Category: Personalized Gifts

Easy Ways to Inspire Your Child’s Imagination

Posted on | by KD Novelties

Imagination is a wonderful thing, but make-believe is more than just about playtime. Sure, having a vivid imagination can often lead to artistic creativity and daydreaming, but having an active imagination can also be beneficial for developing minds in other ways. Imagination, or the ability to create and imagine things mentally, allows for conceptual problem-solving, abstract concepts, and other types of intangible thought to thrive. Kids with active imaginations are better at solving complex problems, learning new things, and embracing abstract ideas.

One of the most important thing a parent or guardian can do is to encourage this kind of thought and to continually inspire their children to think big and be creative.

Tell a Story

Storytelling has inspired mankind’s imaginations for millennia and it continues to do so every day. As much as storytelling lends itself to movies, tv and video games, try simply telling your children bedtime stories without any other kind of medium – that way, kids can see the characters and the setting in their head. Ask them how they picture things or to describe what they see in their mind’s eye to encourage them to think actively. Feel free to use a book for inspiration, but making up a story on your own can be fun, too!

Get Crafty

Making and looking at art is another way to help get your child’s creativity flowing. Make holiday-themed decorations or encourage them to adorn their bedrooms with creations of their own. Ask them to make their favorite characters or write a story that they can share with you later. Experimenting with different mediums can be an adventure as well. Purchase an art kit or have fun at your local craft store by just picking out random items and seeing what your child thinks of doing with them on their own.

The Great Outdoors

Nature has proven to be inspirational for artists, writers, and visionaries for centuries. Having a personal relationship with nature is good for your health, but it can also help keep kids inspired and amused with wonder. Go for hikes, long walks, and visit national parks if you can. Try to find local areas that house different types of landscapes or features like large forests, waterfalls, lakes, rivers, and more.

Expand Their Horizons

It can be easy for parents and children to get trapped in their own little worlds, thinking of little else but home, work, and school on a day to day basis. Try and teach your kids about other cultures, travel to different places, and expose them to history, myths and legends, different cuisines, and other fun things. Exploration has inspired humans since the dawn of time, so let your kids discover the world around them, too. Encourage them to keep learning and experience new things, even when they are no longer kids but only kids at heart.

The Best Gifts For Children With Autism

Posted on | by KD Novelties

Buying gifts for children is hard enough, but it becomes even more difficult to think of the perfect gift if the child has autism. Children with autism have unique needs, but luckily they enjoy many of the same toys that children who are not on the spectrum do.

Toys are not just a source of entertainment for children with autism—the right toys can help them improve upon certain skills that are crucial to their development. If you have to buy a gift for a child with autism, consider buying one of these items:

Play-Doh

Play-Doh may seem like a simple toy, but it can have incredible benefits for children with autism. Rolling Play-Doh into a ball, breaking it into pieces, or flattening it on a table can strengthen kids’ hand muscles and help them develop fine motor skills.

Additionally, many children with autism struggle with “pretend play,” which involves using your imagination. Parents can use Play-Doh to help their children master pretend play by asking them to manipulate the Play-Doh to look like different items. For example, you can encourage your child to turn a hunk of Play-Doh into spaghetti, and then pretend you are both at a fine Italian restaurant.

Personalized Books

Children with autism typically love to read. In fact, they often become caught up in every detail and end up fully immersing themselves in the story, which is why they will love actually being a part of the story with a personalized book. This makes reading even more fun, and helps kids with autism feel a deeper connection to the other characters in the story.

Art Supplies

Head to a local art supply store and stock up on crayons, paper, markers, and any other item you can get your hands on if you are looking for a gift for a child with autism. Help your child understand what to do with all of the art supplies, and then encourage him to explore his creativity. Children with autism struggle with verbal communication, so they often find great joy in expressing themselves through art. If your kids end up loving art, it may be wise to find an after school program or community group that he can join so he can meet other people with similar interests.

Using different arts and crafts can also help children on the spectrum who struggle to process sensory stimuli. Kids will enjoy being able to feel different textures and create brightly colored works of art with their own two hands.

Puzzles

Nothing will bring a smile to your child’s face quite like a challenging puzzle—especially if the pieces come together to make a beautiful picture. Finding two pieces that fit together gives children with autism a great sense of satisfaction. Kids also love getting closer and closer to seeing the finished picture, and delight in seeing what they have created all by themselves.

