An eclectic list of 99 things that children enjoy 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 200+ 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?!
(And also check out the list of things kids don’t like.)
- Acrobats
- Air Hockey
- Airplanes
- Aliens
- Amusement Parks
- Aquariums
- Arts & Crafts
- Astronauts
- Autumn Leaves
- Awards
- Babies
- Backpacks
- Balloons
- Band-Aids
- Basketball
- BB Guns
- Beaches
- Being Independent
- Bicycles
- Binoculars
- Birthdays
- Blimps
- Blocks
- Board Games
- Boas
- Booby Traps
- Bubble Baths
- Bubble Gum
- Bubblers (Water Fountains)
- Bubbles
- Buddy Lists
- Bugs
- Building Things
- Butterflies
- Cabooses
- Candy
- Caps
- Capes
- Car Washes
- Caramel
- Carnivals
- Cars
- Cartoons
- Cartwheels
- Castles
- Cats
- Cell Phones
- Cheeseburgers
- Chicken Nuggets
- Chimpanzees
- Chocolate
- Christmas & Hanukkah
- The Circus
- Clay
- Coins
- Collecting Cards
- Coloring
- Comic Books
- Comic Strips
- Computers
- Contests
- Construction Toys
- Construction Trucks
- Costumes
- Cotton Candy
- Crafts
- Crayons
- Creepy Things
- Cuddly Toys
- Cymbals
- Dancing
- Dandelions
- Daydreaming
- Dessert
- Dinosaurs
- Disco Balls
- Dogs
- Dollhouses
- Dolphins
- Donkeys
- Doughnuts
- Drawing
- Dreams
- Dress Up
- Drums
- Easter Egg Hunts
- Eclipses
- Elephants
- Exploring
- Extreme Sports
- Face Painting
- Fairies
- Farm Animals
- Fast Food
- Feathers
- Fencing
- Field Trips
- Finger Paints
- Finger Puppets
- Firetrucks
- Fireworks
- Fishing Poles
- Flashlights
- Flutes
- Follow the Leader
- Forts
- French Fries
- Friends
- Frogs
- Funny Words
- Fun Houses
- The Future
- Gadgets & Gizmos
- Games
- Ghost Stories
- Giants
- Gifts
- Giggling
- Glitter
- Glow in the Dark Things
- Go-Carts
- Going to a Ballgame
- Goldfish
- Goofing Off
- Gorillas
- Grandparents
- Gross, Slimy Things
- Guinea Pigs (Cavies)
- Half Days
- Halloween
- Hamsters
- Harry Potter
- Hats
- Haunted Houses
- Hermit Crabs
- Hidden Pictures
- Hiding Places (Hide-n-Seek)
- Highlights Magazine
- Hobby Horses
- Holidays
- Hopscotch
- Horses
- Hot Air Balloons
- Hot Dogs
- Hula Hoops
- Ice Cream
- Ice Pops
- Icicles
- Igloos
- Imaginary Friends
- Instant Messaging
- The Internet
- Inventing Things
- Invisibility
- iPods
- Italian Ices
- Jack-in-the-Box
- Jack-0-Lanterns
- Jacks
- Jokes
- Jugglers
- Jumping
- Jump Ropes
- Karate
- Keychains
- Kickball
- Kids in the News
- Kids Just Like Them
- Kings and Queens
- Kites
- Knights
- Knock-Knock Jokes
- Knocking Things Down
- Knowing More than Everyone Else
- Ladybugs
- Lighthouses
- Lizards
- Log Flumes
- Lollipops
- Lightning Bugs (Fireflies)
- Macaroni
- Magic Tricks
- Magic Spells
- Magnets
- Mail Addressed to Them
- Making Noise
- Maracas
- Marbles
- Marching
- Markers
- Marshmallows
- Mascots
- Mazes
- Meatballs
- Medals
- Megaphones
- Mermaids
- Merry-Go-Rounds
- Microphones
- Milkshakes
- Mini Golf
- Miniatures
- Money
- Monsters
- The Moon
- Moon Bounces
- Movies
- Mud (and mudpies)
- Museums
- Music
- Mysteries
- Neon Lights
- Nicknames
- Ninjas
- The Ocean
- Origami
- Outer Space
- Paper Airplanes
- Parachutes
- Parrots
- Parties
- Pebbles
- Penguins
- Pennies
- Piggy Banks
- Pillow Fights
- Piñatas
- Pinecones
- Pinwheels
- Pipecleaners
- Pirates
- Pizza
- Planetariums
- Playdates
- Playgrounds
- Pogo Sticks
- Pony Rides
- Pools
- Popcorn
- Popsicles (and Popsicle Sticks)
- Pretending
- Princesses
- Prizes
- Puddles
- Pumpkin Picking
- Puppets
- Puzzles
- Rabbits
- Rainbows
- Rainforests
- Recess
- Red Light, Green Light
- Relay Races
- Repeating What You Say
- Reptiles
- Rhymes
- Ribbons
- Robots
- Rockets
- Roller Coasters
- Roller Skates
- Routines
- Rubber Bands (and Rubber Band Balls)
- Sailboats
- Sand Castles
- Sandboxes
