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CHILDREN'S WRITING BWR104

Duration (approx) 100 hours
Qualification
Statement of Attainment

Write for Children Online Course

  • Online writing course. Study at your own pace. No deadlines. Start anytime.
  • Learn to write stories, books, news, comics, short stories, books, fiction and non-fiction for children.
  • Exercises and assignments to improve your writing skills. Feedback from our expert writing tutors.
  • Write for pleasure or to improve your career prospects in children's writing.

It's easy to enrol...

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Lesson Structure

There are 10 lessons in this course:

  1. Introduction
    • Understanding Children
    • Children's thoughts
    • Children's needs
    • Child development.
  2. Overview of Children’s Writing
    • Categories (fiction & non fiction)
    • Understanding the market place
    • Analyse and understand what is needed for the different categories, etc.
  3. Conceptualisation: Conceiving a concept
    • Where & how to find inspiration/influence.
    • Developing a concept
    • How to plan.
  4. Children’s Writing for Periodicals
    • Children’s pages in magazines
    • Newspapers, etc.
  5. Short Stories
  6. Non-Fiction
    • Texts (writing to satisfy curriculum).
    • Other (eg. nature, history, biography, hobbies).
  7. Fiction
    • Settings
    • Characterisation
    • Fantasy
    • Science fiction
    • Adventure.
  8. Picture Books and Story Books
    • Differences between types of picture books
    • Age groups and picture books
  9. Editing your work
    • Grammar
    • Spelling & punctuation
    • Improving clarity
    • Cleaning out clutter
    • Expansions.
  10. Project
    • Write a short story, picture book or kids page for a (hypothetical) periodical.

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

AIMS

  • Describe children’s cognitive development and target writing so it is appropriate to various developmental stages.
  • Explain the nature and scope of writing for children.
  • Describe the process of planning a written manuscript.
  • Describe the planning and processes involved in writing articles for children’s magazines.
  • Develop a short story for children to read.
  • Discuss the specific requirements associated with writing children’s non-fiction.
  • Describe the various categories of children’s fiction and the writing processes involved.
  • Explain the scope and nature of literature aimed at young children.
  • Explain the scope and significance of editing skills and processes for children’s writing.
  • Plan, evaluate, edit and present a piece of writing for children.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What type of books do children like to read?

This course is relevant to anything that a child might read; and at any age; including:

  • Picture books
  • Story books
  • Novels
  • Short Stories 
  • Activity books
  • School/textbooks
  • Comics
  • Poetry
  • Children’s Pages in Magazines and News

Do you need to take a course to write for children?

Children’s writing is a specialised craft.  It is a rewarding, inspirational, and often demanding, branch of writing.  It requires imagination, creativity, a deep love of storytelling and excellent writing skills.  Taking a course will help to improve your existing skills in writing.

Who Is This Course Suitable For?

The course is suitable for anyone who dreams of writing for children.

What Will You Learn in This Course?

  • Learn how to write for children across a range of genres and age groups.
  • Study the basics of editing and revision, including how to tighten your pacing and keep your story interesting.
  • Free your imagination and engage a child's. 
  • Learn to inspire and fire the imagination of children with your stories.
  • Discover the ins and outs of picture books, junior fiction, and young adult novels across a range of genres.

What Are the Advantages of Studying Writing with ACS Distance Education?

  • You can start at any time to suit you.
  • The courses are self-paced.
  • You can study when and where suits you. They are flexible to fit in around you and your lifestyle.
  • Keep up to date on your learning.
  • Update your CV.
  • It is not just a course, it is a package of learning that includes – course notes, tutor feedback, self-assessment tests, research tasks and assignments.
  • Our tutors are all experts in their field, with years of experience in writing.
  • They are also keen and enthusiastic about their subject and enjoy working with students to improve their knowledge and skills.
  • Courses are also updated regularly to meet the demands of the changing needs for knowledge and to keep our courses up to date.

Comment from a Student

"I found the course to be extremely helpful. It has given me the confidence and skills to present my work to publishers."
- Dilys

As you work through this course, you will

  • Study children’s texts and explore how children think.
  • Create your own children’s work.
  • Do you remember the books you read as a child? 
  • Did they make you feel like the world held a thousand possibilities? 
  • Do you want to re-create that feeling? 

Welcome the magic of childhood back into your world! Enrol today.

What Next?

You can enrol today by clicking the “Enrol Now” button above.

Or

Click here to contact a writing tutor.

Or Request a Prospectus Here.
Courses can be started anytime from anywhere in the world!

Meet some of our academics

Jade SciasciaBiologist, Business Coordinator, Government Environmental Dept, Secondary School teacher (Biology); Recruitment Consultant, Senior Supervisor in Youth Welfare, Horse Riding Instructor (part-completed) and Boarding Kennel Manager. Jade has a B.Sc.Biol, Dip.Professional Education, Cert IV TESOL, Cert Food Hygiene.
John MasonWriter, Manager, Teacher and Businessman with over 40 years interenational experience covering Education, Publishing, Leisure Management, Education, and Horticulture. He has extensive experience both as a public servant, and as a small business owner. John is a well respected member of many professional associations, and author of over seventy books and of over two thousand magazine articles.
Tracey Jones (writing)Tracey has enjoyed creative writing since she was a child. She has had several short stories published and a novella. She is also a keen writer of children's stories and poetry. She has also written many academic and non-fiction books in the fields of psychology, sociology, child development, writing and marketing.


Check out our eBooks

Creative WritingThe Creative Writing ebook can be useful for writing students or even professional writers to help improve their writing techniques and skills. The Creative Writing ebook is a fabulous starting point for budding writers. The topics that are covered within this book are an introduction to creative writing, Methodology and technique- the building blocks of writing, Genres, Creative non-fiction, creative writing techniques, developing your skill, building your career and a Glossary.
How Children ThinkAnyone who has ever tried to make a child do anything (clean up their mess, desist from throwing mud, stop drawing on the walls) knows that children think differently to adults. This book attempts to provide the skills and knowledge to develop a greater understanding of children.
Professional WritingProfessional writing is any writing that you are being paid for. It can include fiction writing, a best-selling book, articles in a magazine, articles in a newspaper, blogs for companies, technical manuals or procedure manuals, copy for catalogues, newsletters, text books and other academic material and so on.
Writing for Childrenby John Mason and staff of ACS Distance Education