoying the meal once its finished!

Kids will love reading the recipe. They will love feeling needed and important as part of the project, but their eagerness to read is also great too. As they read off ingredients, kids can learn all about different spices, grains, meats, vegetables, fruits and other such ingredients, as well as learning about measurements and some cooking activities like mixing, beating, seasoning and a slew of other things. Not only will kids learn key aspects of cooking, even if it is just the basics, but they will also learn about the food they are eating as well which can be especially helpful for reluctant readers. Studies have shown that when kids help their parents cook a meal, they are more likely to eat it! This is because they feel like they are a part of the cooking process and are proud of their involvement and contribution, much like the feeling of pride they may feel after having completed an arts and crafts project.

The holidays are just around the corner and there is no more perfect time to get kids in on the family cooking! Invite kids to help out with the holiday cookies, cakes and treats as well as the big holiday dinner. Even if they only lend a hand for certain dishes, they will feel great about having been a part of the process and will be eager to help read a recipe again in the future!