- Seashells
- School Dances
- School Lunchtime
- Scooters
- Sea Horses
- Sea Turtles
- Secrets
- Secret Codes
- See-saws
- Series Fiction
- Sequins
- Shadow Puppets
- Sharing Music
- Sharks
- Shooting Stars
- Sibling Rivalry
- Sidewalk Chalk
- Silly Words
- Singing
- Skateboards
- Skeeball
- Skipping
- Skyscrapers
- Skywriting
- Sleeping Bags
- Sleeping Late
- Sleepovers
- Slides
- Slingshots
- Smiley Faces
- Snow Days
- Snowball Fights
- Snowmen
- Soapbox Derbys
- Soccer
- Soda (Pop)
- Somersaults
- Spaghetti
- Sparkles
- Sparklers
- Spitballs
- Sprinklers
- Sprinkles
- Staying up Late
- Stickers
- Stilts
- Stopwatches
- Straws
- Stuffed Animals
- Summer Camp
- Sundaes
- Sunshowers
- Surprises
- Swimming
- Swings
- Tae Kwon Do
- Tag
- Tall Tales
- Teasing
- Telescopes
- Television
- Temporary Tattoos
- Tents
- Texting
- Tickling
- Tie-Dyes
- Tire Swings
- Tongue Twisters
- The Tooth Fairy
- Toys
- Trains
- Trampolines
- Trapeze Artists
- Treasure Hunts
- Treehouses
- Trophies
- Twisting the Truth
- Unicycles
- Unwrapping a Gift
- Vacation
- Velcro
- Video Games
- Volcanoes
- Wagons
- Walkie-Talkies
- Water Fountains
- Water Slides
- Watermelon
- Weekends
- Whales
- Whistles
- Wind Chimes
- Winning a Game
- Wishing Wells
- Wizards
- Word Searches
- Xylophones
- Yo-Yos
- Zig-Zags
- Zoos
12 comments
Comments feed for this article
May 19, 2008 at 4:15 pm
SamreeN
I think this information was very helpful and gave me a lot of great ideas. Actually I needed some help with a poetry assignment I was given last week! It is due tomorrow! Yikes! Anyway thanks a lot! No a bunch!
April 11, 2009 at 1:05 pm
kathytemean
Again you are very creative. You really have a great blog.
Kathy
April 13, 2009 at 2:30 am
Lists to Spark Ideas « Writing and Illustrating
[...] 100 of what kids like that Tara Lazar has been compiling. Click her to read the full list. http://taralazar.wordpress.com/2007/11/04/199-things-that-kids-like/ She’s up to 79 things kids don’t like. Maybe you can think of more. Here’s [...]
September 4, 2009 at 3:25 am
Masud Rana
moms will be benefitted by this write up.
September 4, 2009 at 3:27 am
Heydon
I’m writing a book about crabs. It looks like you’ve listed every animal and object in existence except crabs. Should I give up?
September 5, 2009 at 8:44 pm
tara
Ha! Don’t give up! Go ahead and write that book about crabs. You have to write the story you want to write–that’s what makes it interesting, your passion for crustaceans!
Seriously, my daughters love crabs. This summer at the beach we had hermit crabs and sand crabs as pets. (They stayed in the bucket and were returned to the ocean at the end of the day!)
September 28, 2009 at 10:27 am
peg366
Tara,
Thanks for a great list. As soon as I started reading, ideas started popping into my head. Super post. Keep up the good work.
I have your blog marked as one of my favorites and I check it out on a regular basis.
Peg Finley/peg366.wordpress.com
September 28, 2009 at 10:40 am
tara
Thanks, Peg! I appreciate the link from your blog, which is shaping up nicely! Keep up the good work yourself!
September 29, 2009 at 1:12 am
peg366
Tara,
Coming from you that is quite a compliment. Thanks. I will strive to make it as good as I can.
Peg Finley/peg366
November 8, 2009 at 8:44 am
PiBoIdMo Day 8: Karma Wilson’s Secret (and a giveaway) « Writing for Kids (While Raising Them)
[...] but she’s become one of my biggest inspirations. More specifically, her alphabetical list of 299+ Things Kids Like has become one of my biggest inspirations. In fact, I never would have guessed that a blog entry [...]
November 16, 2009 at 11:15 am
anitanolan
What a great list, Tara, Thanks!
anita
November 18, 2009 at 2:04 am
Anusha
Im missing childhood days… Awesome stuff!
Kudos.