Tag: personalized books

Writing a fairytale for your child

X Ideas For Writing A Fairytale About Your Child

Posted on | by KD Novelties

Great Ideas for Writing a Fairy Tale about Your Child

Fairy tales shape a huge part of our childhood. From the enchanting world of Cinderella and her evil step-sisters to the story of Rapunzel’s magical hair, these tales help to light up any child’s imaginative and creative world. But how do you make these magical tales more exciting for your child? Writing a fairytale.

If your kid adores fairytales, it’s not enough to show them all the sequels of Disney’s Cinderella. Rather, you can make their experience more magical by making them the main character in a fairy tale and creating personalized books of the story. Want to learn more about writing an enchanting fairy tale for your kids without having to hire a college essay writing service?

What Should Your Fairy Tale Contain?

Before you roll out the first drafts for any fairy tale, it’s important to consider the major features that any story should contain. If you leave out any of these details, you just might end up creating a twisted Grimm’s tale that will have your child screaming into their pillow. Here are some key points that should form the foundation of your tale:

The “Once Upon a Time” opener

What’s a fairy tale without the legendary line that begins with once upon a time? Although this famous line has no bearing on the direction of the story, it serves as the perfect foundation for a fairytale background. For many young readers, this phrase helps to boost excitement and anticipation. They can already tell that a world of magic and adventure lies ahead. It also provides a deep sense of wonder that will stay with them for the duration of the story.

However, if you think this phrase is too cliché for your comfort, you could try out other alternatives like “Long ago and far away” or “Before the world became round”.

The main character

When drafting your fairytale characters list, you should consider the main character first. Since you’re writing a tale about your child, the main character should bear their name. However, it’s important to create a more interesting and thrilling backstory for the main character. This way, you can tell an enchanting tale instead of a “bleh” story about a first-grader.

Mythical animals or legendary creatures

To add to the entire experience, you could include animals that talk. Remember how Cinderella had talking mice that helped her escape from the clutches of her evil stepmother? Talking animals and legendary creatures such as unicorns can spice up the story and help to move the plot along.

Happily ever after

When it comes to writing a fairy tale for or about your kid, a “happily ever after” ending is the perfect icing on the cake. Happy endings tend to give a satisfying feeling and add to the overall charm of fairy tales. Even though these merry endings don’t typically happen in the real world, they can happen in your child’s make-believe world.

Amazing Fairy Tale Ideas to Inspire You

If you’re struggling with finding inspiration for your story, here are some great fairytale ideas that will inspire you and get your creative juices flowing:

A missing princess

Although Disney and other animation companies have pretty much over-flogged the missing princess script, this story idea never gets old. You could draft a fairy tale about a princess who is stolen from her parents as a child and turned into a slave in a distant kingdom. Somehow, a character from her kingdom recognizes her and tells her the truth about her background. She then embarks on a mission to escape from her captors and find her way home.

This simple storyline will keep your child engrossed till the very end. However, you may want to watch them closely for the next couple of days to ensure that they aren’t entertaining thoughts of running away to find their true “kingdom”.

A kind damsel who is under a witch’s curse

Here’s another fairytale idea that can help you create a magical story. A kind damsel has been cursed by an evil witch. Every night, she turns into an ugly werewolf who howls at the moon and destroys buildings in the town. Somehow, the townspeople discover her secret and chase her out of the town with pitchforks and torches. However, she falls in love with a lad who goes on a mission with her to break the witch’s curse.

Final Thoughts

Writing a fairy tale as an adult can feel overwhelming and downright ridiculous. However, the ideas listed above will help you to create an enchanting tale for children. When drafting your story, don’t forget to begin with a mystery that the main character has to solve. In the same vein, include fairytale pictures that bear a close resemblance to your child to make the story more magical and visually appealing.

Author’s Bio – Amanda Dudley is a lecturer and writer with over ten years of experience. In 2001, she obtained a Ph.D. in History from Stanford University and ever since then, she has pursued a fulfilling career in the education system. Currently, she works as a part-time essay writer at EssayUSA, a reputable essay writing service.

How to Identify Reading Difficulties

Posted on | by KD Novelties

Identifying Reading Difficulties

There is a lot of emphasis on reading in early academia. In many instances, how well a child learns to read and continues to grow as a reader has a huge impact on their academic future as well as their future as readers. For kids who do not read well or have a hard time learning to read, their academic futures can be cloudy. According to many studies (Francis, Shaywitz, Stuebing, Shaywitz, & Fletcher, 1996; Torgesen & Burgess, 1998), many children who have difficulties reading early on and get off to a bad start rarely ever end up catching up. While part of the problem can be related to access to resources like books or guidance, many kids suffer from learning disabilities and reading problems that go undiagnosed.

