Every kid needs a few boredom busters when summer arrives. No matter how many activities are planned, there are always going to be times when a child can’t help but feel like there’s “nothing to do!” I remember how frustrating feeling so listless and bored was for me as a child and so before school and scheduled activities end, I make sure that I’m prepared with some toys and activities that I can pull out for my boys when boredom hits.

This year, I got the chance to review a few of the fabulous personalized gifts from Frecklebox. I featured the company’s phenomenal Sight Words Pad back in June of last year and Zackary had mastered the twenty most common sight words in no time with the help of the innovative personalized pad. I was so excited to see how he liked some of the other fabulous Frecklebox products.

I received a personalized colouring book, a personalized puzzle and a soft cover copy of the brand new personalized book Goes to the Aquarium to review. Zackary opened the box eagerly and was thrilled to see his very own race car puzzle with his name written on the side! He opened it right away and the two of us sat down and put the puzzle together. The puzzle was lots of fun though with the number of pieces it is best suited to a school-aged child. Zackary did very well putting the puzzle together but I think it would have been a little too complex for a three or four year old.

We saved the colouring book for the next rainy day and when I pulled it out, Zackary had so much fun colouring the pictures of different vehicles. He loved the fact that every single page had his name on it and he asked me about the writing on every page. “What does this one say?” he asked when he reached a page with a classic Hot Rod. “It says ‘Muscle Street, Zackary,” I told him. He grinned in delight and started colouring the picture.

Zackary’s drawing and colouring skills have really improved after his year of pre-kindergarten and I loved the fact that he could keep working on his new skills with a book that not only featured his favourite subject matter but also featured his very own name!

Goes to the Aquarium is the newest book in Frecklebox’s sensational collection. The personalized books are unique because in addition to featuring a child’s name in the text, the real-life pictures also feature the child’s name, which is worked into the scene in various ways. In Goes to the Aquarium, Zackary’s name was created with objects like fish, sparkling water and even the markings on a manta ray.

Zackary had so much fun finding his name in the different pictures. These books would be a great way for children to learn to recognize their name, as the different pictures help kids to recognize the letters of their names even when the letters are presented in different ways.

The story itself was also lots of fun and very educational since it featured pictures and facts about actual sea creatures. Zackary and I both loved how, in addition to the fun facts about different sea creatures, every page contained interactive questions. For example, the page about penguins mentioned that penguins have many layers of feathers to keep them warm and then asked, “How do you keep warm when the weather is cold?”

“With a blankie!” Zackary energetically replied! He really enjoyed contributing to the story and I loved the way that listening to his answers gave me a glimpse into his thoughts.

Overall, the collection of personalized books and activities I received from Frecklebox was the perfect way to keep my son entertained when boredom hit. He loves puzzles and spent a great deal of time making his special race car puzzle, but he had just as much fun colouring in his own special colouring book. Having personalized products for some of the most common kid’s activities made the activities much more enjoyable for Zackary and while we mainly kept Goes to the Aquarium for bedtime reading, he also liked to look through it sometimes on his own to find all the pictures with his name. If you’re looking for a fun and educational way to keep kids entertained this summer, why not pick up a few of the fabulous and inexpensive personalized products from Frecklebox? Your kids will love that they have their own special boredom busters!

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