Tips For Buying Children’s Books

Books are the best friends for everyone but the importance of a book gets doubled when we are concerned about giving the right direction to the life of our loved ones. A book is valuable for the mental growth of your child. Good and inspiring books not only enhance the cognitive abilities of a child but also spur his emotional, social, moral and spiritual growth.

It is very difficult to select a book to gift to your child because children usually don’t like to read books. They love games and toys. So if you are going to plan a book you should keep certain thinks in mind. First is the age of your child. If your child is in the 4-8 year age group, you can gift him picture books. If he is of the 8-10 age group, storybooks of gallantry can serve as a magnet for his curiosity. If your child is in the teen age you should gift him a book of motivational stories, which also contain emotional aspects related to his age.  The context of the book should appeal to a child’s mind.

The title page of the book should be attractive and colorful. You should also peep into the introductory page and the content page before buying a book for your champ. Don’t buy a book by looking at just the cover page. You should also keep in mind the author of the book. Maybe your child is fond of some particular author. Have a preference to buy book of such authors.

You should also spare some time to read the abstract of the book. It will give you an idea about the theme of the book, quality of content, and language of the book. Don’t buy books of hard language because if your child needs a dictionary to understand the language of the story it will become too dull an activity for him. The language should also not be too easy.

You should flip through the book. The font size of the letters should be of moderate size. Spacing of the pages should be harmonious in nature. If the size and spacing is good, the book will without doubt be systematic in nature and will compel your child to read it thoroughly. You should also check the pictures of the book. These should be pleasant and ideal.

But you should keep in mind that the subjective appeal of the book should not depend upon your choice. Children should be encouraged to enjoy reading and you can only do this by buying books that satisfy the psychology of kids. If your child is good in sports and you are buying books of history for him, these books will not at all be beneficial.  You can surely gift him books of different tastes occasionally.

Books play a healthy role in deciding the future of a child. Gift him books of that field in which you want to see him on the peak.

Importance Of Reading Books Aloud To Your Child

Babies learn from each and every activity of the parents. Even small kids who are unable to understand language often understand the tone of the person addressing them. If one looks to the child angrily the child will start weeping. Similarly, if you are talking to the child or reading a book loudly, the child may not understand the contents or what you are saying, but will learn from the parent’s voice and expressions. It can be rightly said that reading a book aloud is not wasting time. A child does try to pay attention to what you are reading, and also tries to understand the tone in which you are reading. This way the child will learn to obey your directions.

As the child grows up, the understanding of the way you turn the page or move the eyeballs will help him improve concentration and understand the pleasure of reading. A child is bound to develop love for reading books, and will enjoy reading  books himself. If the book has pictures, the child will try to identify the objects or colors. Even if the book is without photographs teach the child to move his finger along with you and turn the page. This is bound to improve concentration.

It is essential to fix some reading time every day. At that time sit down with a book and make your child sit and listen. The child will develop enthusiasm and excitement in reading which will be helpful when he grows up and start studies. Even if you are yourself not interested in reading, ensure that in the presence of the child your non liking for reading is not displayed. Otherwise, the child is bound to develop a feeling  that his mom is not interested in reading and it will be ok for him to follow, as the child tends to learn the most from parents. In case of difficulty on your part get some audio book from the computer or internet, start playing it and let the child listen to the same.

Reading helps the child to develop communication and language. Also verbal communication between mother and child will result in development of better understanding between parents and children. If the child is able to develop these skills at an early age it will be of great help to him in his later life. When grown up he or she will be able to achieve better place in society and at work place.

What Is The Importance Of Preschool Library?

Reading is a good habit. A child learns a lot when he sees pictures in the books. A child often raises a series of questions when he sees something interesting in books. Even if we answer all his questions we can’t satisfy him because his imagination is much wider than us.

Parents are the first teacher of a child. Child learns his first lesson from his mother. So you should spend a good quality time with your child. Encourage him to read books. If you read something in front of him, he also asks for that book. Children are good imitators. You should develop reading habit for your child’s better future. As we all know, good books are the best friends.

