Writing for Children: How To Understand Your Reader

There are three steps to beginning your children’s book…

Step One: Identify the special message you want to share with the world. 

It’s likely the story that has been tugging at your heart for weeks—maybe even years. Identifying it will be the moment you know you’re ready to write.

Step Two: Create a vision for where you want your story to go.

It’s not just about having characters or a few scenes in mind—it’s about understanding the heart of your story. What’s the journey you want to take your reader on? What message or feeling do you want to leave them with? When you clarify your story’s purpose, everything else starts to fall into place.

Step Three: Make sure you’re truly writing for children. 

This is where many authors hit pause—because while you know what you want to say, you may suddenly realize it’s been a long time since you saw the world through a child’s eyes. 

Classrooms look different. 

Cartoons sound different. 

Bedrooms are decorated differently. 

Kids’ jokes today? Well, those may forever remain a mystery! 

It’s not that you don’t have something valuable to say—it’s just that if you’re going to write for a child, then you have to learn how they think, feel, and experience the world. 

So, how do you begin to understand your reader when writing a children’s book? I have three tips to help. 

Why You Need To Understand Your Audience

Knowing your audience means knowing who is going to read your book. Do you imagine your book in the hands of toddlers or fifth graders? Determining this will help you decide what the story should be about, what kind of words to use, and how long or short it should be. Children love to read books that feel like they were made just for them. 

Researching Your Audience

If you want to create a story children will remember forever, you have to learn to write from their point of view. 

• What catches their attention? 

• What worries them? 

• How do they process big ideas and feelings?

For your message to stick, you have to shift your narrative lens so they can see themselves in the story. To get yourself into their mindset, here are three ways to start understanding your audience through research: 

1. Read Children’s Books 

Grab a cup of coffee, head to your local library or bookstore, and start reading! This is one of the most insightful ways to research your audience. See what books naturally stick out to you and make notes as to why: 

• Was it the cover or title that drew you in first?

• Do you notice a trend in illustration styles or formats?

• Do you find that there are more animal or human characters? 

By taking the time to read children’s books, you’re learning what’s already on the shelves for each age and what level to write at so your book better connects. 

2. Spend Time With Them 

If you have children, grandchildren, or students, spend time with them in their environment. When my children were in school, I used to hang out with them at the playground. I would sit and listen to their interactions with each other, watch the games they played, and see what made them laugh. Doing this gave me a window into their authentic experiences and what brings them joy. When you spend time with them in their world, it can help you tailor your writing to their true experiences. 

3. Read to Them 

Whether it’s volunteering to read at your church, your local library, or in classrooms, find ways to step into their world. When you read picture books to children (and it doesn’t have to be your own!), you get to see firsthand how they process their emotions and find meaning in the stories they hear. 

Applying Your Research

Once you’ve researched your audience, it’s time to put it all into writing. By applying your research, you can start creating a story with a relatable theme. Your writing will be enhanced by your understanding of your target audience’s perspective of life. 

• Shape your theme to match their world. Use what you’ve learned to choose a theme that resonates with your audience’s real life—like friendship troubles, big emotions, or feeling left out at school. The more your story reflects their world, the more it will connect.

• Create relatable characters and settings. After spending time in their environment, you can use your research to create characters that visually appeal to children and settings that feel familiar to them. 

• Get feedback from real kids. Read your story aloud to children in your target age group and watch how they respond. What made them laugh? What did they remember? Ask for their feedback (trust me, they’ll be honest!). You can ask them what they liked or what they would change. 

Examples of Books That Understand Their Audience 

Getting started on your research? These two books are a great place to start:  

• Scaredy Squirrel by Mélanie Watt: This book captures the anxiety children can often feel when trying something new. While children relate to the main character, they are also empowered to push through the challenge. Children easily recognize that growth can be both scary and worth it because the story communicates that message in a way that feels safe, simple, and true to their experience.

• Franklin the Turtle Series by Paulette Bourgeois: Franklin is a turtle who can do many things—“He can count by twos and tie his shoes”—but he also deals with very relatable challenges. Each story in the Franklin series introduces a real-life circumstance (a bully, a messy room, the consequences of fibbing) and also includes Franklin’s diverse group of friends—just like many children have! 

Don’t Just Know Your Reader—Understand Them

It’s not enough to know you want to write a book for a certain age. You have to really get to know your audience. Think about any brand that has ever caught your attention—it’s not by accident. It’s because they took the time to get to know you as their target audience, and then they used that insight to connect with you. 

That’s exactly what you need to do as an author. 

Because connecting with your audience is going to be what gets your book from the shelf, into the cart, and home into a child’s hands. 

If you are ready to create a story that children will beg to read again (and again and again), Children’s Book Masterclass is your step-by-step guide.

Writing a children's book can feel overwhelming. First, there’s the writing, then the illustrations, and not to mention the looming publishing process. But what if the only thing standing between your idea and a finished book is not knowing how? 

That’s why Children’s Book Masterclass exists.

This 10-week course will give you lifetime access to the exact roadmap I use to write, design, publish, and launch children’s books into the world. 

If you’ve been wondering, Can I really do this?

Ask yourself this instead:

What if your book is the one that changes a child’s life forever?

FAQs

Why Do I Need To Know My Audience? 

When you truly know your audience—aka, understand them—you can better choose your words, overall message, and even the length of your story. This will ensure your book speaks their language, making it something they want to read. 

How Can I Research My Reader? 

By stepping into their world! Start by reading books to get a feel for what’s already out there. Spend time with the children in your life to see things through their eyes. Better yet, read to them. You’ll get to see how they respond to books in real time (the best form of research!). 

How Do I Apply This Research to My Book?

Use it to build your story. Let it shape your theme, your characters—everything. Afterwards, get honest feedback from children on what they thought of your book.