Tuesday, May 10, 2011

The Take Your Pix® Board Book Photo Albums: Purposeful Fun



Laura Miranti and her daughter who inspired the
Take Your Pix® board book albums.

A picture paints a thousand words. Since the dawn of man, we have attempted to communicate with each other in pictures. We've never lost that desire to view images and in particular, images of people we love, places that we've been and occasions that are important in our lives. It is just as important to the youngsters in our lives. Only problem is, most parents are hesitant to hand over archival quality scrapbooks and albums for little ones to explore, tug on, rip at and even drool on.

All of that changes with the sturdy Take Your Pix® board book photo albums! These awesome board book albums offer an adorable and durable alternative to traditional photo albums, making them perfect for little hands and exploring minds! They are so well-constructed and sturdy, which, as most parents and educators know, equals a quality product.


This version has the title, "My First Photos", with flocked letters.
It makes for a wonderful tactile experience!

For Laura Miranti, the creator of the Take Your Pix® board book photo albums, this invention was a labor of love. She was inspired by her young daughter, who had some developmental delays and needed some support to catch up to her peers. One of the specialists that worked with Laura's daughter recommended using photos of family, friends and objects that were familiar to her. Laura was hard pressed to find a photo album that would hold up to the kind of "love" a young child would bestow upon such a book, so she created the Take Your Pix® board book photo albums.

A mother's love knows no bounds. While developed out of the love for her daughter and the necessity for a product that would serve a most important purpose, the Take Your Pix® board book photo albums have translated into a product that appeals to the masses. Young children adore seeing photos of themselves and the people and things they love. And according to the company's website, "Studies have shown that young children only have object recognition with photos. This means that before the age of two, they can not relate a drawing of an object with the actual object, but they can relate a photo of the object with the actual object." That has huge implications when it comes to helping our youngest children learn to communicate.



How this Product Changes Lives

The The Take Your Pix® board book album has so many applications, which makes it so valuable to so many. There really is no end to the way in which these board book albums can be used. We'll share a few ideas here, and if you have an idea to add, feel free to share them in our comments section.

1. Use it to help kids begin to identify objects in their daily lives: chair, book, bed, mommy, daddy, tree, dog, brother, sister, toothbrush, etc. All children need to learn these skills, and repetition works wonders!

2. Use it for alphabet and number recognition. You can scrapbook right on the pages with stickers and other doo-dads, and add picture of an object that begins with that letter. The company's website has some great examples.

3. Use it as a bridge for young children who have relatives and family members that live a distance. This will help young children better get to know what Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Rosie look like, even though they aren't part of their daily lives.

4. Use it for young children experiencing separation anxiety when they are at daycare. Pictures can be included of the child with mom and dad, with the daycare provider, doing fun things at daycare, and then getting picked back up at the end of the day. (Mommy and Daddy always come back to get me!)

5. For young children struggling to get ready in the mornings for preschool, make a book that shows the steps it takes (getting dressed, eating breakfast, brushing teeth, getting shoes and coat on, etc). For a child having difficulty getting ready for bed a night, show similar steps. The possibilities are endless here.

6. For children with special needs such as autism and other issues that impede communication, the Take Your Pix® board book albums can offer unparalleled assistance. A key support and adaptation for children on the autism spectrum is the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), which I am very familiar with as a behavioral health consultant to early childhood programming. The PECS system goes a long way towards reducing frustration, anger and behavioral symptoms, by allowing children with limited communication skills to be able to convey their needs. Having seen this system in action, I know firsthand how wonderful it is. The company's website has a nice post on this topic.

7. Another grand use of the Take Your Pix® board book albums is for creating Social Stories. These stories are also used for children with special needs, including autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), etc. You can find some great examples of social stories here.

8. As originally intended, the Take Your Pix® can help kids with delays begin to communicate their wants, desires and needs.
One thing is for sure, no matter how you utilize your Take Your Pix® board book albums, it does provide you with purposeful fun. When learning is attached to fun, we are much more likely to be able to recall the information.

Welcome to the Kidlutions family, Laura and Take Your Pix®! We are so glad to have you aboard!