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An eclectic list of 99 things that children like was given to me by a writing friend last year after she attended a conference. The list was courtesy of children’s sports author Andy Gutelle…and here I’ve added 400+ more (and more)! I hope this list gives a spark to your writing for children, but I wonder what it will do to my search engine hits?!
If you like this page, follow its visual companion on Pinterest:
http://pinterest.com/taralazar/things-kids-like/
Note: this list is more targeted toward picture-book-age children (8 and under) than tweens (9-12) or teens.
(And also check out the list of things kids don’t like.)
- 3D Movies
- Acrobats
- Air Hockey
- Airplanes
- Aliens (See I THOUGHT THIS WAS A BEAR BOOK)
- Allowance
- Amusement Parks
- Aquariums
- Arts & Crafts
- Astronauts
- Autumn Leaves
- Awards
- Babies
- Backpacks
- Bacon
- Badminton
- Baggy Clothes
- Balloon Animals
- Balloons
- Band-Aids
- Basketball
- Bathroom Humor
- BB Guns
- Beaches
- Beanbag Chairs
- Bears (See I THOUGHT THIS WAS A BEAR BOOK)
- Being Independent
- Being Older Than Another Kid
- Being Loved
- Being Right
- Bicycles
- Binoculars
- Birthdays
- Blanket Forts
- Blimps
- Bling
- Blocks
- BMX Bikes
- Board Books
- Board Games
- Boas
- Bobble-heads
- Booby Traps
- Boogie Boards
- Books! (of course)
- Bubble Baths
- Bubble Gum
- Bubblers (Water Fountains)
- Bubbles
- Bubble Wrap
- Bugs
- Building Things
- Buried Treasure
- Burping
- Butter
- Butterflies
- Buttons
- Cabooses
- Cake
- Campfires
- Candy
- Caps
- Capes and Cloaks
- Car Washes
- Caramel
- Carnivals
- Carousels
- Cars
- Cartoons
- Cartwheels
- Car Washes
- Castanets
- Castles
- Cats
- Cell Phones
- Cheeseburgers
- Chicken Nuggets
- Chimpanzees
- Chinchillas
- Chocolate
- Christmas & Hanukkah
- Churros
- The Circus
- Clay
- Coins
- Collecting Cards
- Collections
- Coloring
- Comets
- Comic Books
- Comic Strips
- Compasses
- Computers
- Contests
- Constellations
- Construction Toys
- Construction Trucks
- Convertibles
- Cookies
- Corn Mazes
- Costumes
- Cotton Candy
- Crafts
- Crayons
- Creepy Things
- Cuddly Toys
- Cupcakes
- Cymbals
- Dancing
- Dandelions
- Dares
- Daydreaming
- Dessert (see WAY PAST BEDTIME)
- Dinosaurs
- Disco Balls
- Disney
- Dogs
- Dollhouses
- Dolphins
- Donkeys
- Doughnuts
- Doughnut Holes
- Dragons
- Drawing
- Dreams
- Dress Up
- Drums
- Easter Egg Hunts
- Eclipses
- Egg Creams
- Elephants
- Endangered Species
- Engines
- Exploring
- Extreme Sports
- Face Painting
- Fairies
- Fairy Tales
- Farm Animals
- Fast Food
- Feathers
- Fencing
- Field Trips
- Figure Skating (See LITTLE RED GLIDING HOOD)
- Finger Paints
- Finger Puppets
- Firetrucks
- Fireworks
- Fishing Poles
- Fitting In
- Flannel Pajamas
- Flashlights
- Flutes
- Flying
- Follow the Leader
- Football
- Forts
- Fortune Cookies
- Fractured Fairy Tales (see I THOUGHT THIS WAS A BEAR BOOK and LITTLE RED GLIDING HOOD)
- French Fries
- French Toast
- Fried Food
- Friends
- Frogs
- Fun Houses
- Funnel Cakes
- Funny Words
- The Future
- Gadgets & Gizmos
- Games
- Geocaching
- Ghost Stories
- Giants
- Gifts
- Giggling
- Gingerbread Houses (and Men)
- Glitter
- Glow in the Dark Things
- Go-Carts
- Going Somewhere Without Parents
- Going to a Ballgame
- Goldfish
- Goofing Off
- Gorillas
- Graham Crackers
- Grandparents
- Graphic Novels
- Gross, Slimy Things
- Guinea Pigs (Cavies)
- Guitars
- Gummi Bears, Worms, etc.