A preschool library is the latest phenomenon in child education. It includes many pictorial books related to alphabets, poems, numbers, shapes, colors, vegetables, animals, body parts, activities etc. It provides a wide range of books to your child and this develops his interest in reading. You can read stories to him from books. You can also create new stories with the help of pictures in the book. Children learn many activities from books.

You don’t need special place for a preschool library. Just create some place in your own library and make a child section in it. While choosing books the age of the child should be kept in mind. Books should be of an appealing nature. Children must enjoy the books and so these should be of his interest.

A preschool library also helps teachers to make effective lesson plans. Students enjoy those lessons in which teachers use visual aids. The new ideas of making study effective also come from books available in the preschool library.

To teach student alphabets and other activities, stories and pictures can be used. There are so many story and rhyme books that play a primary role in child education by using alphabets or number themes like one- two, buckle my shoe; three- four, shut the door and so on.

Teachers should repeat each and every alphabet or number in different ways with the help of different pictures. It helps a child to make association between activity, alphabet, preschool craft and lesson. One of the best benefits of using a preschool library is that you can integrate many additional areas of learning. Your imagination also plays an important role in tailoring your theme by using visual aids.

It is the first 5 years in which your child learns a lot. With the help of a preschool library you can expand his vocabulary as well as his knowledge. Children books were very popular in old days when we were children. But the concept of preschool library is totally new. My child is only three years old but he has his library card to get books issued form his school.

Tips for Buying Children's Apps

The good news is that apps are a promising educational tool that support literacy, math, science and life skills. The challenge for parents is how to choose the right app for their child.

These tips can help guide your decision:

1.  A good app is the perfect combination of education and entertainment.

When kids are engaged, they learn.  Educational apps balance engagement with learning. 

Whether an app is focused on teaching math skills or science, it is really important that a child has opportunities to play and do something new.

The characters will be familiar, but the game play will be new and challenging, which is a good formula for learning.

2.  Explore and play with your child.

Research shows that kids learn more when parents join in the fun – this is true for all media.

Take an active role by choosing an app and deciding why it’s likely to hold your child’s attention. Don’t be bashful about playing with your child, taking turns with who gets to control the screen and select the next level.

           

3.  Select games that are developmentally appropriate for your child.

Is the app right for your child and what they can do? Not all 4-year-olds are created equal, so different apps will appeal to different children at different times.

Ask yourself, is this a skill or storyline my child is capable of following right now?

Touch screen technology is a significant advance in technology for young children – it’s easy and intuitive for kids to navigate.  For pre-readers, make sure there are audio cues and not just words on a screen.

4.  Set limits and encourage other forms of learning and play.          

This is about setting the right “media diet” for your child. A balanced media diet is like a balanced food diet; variety is healthier.

It’s also good to think about the number of hours your child is spending in front of screens.

One possible rule is that there is no TV until homework is done. The same rules apply to newer screens, unless the device is used for schoolwork, which is happening more and more these days.

           

5.  Select apps from trusted, reliable sources.

Look for established, trusted educational brands that are known for producing educational content.

Are you comfortable with the app’s characters as role models for your children? Kids tend to imitate characters in the media. Make sure the characters, their language, and their behavior is something you’d be comfortable with from your own children. Also, avoid apps that could be frightening or that use violence to resolve conflicts.

Talk to other parents about the apps their children enjoy, and why.  Ask them if you can test their app before you buy it for your child.

           

Review ratings and reviews – by other parents, and on sites like Common Sense Media – and look at the apps that have received Parent’s Choice awards.

Reasons Why Music Is So Important For Toddlers' Development

Whether it’s listening, dancing, singing or all of the above, we try to have lots of music opportunities in our house on a daily basis.

It’s a good thing. It often puts the kids in a great mood, and as it turns out, it’s also brain food!

Here are some reasons why music should be a daily part of your toddlers’ lives!

1. It increases their sensory development: Hearing a variety of sounds allows them to make more connections in their brains.

2. It’s a mood lifter:  Is your toddler having a tantrum? Music could help turn that around.

3. Music can be soothing: Right before bedtime, try turning on some relaxing music to set the tone that it’s time to wind down.

4. Music helps build literacy:  Songs introduce kids to a variety of words, thus increasing their vocabulary. It also helps them to learn letters and numbers.

5. Music builds rhythm and develops coordination. Need I say, more?