Tag: personalized books

8 Tips to Keep Kids Engaged This Summer

Posted on | by KD Novelties
8 Tips to Keep Kids Engaged During the Summer

School’s out! For some anyway, and for others your kids are probably counting down the days!  Kids are sure to be happy to have the next few months to themselves. As relaxing as the summer holidays are meant to be, it is still important that kids stay sharp so that they can continue their education without a hitch once the new school year starts in August or September. There are plenty of ways in which parents can do this without giving their kids homework or making them feel like they have a lot of work to do. In fact, there are some fun ways to keep kids engaged while also making sure that they’re having a good time.


1. Encourage kids to keep a journal. Keeping a journal can be fun, and it can make a great keepsake for you and your kids for years to come. While kids are writing about their summers or even writing stories of made up adventures, they are also exercising their writing and reading comprehension skills. Writing in a journal has benefits when it comes to memory as well, and can help kids remember more things with accuracy.

2. Plan fun (and educational) trips. Summertime is the most popular time for families to go on vacation, but integrating something educational and interesting into your summer plans can be both fun and informative. Even if you can’t fit a big trip into your budget, make weekly trips to the library, to local landmarks and other places that can offer a lot for kids and adults alike.

Lemonade Stand for Kids
3. Start a lemonade stand! Encourage your kids to get active and get motivated to make money. Whether they sell lemonade on the sidewalk, help with a garage sale or simply pick up some chores around the house, doing so will help give kids an incentive to take on responsibility. Encourage them to manage their money, too, so they can practice some math while they’re at it.

4. Go outside and explore. Getting outdoors is great. Fresh air and activity are integral for staying healthy and childhood obesity is quickly becoming a major problem, so making sure that kids stay plenty active and spend some time away from screens and computers can be beneficial. Going outside, going to parks, going on hikes or simply exploring your own backyard can also help spark a child’s imagination and help them develop a relationship with nature.

5. Make time to read every day. Some kids are happy reading as a pastime, but other kids may need some coaxing. Make it a routine or a tradition to share a book or two every night. Read aloud, play book-inspired games, or even act out your favorite scenes! Reading will help keep kids’ reading skills sharp, and playing games can help foster their creativity and confidence, as well.

6. Take advantage of free, online learning. Whether your kids are playing an educational flash game or partaking in an online course, kids may be more inclined to want to learn when it involves the family computer or tablet. There are plenty of educational apps and free online schools that can teach kids valuable skills without feeling like its work at all.

Kids Crafts During the Summer

7. Make some arts and crafts. Inspiring kids to create and use their imaginations can help their critical thinking skills more than you might realize. Creativity can help kids learn how to solve problems, weigh their options and make difficult choices, whether it involves figuring out how to solve a math problem or how to accomplish riding a bike. Being creative can inspire some great art, but it can also encourage out-of-the-box thinking that can help boost general problem-solving skills, too.


8. Don’t be afraid to relax! Rest and relaxation are actually important for mental and emotional development, so don’t forget to get plenty of it. As important as it is to keep kids active, don’t forget about valuable down-time either. Finding a balance between activity and reflection is important, so make sure to let your kids relax and do a bit of what they want this summer, too.

KD Novelties is publisher of personalized children’s books making children the stars of their very own stories.  Personalized Reading promotes literacy while building self-esteem.  Subscribe to our blog for more reading and family friendly tips.








How To Read With Your Kids When You’re Not Around

Posted on | by KD Novelties

Many of our first memories of books and reading go back to our parents. Many children read bedtime stories with mom or dad just before drifting off to sleep. Research has shown that reading with children or reading to children is integral in building a relationship with books, as well as the act of reading itself. Reading with your child is a heartwarming activity that can build memories and moments that you will cherish forever.

So what are you to do when you are not at home to read with them? If you are a parent with an occupation that requires that you travel often or if you happen to work nights, it may be difficult to keep up with this tradition but it is still important that you make time to read with your child. Sure, kids can read with others and will learn to read on their own, but studies have shown that the special relationship between kids and parents in regards to the act of reading itself is important. Luckily, there are plenty of things you can do in order to make sure that you never miss a bedtime story.

Reading Books via Video Chat

1. Call them. The simplest thing you can do is to call your child around the time that they’re going to sleep and read to them over the phone. Not only is this something that you would normally do anyway, but by reading a story during your phone call, you can make your conversations even more special. Even though you would call them to say good night and to ask them about their day regardless, adding the story to your conversation will build even more memories even if you are not physically present.


2. Video chat with them. Thanks to smart phones, tablets, and laptops many parents can use video chatting or web chatting to see their child face-to-face as they talk, share thoughts about their day, and provide them with the opportunity to share a book visually as well as audibly. This way, your child can see your face and interact with you as closely as if you were right there with them. Alternatively, your child can read a book to you as well! No matter who’s reading, it’s the interaction that really counts.

3. Tape a video or a CD. Sometimes, time differences can make video chatting or calling in real-time difficult. This may be an issue for parents who are in the military or work overseas for other reasons. Taking the time to tape yourself reading a book can allow your child to access the story and your voice whenever they like. Even though you may not physically be interacting with them at the time that they are listening to or watching your recording, this gesture can still hold a lot of meaning for both you and your child. This means that your child can listen to or watch a recording whenever they want to read the story, and especially whenever they miss you, which can help with the distance a great deal. If you want to make sure that your child has watched or listened, make sure to ask them questions about the recording as well as the story when you get the chance to call or correspond with them. By doing this, you can incentivize them to read and make sure that they are getting that quality time with you while also building their reading and listening skills.


4. Write a book together! Get out the crayons and construction paper, it’s time to write your own story. Just as having recordings available provide you with some cherished keepsakes for the rest of your lives, making a book together can help you make memories more concrete. Sit down with your child and write! Come up with a creative story, each of you writing and illustrating your very own copies. This way, you can keep your books on you wherever you are and your child will never feel alone.


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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