Category: encourage reading

Tips on How to Get Your Kids Motivated to Read More in 2015

Posted on | by KD Novelties
With the New Year upon us, it’s a great time to set reading goals for yourself and even your kids. Before another busy year gets underway we recommend setting these goals early in the year. Below find some tips on starting the goals and keeping the kids motivated and encouraged in completing them throughout the year.
Personalized Children’s Books
  1. Make reading goals fun by treating them like games and offering incentives as rewards.  Little rewards like trips, treats and other simple prizes can be a great way to encourage kids to read more in the upcoming year.
  2. Get children involved in their goal setting by letting them design and create their own reading calendar, hence, turning their goal setting into an arts and crafts project. When children are involved in setting their own goals the response to completing those goals will be much higher than if parents created their goals for them.
  3. Take frequent trips to the library and allow kids to get exposed and engaged with new and different stories. Allow children to choose their own books to read. It’s okay if they choose a comic book or a rhyme and riddles book, the goal is that they are reading.  It doesn’t always have to be educational. When kids choose their own books they will make it a point to read and enjoy it.
  4. Build their self-esteem all while promoting literacy by purchasing unique stories starring the child as the main character.  KD Novelties offers personalized children’s books for kids of all ages.  From educational, to fairy tales, to superhero adventures their broad selection of books can help keep kids busy for the entire year.
  5. For younger kids parents should role-play the stories being read or have a costume party based on the theme of the book.  For older kids having them draw or make a collage of the story will help them have fun and anxious to move onto the next book. 

Browse the KD Novelties articles on this blog for more insightful resources and reading tips.

Keeping Kids Enthusiastic About Learning

Posted on | by KD Novelties
School is back in full swing. The first few weeks of school are usually pretty straightforward. Everything is still new, kids are still getting used to their new teachers, new classmates, new friends, new classrooms, or maybe even new schools and overall schedules. No matter what your little student is going through, there can come a time when kids grow bored or frustrated with school. This usually occurs after the first month or so of school, when homework and learning really kick in and begin to become a real part of children’s lives. There are some ways to keep your kids happy and focused during the school year, keeping them excited and enthusiastic about learning and school.
1.     Ask them about their day. Asking kids about what they do at school, making sure to ask for specifics, can really encourage them to pay more attention during the school day. Talking and having conversations with kids as if they are adults gives them a sense of importance, and this in turn helps them believe that what they do at school has significance; not just for them but for you as well. Being able to partake in grown-up conversations can keep them interested in their studies especially when they get to share what they learn with their parents.
2.     Read with them. Reading a book with your child and making it a regular thing can be extremely helpful. If they have a book to read for school, have them read it to you and ask them questions about the book or the chapters read that day. Making an activity out of a task can make it something for kids to look forward to, and if you ask them questions, they can better develop their critical thinking skills as well.
Kids Reading
3.     Create activities based around what they are learning in school. Scheduling trips to the Natural History museum when kids are learning about wildlife or planning a trip to see the Liberty Bell when they learn about US history can be beneficial to learning. Kids can understand that learning does not just happen in the classroom and encourages them to learn from the world around them. 
4.     Ask kids to write or draw about their day. Have your kids keep a journal. Ask them to write about what they learned, what happened in school or to tell a story in words or pictures. This will not only help improve their memory, but also improves their skills when it comes to thinking complexly. The ability to draw an idea or write a story about something they learned can help kids learn to understand complex ideas in different ways. A journal will also make a great memory when they get older. Encourage them to share their entries with the whole family as well.

5.     Remember to be supportive. If a child is expressing difficulty with school, whether academically or socially, listen to them completely. Helping them find a solution and overcoming it together can help drastically improve their attitude and their learning experience. Some kids have a harder time adjusting or staying focused than others, but sometimes all it takes is a different approach to help get them back on the right track.
Visit KD Novelties for unique personalized books that will get kids excited about reading and learning.

Top 10 Reasons why a personalized children’s book is better than a traditional children’s book

Posted on | by KD Novelties
  1. Builds self-esteem and encourages reading
  2. Children read about themselves in their very own special book and not about other characters
  3. They become part of the story and take part in the adventures in each storyline
  4. Every child wants to be recognized for doing something really special and in our personalized books they either join their favorite super hero in saving the day, help save animals from a storm and many more heroic actions
  5. They get to include friends and family members in their own story
  6. Any milestone or event in a child’s life (for example they just visited the zoo, went on a camping trip, is taking ballet lessons, loves sports, learning their numbers or ABCs, first day at school, loves tea parties); we have books to meet every special occasion or milestone. Purchasing a book reinforces what they are already doing and best of all they are part of it!
  7. Seeing their face light up when they hear their name in the story
  8. Treasured keepsake these personalized books are kept as memories and never given away or sold
  9. Their photo is included (in our personalized photo books) on the cover and throughout the pages in the story with their personalized information. You can’t get any more personalized than this!
  10. Personalized gifts are more treasured by the recipient than traditional gifts. Who doesn’t want a gift with their name on it?

    11. We know we said ten reasons but we couldn’t resist the 11th!

  11. You will be the best loved parents, grandparents, aunt, uncle, cousin, friend, sibling, babysitter, or Godparents in the whole world for giving that special little one their very own special book created especially for them!