- Gymnastics
- Gyroscopes
- Half Days
- Halloween
- Hammerhead Sharks
- Hamsters
- Hand Buzzers
- Harmonicas
- Harps
- Harry Potter
- Hats
- Haunted Houses
- Having Their Voice Heard
- Headbands (Hairbands)
- Hedgehogs
- Hermit Crabs
- Hidden Pictures
- Hiding Places (Hide-n-Seek)
- Highlights Magazine
- Hobby Horses
- Holidays
- Honey
- Hopscotch
- Horses
- Hot Air Balloons
- Hot Cocoa (Chocolate)
- Hot Dogs
- Hula Hoops
- Humming
- Hummingbirds
- Ice Cream
- Ice Pops
- Ice Skating (See LITTLE RED GLIDING HOOD)
- Icicles
- Icing
- Igloos
- Ignoring Adults
- Imaginary Friends
- Independence
- Insects
- Instant Messaging
- The Internet
- Inventing Things
- Invisibility
- iPods, iPhones, iPads
- Italian Ices
- Jack-in-the-Box
- Jack-0-Lanterns
- Jacks
- Japanese Erasers
- Jawbreakers
- Jelly Beans
- Jelly Donuts
- Jokes
- Jugglers
- Jumping
- Jump Ropes
- Kaleidoscopes
- Karate
- Keychains
- Kickball
- Kid Celebrities
- Kids Just Like Them
- Kings and Queens
- Kites
- Knights
- Knock-Knock Jokes
- Knocking Things Down
- Knowing More than Everyone Else
- Ladybugs
- Legos
- Licorice
- Lighthouses
- Lizards
- Locked Boxes
- Lockets
- Log Flumes
- Lollipops
- Lightning Bugs (Fireflies)
- Macaroni
- Magic Tricks
- Magic Spells
- Magnets
- Mail Addressed to Them
- Making Fun of Others
- Making Noise
- Malteds/Malted Milk Balls
- Manga
- Maracas
- Marbles
- Marching
- Markers
- Marshmallows
- Martial Arts
- Marzipan
- Mascots
- Mazes
- Meatballs
- Medals
- Megaphones
- Mermaids
- Merry-Go-Rounds
- Meteor Showers
- Mice
- Microphones
- Milkshakes
- Minecraft
- Mini Golf
- Miniatures
- Money
- Monsters (and THE MONSTORE!)
- The Moon
- Moon Boots
- Moon Bounces
- Morphing Objects
- Movies
- Mud (and mudpies)
- Mummies
- Museums
- Music
- Mysteries
- Nachos
- Nannies (sometimes)
- Naps (sometimes)
- Narwhals
- Nature
- Necklaces
- Neon Lights
- Nicknames
- Ninjas
- Novelty Books
- Nutella
- The Ocean
- Ogres
- Orangutans (see NORMAL NORMAN)
- Origami
- Outer Space
- Packing Peanuts
- Pancakes (Flapjacks)
- Paper Airplanes
- Paper Football
- Parachutes
- Parrots
- Parties (see WAY PAST BEDTIME)
- Peace Signs
- Pebbles
- Penguins
- Pennies
- Peppermint
- Petit Fours
- Picture Books
- Pie Eating Contests
- Pies in the Face (not theirs!)
