Writing for Children
Question and Answer
“CJ
When I write for children, sometimes I get 'carried away' into writing something too complicated and I’m forced to stop and simplify. How can I know what a child aged x years-old will like and understand?
Marc.”
Hello Marc,
Thank you for writing to me. Whether something we’ve written works and if it can be understood by children at certain ages, I’ll be happy to share my system with you.
When I write a poem or story for children, I try it out on my grandchildren first. I have eleven —-nine boys and two girls, ranging in age from ten to twenty-six. They're my best and most honest critics —sometimes painfully honest.
When it works, it works. When it doesn't, I get the audible "raspberries". After I find out why it was raspberried, I head back to my laptop to re-think, re-write, and then re-read it to my grandchildren to give them another shot at it.
As I write, I already have an idea what ages it will appeal to. When I read to my grandchildren, I can get a confirmation by just watching which of them gets the most out of what the poem or story is about. Who laughs longest or loudest? Who is touched the most by a heartfelt story scene or poem stanza.
Trust in yourself, but if you’re still not sure, go to the source for answers. The operative word here is ‘source’ and by that I mean a child or children.
Since children know best what they think is funny, what's scary, what will make them sad, or mom and dad angry, ask the ‘source’ for answers.
Read to your children, or grandchildren; go to the children’s reading room in a library; the children’s ward in a hospital, or a group of children on a playground. Find a group of children to read to.
Talk to a teacher of the age group you think your story will appeal to. She will possibly invite you to come to her classroom and read your story manuscript, or your poems to her class.
See what ages react best to what you’ve written.
Trust in yourself and if you’re still not sure, go to the source for answers ...
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C.J. your advice is excellent. I was an elementary school teacher and Head of School, and I taught and read to children from the age of 4 in our Pre-K to the 12 year olds in the 6th grade. Your voice definitely changes with the ages of the children. Nine and ten are the turning point in terms of complexity of story and it only grows from there. I read to children at out Barnes and Noble and I love picking books that are simple enough but have them reach. One month it was a picture book about John Lewis and it was fantastic to watch kids from 6 to 10 understand what Alabama was like in 1940.
Good advice, although it's a good idea to contact the school admin for permission to read to kids on the playground. You don't want to just show up, gather children around you and have a lot of fun only to have an angry parent, teacher, or police officer show up.
That said, sharing a story or poem with different ages helps you gauge the best age group.