Things to consider when creating content for children

Things to consider when creating content for children

Children are the most wonderful age range to create content for. They are open minded, full of wonder, and love to play. However, there are some caveats. Capturing their attention can be tricky, but keeping their attention can be also and it changes with the age range. Most important is knowing the age range, genre, and goal. Are you trying to teach a new concept? Is it for a 5 year old or a 10 year old? Explore these suggestions to take your content creation to the next level.

Know your age range

Children’s age ranges are going to differ quite a bit with what catches their attention, and what keeps it. Keep this in mind when writing content suited for children. It’s best to aim for a specific age range, but if you want to broaden the range you can include a little content from 2-3 ranges you’re aiming for. Any more than that might not capture the other ranges as effectively. For example: preteens can capture 8-15 year olds. You cover a little for teens, a little for the age before preteen, but certainly cover the preteen range.

Think of fun topics that kids in the age range you’re focused on are interested in

 A preschooler is not going to be as excited about a big esports event coming up. Whereas a teenager is not going to be interested in a character that is overly educational. Exploring can be a fun topic for several age ranges. Toddlers will enjoy more sensory exploring such as feeling or smelling something new or using their sense of hearing to learn about the world around them. Be sure to think about children who may not be able to experience all senses and include fun options for them as well.

Be inclusive and aware that each child is going to be different.

Don’t try to impress any judgements or subconscious mindsets upon the children you are creating content for. Be mindful about controversial topics. If your goal is to spread awareness about something that you are passionate about, get several opinions on the content from a broad range of people. Be sure to include kids in this assessment so they can help show you things from their perspective.

Hands on content is usually going to be a win with kids

Unless it’s a bedtime story (and even then you can make it fun to find the moon together with the reader). If you have a specific genre of content you’re aiming for, try and find ways to incorporate fun activities the children can participate in. For older children, maybe something involving moving their bodies and the sensations they feel when they jump. What muscles can they feel when they jump and how do they feel after?

These are just a few examples of things to consider when creating content for children. Use your instinct and get children involved to provide feedback. A lot of recent online content has several great features but one bad feature can really throw it off. Maybe parents love the content, but kids can’t follow. Just play with ideas and see what covers the topic, genre, and age range most effectively.