Category: helping kids learn to read

Daddy Read to Me!

Posted on | by KD Novelties
Dads Reading with Kids
Studies have shown that mothers are most often the ones to read to their children. Though there is nothing wrong with women reading to their children, offering kids a variety of different experiences with both parents with reading can be incredibly beneficial to their development. Not only can this help their reading skills but it can also help build special bonds as well.
Men are often seen as people of action. Dads tend to take over when it comes to physical activity or manual labor, and while these skills are important, it is also important not to get hung up on gender roles. Reading is just as much an activity as anything else; ‘to read’ is a verb, right? It’s something you do! And we all know that having two people read the same thing can provide drastically different results. So having dad step in and do some reading can help broaden a child’s imagination as well as their reading skills.
Studies have actually shown that kids who read with both their mother and their father performed better on standardized tests and had a wider grasp on a more diverse vocabulary. This is because mom and dad both bring something unique to the table. Each person is different and will inherently bring a different skill set to whatever activity parent and child are partaking in. This applies to reading as well.
Similar studies have also shown that not only are kids more well-rounded in terms of their reading skills, but that they are generally better behaved and more emotionally developed as well. This is often because fathers who regularly read to their children also share in caregiving responsibilities with mom, leading to higher self-esteem, better attachment and healthier social competence in kids.

Regardless of whether the child is a boy or a girl, having daddy read to them is important. Statistically, boys do not read nearly as much as girls do and there have been plenty of campaigns pushed by children’s publishers to entice boys to pick up more books. Having dad read can help young boys feel more confident in reading, regardless of subject material.  Another study shows that boys who read with or are regularly read to by their fathers are more likely to score higher in terms of reading comprehension and overall achievement. However, when it comes to girls and reading with their fathers, they can gain more confidence and insight because dad can offer a different perspective and suggest a different array of books and topics than mom would choose.

Check out our vast array of personalized children’s books that both child and dad can share and read along together. Visit us at KDNovelties.com.



Learning Starts at Home

Posted on | by KD Novelties
Help Kids Read and Learn
Kids begin to learn from the moment they are born. They use all of their senses to take in the world around them, learning through experience, observation and by experimenting with the tangible world. Reading is a vast part of learning, especially as kids grow older. Reading is significant because it helps kids learn about the intangible world; books relate concepts and ideas to kids that they may not be able to experience in person. This is especially true when it comes to posturing hypothetical situations and problems or even learning about and imagining past historical events.
However, reading is something that should not be exclusive to school alone. Since kids begin to learn immediately after being born, it is vital that kids begin reading at home. This will not only prepare kids for formal schooling, but it will help encourage them to continue reading and learning outside of the classroom. Learning is something that happens constantly, and some kids may learn from habit that education only happens at school. There are opportunities to learn everywhere, everyday, and reading helps boost kids’ skills, imagination, creative ability as well as their critical thinking and evaluation skills.
It is important that parents equip their kids with the necessary skills before entering Kindergarten. Reading is one such skill. Even teaching them the basic alphabet and simple words and letters can help them significantly. Encouraging kids to read early on is also beneficial for other reasons. Many conditions, such as dyslexia, are easier to treat and accommodate if they are identified as early on as possible. This will make future learning much easier and kids; parents and teachers will have a better idea of the tools needed to succeed.

Parents should not rely solely on schools to teach their children. Every school, teacher and classroom environment is different and will inspire different modes and types of learning. If children know how to learn on their own and are already equipped with the building blocks for learning, kids will not only be successful in the classroom but will be able to hold their own in any endeavor as well.
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Keeping Kids Enthusiastic About Learning

Posted on | by KD Novelties
School is back in full swing. The first few weeks of school are usually pretty straightforward. Everything is still new, kids are still getting used to their new teachers, new classmates, new friends, new classrooms, or maybe even new schools and overall schedules. No matter what your little student is going through, there can come a time when kids grow bored or frustrated with school. This usually occurs after the first month or so of school, when homework and learning really kick in and begin to become a real part of children’s lives. There are some ways to keep your kids happy and focused during the school year, keeping them excited and enthusiastic about learning and school.
1.     Ask them about their day. Asking kids about what they do at school, making sure to ask for specifics, can really encourage them to pay more attention during the school day. Talking and having conversations with kids as if they are adults gives them a sense of importance, and this in turn helps them believe that what they do at school has significance; not just for them but for you as well. Being able to partake in grown-up conversations can keep them interested in their studies especially when they get to share what they learn with their parents.
2.     Read with them. Reading a book with your child and making it a regular thing can be extremely helpful. If they have a book to read for school, have them read it to you and ask them questions about the book or the chapters read that day. Making an activity out of a task can make it something for kids to look forward to, and if you ask them questions, they can better develop their critical thinking skills as well.
Kids Reading
3.     Create activities based around what they are learning in school. Scheduling trips to the Natural History museum when kids are learning about wildlife or planning a trip to see the Liberty Bell when they learn about US history can be beneficial to learning. Kids can understand that learning does not just happen in the classroom and encourages them to learn from the world around them. 
4.     Ask kids to write or draw about their day. Have your kids keep a journal. Ask them to write about what they learned, what happened in school or to tell a story in words or pictures. This will not only help improve their memory, but also improves their skills when it comes to thinking complexly. The ability to draw an idea or write a story about something they learned can help kids learn to understand complex ideas in different ways. A journal will also make a great memory when they get older. Encourage them to share their entries with the whole family as well.

5.     Remember to be supportive. If a child is expressing difficulty with school, whether academically or socially, listen to them completely. Helping them find a solution and overcoming it together can help drastically improve their attitude and their learning experience. Some kids have a harder time adjusting or staying focused than others, but sometimes all it takes is a different approach to help get them back on the right track.
Visit KD Novelties for unique personalized books that will get kids excited about reading and learning.