- Piggy Banks
- Pillow Fights
- Piñatas
- Pinecones
- Pinwheels
- Pipecleaners
- Pirates
- Pixar Movies
- Pizza
- Planetariums
- Playdates
- Playgrounds
- Pogo Sticks
- Pony Rides
- Pools
- Pop-up Books
- Popcorn
- Popsicles (and Popsicle Sticks)
- Poptropica
- Pop Stars
- Porch Swings
- Posters
- Pretending
- Princesses
- Prizes
- Puddles
- Pumpkin Picking
- Puns (see 7 ATE 9: THE UNTOLD STORY)
- Puppets
- Puzzles
- Rabbits
- Race Cars
- Rainbows
- Rainforests
- Recess
- Red Light, Green Light
- Relay Races
- Repeating What You Say
- Reptiles
- Rhymes
- Ribbons
- Robots
- Rock Stars
- Rockets
- Roller Coasters
- Roller Skates
- Routines
- Rubber Bands (and Rubber Band Balls)
- Sailboats
- Sand Castles
- Sandboxes
- Seashells
- Scary Stories
- School Dances
- School Lunchtime
- Science Experiments (see NORMAL NORMAN)
- Scooters
- Sea Horses
- Sea Turtles
- Secrets
- Secret Codes
- Secret Passageways
- See-saws
- Series Fiction
- Sequins
- Shadow Puppets
- Sharing Music
- Sharks
- Shiny Things
- Shoe Boxes
- Shooting Stars
- Sibling Rivalry
- Sidewalk Chalk
- Silly Bandz
- Silly Words
- Singing
- Skateboards
- Skeeball
- Skeletons
- Skim Boards
- Skipping
- Skyscrapers
- Skywriting
- Sleeping Bags
- Sleeping Late
- Sleepovers
- Slides
- Slingshots
- Slime
- Slugs
- Slurpees
- Slush
- Smiley Faces
- S’mores
- Snow Days
- Snowball Fights
- Snowboards
- Snowmen
- Soapbox Derbys
- Soccer
- Sock Monkeys
- Soda (Pop)
- Somersaults
- Spaghetti
- Sparkles
- Sparklers
- Spider Webs
- Spitballs
- Sprinklers
- Sprinkles
- Squirt Guns
- Squirting Flowers
- Squishies
- Staying Up Late (see WAY PAST BEDTIME)
- Stickers
- Stilts
- Stopwatches
- Straws
- Stuffed Animals
- Summer Camp
- Sundaes
- Sunshowers
- Super Heroes
- Super Powers
- Superstitions
- Surfing
- Surprises
- Swimming
- Swings
- Swords
- Syrup
- Tae Kwon Do
- Tadpoles
- Tag
- Tall Tales
- Teasing
- Telescopes
- Television
- Telling Lies
- Temporary Tattoos
- Tents
- Texting
- Tickling
- Tide Pools
- Tie-Dyes
- Time Capsules
- Time Travel
- Tire Swings
- Tongue Twisters
- The Tooth Fairy
- Their Own Space
- Toys
- Toy Guns
- Trains
- Trampolines
- Trap Doors
- Trapeze Artists
- Treasure Hunts
- Treehouses
- Trophies
- Turtles
- Twisting the Truth
- Unicorns
- Unicycles
- Unwrapping a Gift
- Vacation
- Vampires
- Velcro
- Video Games
- Villains
- Volcanoes
- Waffles
- Wagons
- Walkie-Talkies
- Water Fountains
- Water Slides (and Water Parks)
- Watermelon
- Waves
- Weekends
- Weird Stuff
- Wellies (Rainboots)
- Whales
- Whirlygigs
- Whistles
- Wind Chimes
- Winning Contests
- Winning Games
- Wishing Wells
- Wizards
- Word Searches
- X-ray Vision
- Xylophones
- YouTube
- Yo-Yos
- Zebras
- Zig-Zags
- Zombies
- Zoos
Writing for Kids (While Raising Them) 