Kris’ Korner

So many kids are comfortable sitting in front of the television spending hours playing video games. Parents may feel like they have no control over how long their kids play video games, but there is alternative. When parents provide educational toys for kids to play with their kids are much less likely to turn to video games for entertainment.

The earlier parents begin to offer their children educational toys the better. Older children tend to get set in their ways and become resistant to change. Years of playing video games can make a child feel like there’s no reason to try anything else. Be creative when encouraging your kids to pick up educational items, such as utilizing personalized childrens books or toys.

Many parents spend the last part of the day reading to their children before putting them to bed. Experts recommend that parents keep reading to their children for as long as their children will tolerate it. Kids who hear their parents reading to them will grow up believing its okay to read.

Many kids, once they get older, will even choose to read to younger siblings or cousins. While educational books seem like the best choice of reading material for kids, let them have a little fun and pick out the books they find entertaining. You can cultivate a passion for literature further by indulging them in a customized childrens book.

For many kids, the best part of the day is when they get tucked into bed, and their parents read them their favorite bedtime story.  And while every kid has his or her favorite bedtime story, there are certain stories that have prevailed across generations as tried and true bedtime staples. No matter what type of book your child likes, there are some common elements that run across every popular bedtime story. For one, popular toddler books always have interesting or well done illustrations.

Kids are usually very visual. That’s why it’s so important to let the kids see the picture while you’re reading them the story. Whether it’s “Where the Wild Things Are” by the incomparable Maurice Sendak or “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by children’s book icon Eric Carle, these books have intriguing stories as well as illustrations that can be appreciated even by the adults reading the story. This combination of high quality stories and visuals ensures these books entertain and tuck in several generations of children. Now you can even add your child into the plotline with a customized kids book.

Before entering kindergarten, when I was still learning to read, my parents found an innovative learning tool to help me along the way. It all started during my birthday party, when my mom claimed she had found a book that was written just for me. I had never shown much interest in books before, but as we all know, kids believe that they are the center of the universe. Obviously this would be a book worth reading.

As I later discovered, the miniature novel had been custom ordered from a catalog. My parents had supplied the company with my name, my best friends’ names and a few of my favorite things. The concept was a lot like an extended version of Madlibs, except that I was made the star of my very own book. It made the content instantly relatable and – best of all – it helped to whet my appetite for reading. These days it’s easy to find similar personalized books for kids online.

The best children’s books share several elements in common. They blend humor, quality storytelling and whimsy with a message that even kids can interpret. Dr. Seuss is the author who stands out as a classical example of this approach. From “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” – a screed against miserliness and greed – to “The Butter Battle Book” – an anti-war manifesto fit for first-graders – the good doctor was constantly couching his messages in a veneer of childish rhymes and dazzling artwork.

While few of today’s works of basic children’s literature compare to the classics, “Spongebob Squarepants: Just Say Please” might be a worthy successor. Among the many discount childrens books on the market, this one provides a teachable lesson in etiquette and politeness. And of course kids will enjoy the goofball characters that populate Spongebob’s underwater domain as well.

One of the time-honored traditions of childhood is being read a bedtime story. No matter how much you love spending time with your kids, there are inevitably going to be nights where reading them a story is just not a possibility. With the new movie “Where the Wild Things Are” coming out this week, I decided to revisit one of my favorite children’s stories.

After typing the name into a search engine, I was surprised to find a version of the book on YouTube. The video clip showed all of the pictures from the book while being narrated with feeling and emotion. Online childrens books are a great way to introduce your kids to reading and make sure they always have a bedtime story.

When a friend or family member is expecting a baby, they are usually showered with gifts for the new little one. Gifts like baby clothes and toys are common, but babies grow out of clothes very quickly and toys can only hold their interest for so long. Books, however, last much longer and provide educational entertainment for a child. They are integral to story time, which usually precedes naptime or bedtime and is a calming and peaceful time for parents and kids to bond.

Consider giving children’s books at the next baby shower you attend. Books for children vary by age group, so you might want to get a couple of books that will continue to entertain the child as he or she grows. Padded fabric books with fuzzy animals, shiny mirrors, and other touch and sight pleasing elements are great for younger babies. Cardboard books with easy-to-turn pages are great for toddlers, and books with more text and storyline are perfect for older kids who have already learned to read. Choose a few books for babies, as well as children’s classics, like Dr. Seuss and Goodnight Moon, to help the new parents build a library for their child.

Tracing the history of childrens literature to an exact moment in time is difficult due to the difficulty in defining childrens literature.  Many books written were not intended for children, but over time have become classic childrens books. 

Some of the earliest stories that became popular by children were written in the 15th, 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.  Books like the Tales of Robin Hood, Little Red Riding Hood and Hansel and Gretal just to mention a few.  Children became fascinated by these stories, so over the centuries these stories have been geared toward children.

Any teacher or parent knows just how difficult it is to get their children to read. For many kids, there’s nothing more dull or boring than picking up a book. That’s why these parents and teachers are constantly looking for a way to prove to children that reading can actually be incredibly imaginative and fun. And usually all it takes to convince them is for them to become enthralled in a good book. Once they’re interested in the book, they begin to believe that reading doesn’t have to be a chore.

The trick, therefore, is getting kids enthralled in that book, and one of the ways to accomplish this is through personalized kids books. Kids are interested in reading about things that matter to them, and what’s more important to them than them? If you order a book that puts them squarely in the middle of a fast paced adventure, it makes the book all the more exciting. And they are, in turn, all the more likely to give books a chance.

Many parents are convinced that the road to academic success is paved with bedtime stories. That is to say, they believe that reading to their children every night will help increase their chance of success in school. While it’s a tricky thing to categorically prove whether books from an early age increase your GPA, it does seem to at least help create a lifelong love of books. After all, children that are read to from an early age learn to appreciate what books can do.

They learn that books transport them to strange and adventurous places, and that’s a lesson that many take into adulthood. And while you might start by reading kids books to your children, you’ll be surprised how quickly they express a desire to move on to thicker, more complex books. You might even find yourself usurped at nighttime, as your kid starts enjoying the process of reading on their own. Whether it engenders an increased vocabulary or a general love of language, there’s no way to ensure that your child will be an intellectual success. But it does seem obvious that reading from an early age offers a serious leg up.