Toy Blocks/Legos

Children of all ages will get a kick out of playing with building blocks, and children with autism can benefit from this activity as well. Children on the spectrum may try to use the building blocks to create the same structure over and over, but parents should challenge them to try to build something new so they can break away from repetitive behaviors. Children who then attempt to build something new learn how to use their creativity to imagine something and then bring it to life, which is challenging for kids on the spectrum.

Bubbles

Sometimes, it’s the simple things that bring the most joy to children with autism. Kids on the spectrum love playing with bubbles, and parents love it as well since bubbles can help their child develop new skills. For example, start blowing bubbles to get your child’s attention. Once he starts to poke the bubbles or show amusement, stop blowing bubbles and wait for him to ask you to continue. Children with autism have a hard time asking for what they want, so playing with bubbles is a great way to keep your child entertained while also working on these skills.

Video Games

Parents may not be thrilled with the idea of their kids playing video games, but this is a good gift for children with autism because it entertains them while they unknowingly work on important skills. How can video games benefit children with autism? First, it helps them develop important social skills because they now have a shared interest with their peers. Children with autism often struggle to connect with other kids, but if they enjoy the same video games as others in their class, this is one thing that will help them connect.

Many video games have social aspects that can teach children with autism a lot about social cues and norms. For example, when a child plays a game such as World of Warcraft or Minecraft, he must learn the social norms of the world within the game. They will also have to communicate with other players in the game, so they will learn how to initiate and engage in conversation with others.

Board Games

Every kid loves playing board games, but besides being a source of entertainment, certain board games can also help children with autism learn new skills. Children with autism often struggle with taking turns, but board games teach them that every player has to have a turn before it’s time for them to play again. Board games also teach kids with autism the importance of following instructions and coping with unexpected situations. There’s no way for a child to know what moves the other players in the game will make, so he will be forced to deal with changes in the game as each move is made. Children with autism often have a hard time dealing with the unexpected, so this can teach them how to manage the anxiety that they feel in these situations.

Playing a board game also puts a child with autism in a social situation where they have to communicate with other players in the game. If your child is having a hard time socializing with other kids his age, this is a great way to break the ice.

As you can see, finding a gift for children with autism is much simpler than you may have expected! Stick to this list of gifts if you want to buy a present that will both entertain and benefit a child with autism.

How To Keep An Active Toddler Busy

Posted on | by KD Novelties

Taking care of toddlers is notoriously difficult. They’re called the “terrible twos” for a reason, right?

Between the ages of 1-3, children can be difficult, especially since they are still learning to speak and communicating with them effectively can prove to be a bit of a challenge. Kids are constantly on the move, and their overactive minds are alight with questions and general inquisitiveness that keeps their hands roaming, their feet moving, and their energy levels at full capacity. As a parent, it’s important that you encourage their inquisitive nature while also keeping them in line, making sure that they stay safe and that they are also preoccupied so you can get what you need done, too. Here are some ways you can keep active toddler’s busy when you cannot focus 100% of your attention on them.

Kinesthetic Activities

The more stimulation you can provide for your child, the better. Try giving them colored blocks, playdough and other similar items to keep them occupied but learning, too. Color matching games are great for teaching children colors, which seems obvious, but it can also teach them basic organizational and special skills as well. Same goes for shape matching games as well. Playdough is a unique substance, and similar goos and slimes can work just as well, but the texture and appearance of these types of toys can introduce kids to their innate sense of creativity while also providing them with a highly stimulating activity.

Finger-painting

Finger-painting seems like a cliché toddler activity but it is a great way to encourage kids to be creative and explore their own modes of expression and exploration. There are plenty of mess-proof finger-painting kits out there, too, and you can even make your own. Place different colored paints into freezer bags and lock them up tight while eliminating most of the air from the bag. Place them on a window or a white surface so kids can play around with the paint, creating images with the negative space without making a mess!

Puzzles

Puzzles provide great exercises in logic, allowing kids to solve problems while actively using their visual imagination at the same time. Personalized puzzles is an added benefit because not only will the puzzle itself provide many benefits to your child but they will also learn their letters and spelling of their name. You can find personalized puzzles for kids on our website. You can also create puzzles of your own by printing out pictures from movies or shows that your child loves, or even make a copy of a piece of work that your child has created themselves, and cut it into sections for them to rearrange and place back together.

Get Creative

When you’re out of toys, games, and are wary of turning to television or mobile games, there are plenty of DIY solutions that you can whip up within minutes to help keep your toddlers occupied and actively using their brains. Doing a search on Google on Toddler Activities can return a plethora of blog sites with creative and unique suggestions that can easily be implemented at home.