Waiting too long to diagnose a reading disability can make it incredibly difficult to treat and it can make catching up even more of a challenge as well. This is why it is so important that parents are aware of the early signs so they can get their child the help they need from the beginning.

Here are some universal signs of reading difficulties that parents should be able to identify:

Slow-Going

If you notice that your child continually has trouble reading books pitched to their age and reading level, this could be one of the first signs. Listen to your child read aloud. Does it sound like they are improving? Do they struggle with the same words over and over? This can be difficult for children, especially since it is also often discouraging and they may not want to continue reading at all.

Frequent Errors

Mispronouncing a new word or sounding out a long word is one thing, but when kids frequently add words, delete words, or change words when reading, then there may be another issue at hand. Some things you may notice include the following:

  • Adds words – The tall lamp à then the tall and lamp
  • Replaces words – He rubbed his eyes à he rumbled his eyes
  • Deletes words – It’s just a possum à It’s a possum

Staying on Task

If you notice your child frequently losing their place, losing sight of the word or sentence they are reading, skipping lines or jumbling sentences, then you should pay attention and take note. This can not only hinder their ability to comprehend the content of the story they are reading, but it may also have implications regarding the way they process information as well.

No Retention

After reading, kids should be able to summarize what happened in even the most concise terms, but if your child is not retaining any information from the book or even the passage they just read, then they may be expending most of their energy on the act of reading the words and letters without being able to retain what those words mean and the sentences they make up.

Avoidance

Another big indicator of reading problems is avoiding reading all together. Kids may not want to read or show an interest in reading if it is too much of a challenge for them. It may not only be difficult but embarrassing, too.

If you ever have any concerns about your child’s reading and their ability to read and retain information, look into meeting with an educational professional or a speech pathologist to get to the bottom of the issue and get your child the care they need early on.

7 Ways To Encourage A Love Of Reading

Posted on | by KD Novelties

7 Ways To Encourage Reading

Reading is one of the most beneficial skills to have. Being able to read is one thing, but things like reading comprehension and writing can be applied in many aspects of adult daily life. It is important to be able to communicate effectively, understand abstract concepts, and to be able to conduct research to gather information. But aside from that, reading can help people learn to be more empathetic, learn about other people and cultures, and understand how to better express themselves. There are many reasons why parents should be concerned with getting their children to read, and it helps if they like to read as well. When it comes to encouraging a love of reading, there are a few things parents should consider:

Make it Fun

It’s easy for parents to be concerned if their child isn’t reading at their level or simply isn’t showing an interest in reading period, but pressuring them to read or pushing the activity on them can do more harm than good. Make sure that reading is a stress-free activity, that it is as fun as can be, and that it is enjoyable for everyone. Keeping a good attitude about it can help both parties tremendously, especially when a reluctant reader is involved.

Make it Part of Your Everyday

Kids are more likely to pick up a book or develop an interest in reading if it is already a staple in their lives. Making a habit, such as bedtime reading or encouraging reading on car rides, can help make reading something familiar for kids. Having books around the house, reading on your own and having books and reading be a part of your life and not necessarily your child’s can have an impact, too. Kids learn by example, so if they see mommy and daddy reading, they are more likely to want to read too.

Make it a Game

Boosting reading skills can happen anytime, anywhere. Make letter games when driving, asking your kids to pick out letters they see or playing “I Spy” type game with words and phrases on signs you pass by. Play letter games while getting meals together, ask them to read the labels and to see if they can find specific words around the house. While reading physical books, try the same thing. This can help reluctant readers open up to more interactive and creative ways of reading that may change the activity all together for them.

Make it Personal

Sometimes, kids need more of an “in” before getting into reading, and things like personalized books can help do that. Making your child the star of the story can instantly spark their interest. It can also be helpful if kids are going through something specific, such as starting their first day of school or learning to potty train. Reading about issues that affect them personally or reading stories where they are the hero can help them to better connect with the reading material and become more enthusiastic about reading in general.

Give Them a Head Start

If you’re having trouble getting kids interested in reading, you can help them out. Pick a chapter book with a topic your child may be interested in and read the first few chapters alongside with them. After that, encourage your child to read with you or to finish out the book on their own. Their interest in the story and the characters can motivate them to finish out the book!

Make it More Social

Encouraging kids to share books and stories can help keep their interest. Ask your child to read to you for a change, have them read to a younger sibling or an older sibling, or even have them read to a pet! There are actually plenty of libraries and pet shelters that host programs where kids read to animals which have shown to improve animal behavior as well as kids’ reading skills.

Make it Special

Treating books as special treats can give them more value. Offer your child a book when you go to the store or as a consolation prize after a doctor’s visit. Treat reading as a special activity when you do it together or when you see them reading on their own. Reading is special on its own, but making it feel extra magical can help keep a child’s interest and encourage them to do it more often.