Engaging Kids With Creative Reading

Creative reading may not be a term that many people are familiar with, especially since it is not quite a term that exists. Creative writing is a familiar topic for many, but what is creative reading? When people think of the act of reading, they often imagine the quiet activity of reading books silently, page by page, on one’s own time. While this is certainly a viable method of reading, it is not the only one. There are many ways in which you can have fun with reading, especially with children who are just learning to read and are developing their imaginations as well.

Reading Aloud with a Flourish
As a parent, one of the first ways you can introduce reading to your children is by reading aloud. The act of listening along can be entertaining enough for some children, but really putting effort into your oration can help engage even the most reluctant readers (and listeners!). Give each character a voice and really get a feel for what they are saying; read the narration with dramatic intent; make sound effects! There are so many ways in which you can make reading aloud really fun and engaging.

Get In Character

You can also create a plethora of games surrounding whatever it is you are reading with your children, too. Encourage them to play dress up and act out scenes as they happen! Or even join in on the fun and reenact parts of the book once you’re done reading together. You can even try and create new scenes of your own. Asking your kids to come up with their own scenes and scenarios can help their growing imagination, but it can also help their creative and abstract thinking skills, too. When you’re done reading, or while you’re reading, you can also encourage your kids to put on a puppet show, or any other kind of reenactment revolving around your story material.

Think Outside the Box
There are so many other activities that you can incorporate into reading to make it more fun and educational, too. Conduct a trivia contest between chapters or create your own games revolving around the characters, setting, and other factors that pertain to the book that you are reading. Ask your kids to ask you questions, too! You can even ask simple questions like “Who is your favorite character and why?” Asking them actively engages them and it promotes critical thinking in a way that is entertaining as well.

Make it Personalized
What could be more fun than starring in your own book? With personalized books for kids by KD Novelties, your children can star in their own stories and adventures with their own personalized book. These books make your child the star, placing them at the center of the action and taking them along on a fabulous journey. There are personalized books for all occasions and milestones in your child’s life to choose from, who knows, this can be the start of creative reading with your child!

How to Measure Your Child’s Reading Level before Kindergarten

Personalized Books for Kids
Education doesn’t have to stay in the classroom. For kids, learning should begin at home and there are plenty of things that parents can do to help foster their kids’ education. Reading plays an integral part in academic success and as a parent; you should make sure that your child is at the appropriate reading level throughout their childhood. This should begin as early as infancy through preschool.
Kids may not be able to read fully by the time they are preschool age, which is typically between the ages of 3 and 4, but children should still be familiar with the concept and all of its moving parts by the time they reach pre-school/kindergarten at ages 4-5. The following are helpful signs to see what category your child falls into.

Pre-Reader (typically from ages 2 to 4)
  1. They have been exposed to books and like to hear them read, but they don’t comprehend that the pages have words and that the words tell a story
  2. Can’t identify any letters or words on the pages but shows an interest in wanting to learn the alphabet
  3. They like to play with books as toys but don’t understand that books contain stories
  4. They love the bright colors and illustrations found in the books but do not understand that the pictures depict a story
  5. Pretends to write
  6. Enjoys looking through books on their own

Signs of a Beginning Reader (typically from 4 to 6 years)

  1. Recognizes their own name when written
  2. Familiarity with the letters of the alphabet and the sounds they make
  3. Spelling their own name
  4. Needs pictures on each page to help tell the story
  5. Memorizes books and tries to read them over and over
  6. Reads aloud without pausing for punctuation
  7. When not recognizing a word tries to sound it out from the beginning but if not successful, makes up the rest or skips over it.

Wherever the child lacks is where parents need to focus more on, however, we suggest making it fun and turn it into a game.  Kids will learn more and want to learn when they are having fun.  If your child is struggling, there is no need to worry.  You can read with them regularly, play letter based games, sit with them and practice their letters. By continuing to test their skills in a fun way will ultimately help boost their literacy and letter skills.
With that said have you checked out our personalized kids books? Personalized books can be especially helpful for kids who may be reluctant readers or quickly lose interest in books and other educational materials.  When they see their name, they will not only be excited, but they will have a better idea of what their own name looks like and how to spell it!

Are Your Kids Going to Fall Behind this Summer?

Kids are excited for the summer months, and chances are, you are as well. Barbecues, vacations and family outings are abound during this downtime and that can mean a lot of fun for the entire family. But that may also mean downtime from education and from reading. Since kids are not in school, they may not be prompted to read as much. Whether it is because they are too tempted to play outdoors, or because they don’t want to feel like they are in school, it is still important as a parent to make sure that kids continue to read.
Two months may not seem like a long time, but it absolutely is for kids. Their minds are constantly developing, absorbing information from the world around them and assimilating what they know and experience into usable knowledge. It is vital that kids continue to read over the summer in order to retain and increase their reading level come the following school year. Your kids may want to play outside more, but there are ways to entice kids to read that makes them forget they are even reading.
The first thing you have to do is make the reading feel less like work. Kids who like to read for recreation have shown to have a significantly higher love of learning. This keenness to read also helps kids understand new concepts they learn in school and as they get older. If your child feels that reading is like “school work” then you can show them how fun reading really is by getting them their very own personalized story. Our personalized books for kids make each child the STAR of their very own story.
Plan family outings that are educational as well as fun. Visit historical landmarks, telling your children what they may find there and what happened. Have them read the historical plaques out loud and ask them what they think happened and why. Visit the museum and do the same. Making a day trip out of it can make learning seem more like fun than work.  Engage your kids in reading and critical thinking skills by asking them fun questions about what they did and learned on vacation.
Reading to them nightly can also be a great help. Have them read along and ask them questions about the story or each chapter before saying good night. This makes the act of reading not only a shared experience, but it seems more fun when they are being read to. Ask them to read parts to you. Asking them to answer questions about the story and about what parts they liked and didn’t like help their listening and reading comprehension skills, keeping it sharp for when school starts again.

Even engaging in arts and crafts activities can help keep kids engaged. A hands-on activity with an end goal in mind helps keep kids’ minds working and thinking. Ask them to write poems or blurbs about what they made and why. You can also have them write stories, whether they are about their vacations, what they did that day, or a story they made up entirely on their own. Writing skills are linked directly with reading and require an active imagination as well. Make learning and reading fun by crafting interactive things for your kids to do. It will not only keep them up to speed for the following school year, but it will also keep their summer days full and fun.

KD Novelties publishes personalized children’s books to make reading fun and create a unique experience for kids.  For more resources about reading for kids visit the KD Novelties blog and subscribe.