Why You Should Be Reading To Your Older Kids

Posted on | by KD Novelties
Reading With Older Kids

When people think of reading aloud to their children, they often imagine doing so for a while. Babies and toddlers love listening to stories, and studies have shown that having a reading ritual can help pique a kid’s interest in books and learning. Reading together is a great activity and many parents read their children stories before bedtime, but this practice often ends up being abandoned once kids become independent readers. However, just because kids can read on their own does not mean that they can’t gain new skills from being read to any longer. There are plenty of reasons why parents should continue to read to their kids, even as they get older.

Quality Time
The benefits of reading together as an activity never gets old. Reading a book together is a great way to share a quiet, intimate moment with your child, and is akin to watching a movie together if you think about it, but still a bit more personal and special. Continuing the reading tradition as kids get older can help create some fond memories and allow parents and children to bond over characters and the stories they’re a part of.

There Are Still Plenty of Benefits
According to the author of “Read-Aloud Handbook” John Trelease, a child’s reading level does not catch up to their listening level until they are about twelve or thirteen, or are around the 7th-8th grade level. Taking this to mind, as a parent you should read more advanced books to children, perhaps books that are a grade or two above their level, in order to help enhance their skills. Your child may still be learning how to read more efficiently or read more complex sentences and structures, but even though they may have some difficulties learning to do these as they read themselves does not mean that they will not understand a story above their grade-level if it is read to them.

You Can Use Them to Teach Life Lessons
If you don’t want to come off as sounding too heavy-handed, you can always choose books with particular messages to share with your children. By showing them ideas and teaching them lessons this way, they may not feel as if they are being treated as a younger child, and being told to think or do something in particular.  They actually may  enjoy the message more if it is in the form of a story that they are sharing with their parent.

It Helps Build Vocabulary
The best way to build your vocabulary arsenal is to learn and acquire new words. Sure, many language arts courses have spelling curriculums that aim to do that, but learning new words is always best when it occurs organically. Just like learning a language is easier if you are immersed in it versus reading from a text book, reading slightly more advanced books to your older children can help improve their vocabulary and choice of words.

It Allows You to Get Close to Your Child
As your kids get older and approach their tween and teenage years, they are not likely to want to hug and cuddle you as much anymore, which is completely normal. Reading together, however, requires that the reader and the listener share some close personal space, so reading aloud to older kids can provide you two with a reason to spend some cozy time together.

Reading Can Provide Kids with a Sense of Belonging
Kids in their tweens or teens often feel isolated or misunderstood, which is completely normal. With emotional, hormonal and physical changes that they are undergoing, kids are learning about who they really are and may sometimes feel alone in the journey. Reading can provide these kids with the opportunity to connect to characters like them, who are struggling through different trials and tribulations just like they are. Great literature often has this sort of effect on the reader or the listener, helping them feel understood and less alone. There are plenty of classics that cover the time-old coming-of-age trope that many kids may identify with and find fascinating as well. We recommend choosing books that they can relate to or point them in the direction of these type of books and let them choose for themselves.

NOTE: To enhance their reading experience or to get reluctant readers to read more come on over to KDNovelties.com and get storybooks personalized for them to make the reading experience between parent and child even more special.

How to Find Fun Educational Apps for Kids

Posted on | by KD Novelties
Educational Apps for Kids

Kids love playing games, and with more and more kids fascinated by their parent’s phones and other mobile devices, many children are spending more time playing video games and looking for apps that are appropriate for them and their interests. Some of the most popular games in the app store are big hits with kids, like Angry Birds, and while this game does teach kids some basics of physics, it’s mostly just a fun game. If your child is mesmerized by mobile devices, there are ways to harness that interest and use it to help bolster their early education.

There are plenty of educational games, activities and other apps that can benefit kids and their learning skills. With games that focus on math, spelling, language arts, science, social studies, languages, early learning, storybooks, games and more, kids can still have a blast while learning key skills that will help them perform better in the classroom.

