Category: Personalized Gifts

Babies Can Learn To Read Too

Posted on | by KD Novelties

Babies Can Read Too

It may seem pointless to read to a newborn – they can’t read yet, they don’t understand language, and processing images is still something they are getting used to. But these are actually great reasons that should inspire you to read to your newborn. There are some surprising benefits to breaking out the books early, and they can really go a long way.

Baby Bonding
Reading with your baby is a nice way to relax. Reading aloud can have a calming effect on newborns, especially since they can get used to your voice and find comfort in it. It’s never too early for bed time stories, especially when the sound of your voice in a calm, even cadence can get them to relax and get ready for bed.

Active Listening
Listening plays a huge part in learning language, so even if children cannot yet process or understand words, reading to them will play a huge role in their developing language skills. Plus, reading to kids can help boost their early vocabulary, too. You may feel tempted in every other hour of the day to babble on in baby-speak to your child but talking them in a normal voice with normal speech (though using simple words can be helpful) is actually more beneficial to children and their developing minds. Reading from a book to them on a regular basis can have the same effect.

Ready Readers
Making reading a common activity helps shape active readers, and kids who are read to are more likely to develop their own love for reading as they get older. Not only that, but listening can help kids become better readers, too. Once they do become familiar with language, they can learn to follow along as you read to them. Before you know it, they’ll be reading on their own! But it all starts early, so reading to children while they are still infants can make a difference.

Brain Boost
Studies have also shown that children who were read to as newborns not only have a larger vocabulary, but that they also exhibit more advanced mathematical skills than other kids their age as well. These same studies have also uncovered a direct correlation between how many words a baby hears each day and their overall language skills. One study even found that babies whose parents spoke to them a lot when they were younger scored higher on standard tests when they reached age 3 than children whose parents weren’t as verbal with them.

React and Response
Studies have also shown that babies whose parents read to them get used to the rhythmic pattern of their parents’ voices. This can be calming, but it can also help them better identify subtle clues in speech such as the mood of the speaker by their tone of voice.  Babies are exposed to feelings through the different sounds parents use when reading, whether it’s doing a voice for a character or describing what’s going on in the story.

Why Your Toddler’s Tantrum May Be a Good Thing

Posted on | by KD Novelties

Tantrum and Kids

Tantrums are one of the many aspects of the so-called “terrible twos” that make these early years so “terrible”. As children learn to grapple with their feelings and process emotions along with what goes on around them, tantrums can develop in their wake. While tantrums are often seen as a bad thing, there may be a silver lining.

Getting it All Out

As an adult, you may know how stress-relief can help to significantly change your mood. The same can be true for kids with tantrums. Before they are able to learn about, understand, and know to rely on coping mechanisms like exercise or even a nap, kids may resort to crying, whining, and throwing a fuss. Tears actually contain the stress hormone cortisol. When we cry, we are literally releasing stress from our bodies, which is what kids do when they cry while frustrated. Kids tend to cry for many reasons and not just when they are sad. Tears have also been found to lower blood pressure and improve emotional well-being, and for kids, releasing tears can be just what they need to relieve the stress and frustration they are feeling. For many kids, after an initial outburst, their moods improve. Especially for young children, this can be a sign that your child is at least expressing emotion and getting it out instead of keeping it bottled up inside.

Sleep is the Key

Kids often tend to get fussy when they are tired, so problems can be especially frustrating for them to deal with when they are already trying to process other feelings. A good cry or tantrum could take a lot of energy out of them, even if it is just a small or short burst, allowing them to sleep much better once they finally calm down. For kids who are still learning how to process their feelings, getting it out by crying can help to put them in a calmer mood once they are finished, allowing them to either sleep or relax a little before going about their day.

Sometimes Saying No is a Good Thing

Tantrums can often come after a “no” to something they want, and that can be a positive thing in the long run. By saying “no”, you are giving your child clear boundaries, especially when it comes to acceptable versus non-acceptable behavior. This is why it is important not to avoid saying no because you know it will lead to a tantrum. Saying “no” when needed can help in the long term, even if it isn’t convenient for you in the short term.

How To Break Kids Bad Habits

Posted on | by KD Novelties

How to break kids bad habits

How to Break Kids’ Bad Habits

Forming habits can occur naturally, though habits can be encouraged and adapted with the right mentality. Just as you can work to create a habit, like exercising regularly, you can do things to break habits if you want or need to. For parents, getting their children to break bad habits can be difficult, especially since many habits kids have are related to their age and getting older. Things like pacifier usage, nose picking, thumb sucking and more can be detrimental to kids’ development and may lead to problems that can actually pose health risks and other side effects. Here are some ways parents can deal with helping their kids break habits in a healthy way.

Ignoring

A simple way to help a child lose focus of a bad habit is ignoring it. This is often good as a first tactic, and other methods can be considered if this does not work. You don’t want to ignore something if it remains to be a problem. In some cases, bad habits draw attention and this attention drives kids to do the thing you’re asking them not to even more. In some cases, paying a lot of attention to a bad habit and punishing them for it can have a negative outcome. When considering whether your child should break a habit or is old enough to, especially when it comes to things like thumb sucking, try to avoid paying attention to the habit and let your kid outgrow the habit on their own with time. If they don’t, then you can consider other options.

Praise and Reward

Giving kids positive attention for behaviors you want to encourage can go a long way, and rewarding non-behaviors can work too. If you notice that your child has not given in to their habit in a while, try congratulating them and let them know that they are doing a good job. Even if it is something they have grown out of and may not have actively tried to stop doing, it can encourage them to further avoid that bad habit in the future.

Give an Explanation

Simply telling kids “No,” is not often helpful so explaining why a habit is bad for them can do some good. Explain how thumb or pacifier can lead to problems with their teeth and extra trips to the dentist, etc. In this technological world we live in if technology is what grabs their attention, then show them videos on what problems the habit may cause can also help reinforce what you are saying. For example, see our video below on thumb sucking that can be shared with your children.

Take it One at a Time

If your child has several bad habits, try to focus on tackling each one before moving onto another. Focusing on several issues at once can be confusing for a kid, as well as stressful, especially if habits like thumb sucking are involved since habits like these are performed because of their soothing or comforting nature. Taking a lot away at once can be challenging and only make matters worse, as well as more difficult down the road.

Social Interactions

Social interactions with other kids may also help children to break habits. If they are around other children who do not have the same habits kids will point it out and let each other know for example “Why are you doing that? Or you always do that!” This makes children more motivated to distract themselves or use an alternative.

Be Patient

Breaking habits takes time, just as it does to form habits. But while you’re being patient, remember to provide your child with love and support. Let them know that breaking these habits will be good for them in the long run. Habits are sometimes performed on an unconscious level, so being understanding is key to your peace of mind as well as your child’s.