When it comes to choosing the right educational apps for your child, there are so many for you to choose from. There are apps like Fishing with Grandpa available in the iTunes App Store that are great for developing early learning skills or Wonster Words, also available on iTunes for various devices, that helps acquaint kids with phonics. Traffic is a programming and coding game for children, a field that is exponentially growing and is becoming an arguably necessary and employable skill for people in many different fields. There are also interactive stories, like Pinky the Pink Penguin that aims to teach kids about diversity and accepting others because being different can be good. We also offer a wide variety of different personalized interactive e-books that can be downloaded and accessed on mobile devices for kids to peruse and learn key reading comprehension skills.

Personalized eBooks for Kids

There are other creative unique apps out there as well. ADHD Skill Boosters Tween is great for kids struggling with this particular disorder and helps them bolster their learning skills in a way that suits them and their needs. When it comes to finding the right apps for your kids, one of the best places to look is in recommendations lists or app pages that link to similar apps. Look at what games your child is known to like and see if there are any similar apps out there that might offer some educational benefits as well. Even searching for the apps listed here will bring you to even more “recommended” and “similar” apps that you can peruse. Before downloading an app, especially ones that cost money, make sure that you read the comments and that it is not too easy for your kids to accidentally buy features and other aspects of the app that they may advertise.

It also helps to remember that educational apps are still games. Spending time on a digital device is not inherently bad, and making sure that your child is acquainted with the various digital platforms out there can help prepare them for the world – but it is just as important that kids have variety in their daily activities. It is still important and beneficial to encourage reading from physical books, playing board games, being active in or out doors and participating in a wide range of different kinds of activities, is good for children and their overall development.

Difference Between a Developmental Lag and a Reading Disorder

Posted on | by KD Novelties
Developmental Lag or Reading Disorder

What is the difference between spotting a developmental lag and a reading disorder? Both issues may look the same from observation, so ultimately, no matter what, it is always wise to see a specialist in the event this thought occurs to a parent at all.

Many parents would like to believe that their children are developing healthily and normally – who wouldn’t? Each individual is different and as kids become their own people, they will undoubtedly develop their own quirks and interests. If you notice that your child is not reading or shows no interest in the activity, your mind may initially make excuses along the lines of “maybe they’re just not a reader,” or “perhaps they learn a little slower and are more of a visual or hands-on learner.” Either of these may be true, certainly, but there is nothing wrong with doing a little bit of investigating first. Many parents who have children with reading disabilities find out a little too late, ‘a little too late’ meaning that their child’s education may have already suffered and that valuable time getting help has been lost.

Research shows that it is crucial that kids receive the proper developmental health during their first few years of schooling. This window of opportunity can be fleeting and many parents miss it because they are easily dissuaded from seeking help. If you notice that your child is having difficulties reading, the reason may absolutely be that they have a developmental lag or simply have no initial interest in the activity. However, it is always wise to be safe than sorry. It is better to be told that your child has a developmental lag by a professional early on in either case, because even if your child does not have a disorder, you can begin to implement healthy incentives to help them learn regardless. But if your child does have a reading disorder, the earlier they receive help the better.

The longer you wait to get help or guidance in the event that your child has a reading disorder, the harder it will be to get them on the right track. If treatment and therapy is implemented early, kids will adopt it much more easily and almost more naturally as well. Just as learning a language later in life becomes ultimately more difficult and forced, than learning one from an early age, so is learning how to cope with a reading disorder. It is still entirely possible to help children who are around the age of 7 or 8, but it becomes more and more difficult as the child gets older.

Reading disorders, such as dyslexia, are not exclusive to reading alone. Since reading is integral to learning, kids with reading problems will ultimately have issues learning other subjects as well and may fall behind substantially. The best way to quell any concerns that you may have regarding your child’s ability to or interest in reading is to see a specialist and to have your child tested. There should be no stigma involved, especially since you will be helping your child grow and learn.

For more reading resources and to check out our personalized books for kids which boosts self-esteem and enhances the reading experience visit us at http://www.KDNovelties.com.