Roleplaying a Child Character

Right, this is a guide that badly needs addressed, considering the sheer number of roleplays I've seen lately centered around small children lately. Plus, as a person who has regularly worked with children from ages 2-13, I can tell you now that those little buggers are just as complicated as an adult or teenager.

I'm going to have to break this down by age range in order to cover this adequately, but I'll try and do my best to put up I'll cover some general information in this first post.

Abilities
Why A Child is Not An Adult

Child are not little adults, and I feel as if I need to address this. Depending on the edge, your character may or may not be able to to certain things. They will act certain ways and have certain abilities.

Despite the very RARE exception of a child prodigy, your child character is not likely to be able to take down anyone twice their size and weight, or be able to program a super computer. Most children are not expert cooks, or experts at anything but having fun.

Now a child can be good at something. But to be an expert takes a lot of experience. Keep this in mind.

I'm not going to go in-depth on this particular issue, but I will say a few more points.

Watch the vocabulary of your post. When you were seven, did you know what words like 'precocious' or 'doddering' meant? Of course not. So your child should probably keep to a simpler vocabulary, depending on age and intelligence. More on this later.


Depth of Character
Hey! I'm a Person Too!

Don't overplay that childishness! As tempting as it can be, to make you child cute and adorable seeming through sheer childishness, this doesn't work out well. If anything, it backfires. A common problem I've seen here is what I call the Speech Impediment Sue. SIS gets discuss soon enough though.

Keep in mind your child's age, alright? A six year old will not act like she is three. Nor will a twelve year old act like she is 5. That would have been mocked out of them quickly. Keep in mind the differences. A twelve year old is going to have a very different range of likes than a five year old. (The Power Rangers vs Spy Kids, for example.)



Common Complaints
Speech Impediments and Your Character

Hello Speech Impediment Sue. Let's talk shall we?

SIS: Okay, lady!

So, how old are you Sue?

SIS: I'm six an a half! (Small children often love adding fractions to their age.)

Really? Sounds exciting!

SIS: Wewwy! Hey do you wike puppies an kitties!

Sure, Sue. Hey, can you say 'Be very, very quiet, I'm hunting rabbits?'

SIS: Be vewy vewy quiet, I'm hunting wabbits

I think that about proves my point on Speech Impediment Sue, don't you? To demonstrate exactly who you don't want your poor hapless child characters to be, let me show you two lovely pictures.

Note: This guide only applies to humans. Other species I cannot say.
Ages Zero to Three

Okay, I admit that I have little experience with this particular age range. That is to say, babies terrify me and toddlers only slightly less so. For this I went to more knowledgeable people than I.

I will say that until a child is mobile, then they are considered a babe in arms. Afterward, they're in their terrible somethings until they are preschool age. This is normally at three.

These are benchmarks of house a child at certain ages behaves. To really get age three and under, I would suggest firmly interacting with children this young, or watching 'candid camera' videos on them.

Keep in mind these are merely averages. Normal is a big range for a small child.

1 Month most children...
* Lift head a little when lying on stomach
* Watch objects for a short time
* Make "noise in throat" sounds
* Stay away from annoying sensations such as cloth or blanket on the face

2 Months most children...
* Hold their head up (bobbing when supported in sitting position)
* Closure of soft spot at the back of the head
* Sometimes copy or respond to a smiling person
* Roll part way to side
* Stepping reflex (baby appears to dance or step when placed upright on solid surface) and grasp reflex (grasping a finger), disappear
* Beginning to look at close objects
* When on stomach, able to lift head almost 45 degrees
* Coos
* Crying becomes differentiated (different cries means different things)
* Head turns from side to side with sound at the level of the ear
* Make sounds of discomfort
* Smiles
* Vocal response to familiar voices

3 Months most children...
* Lift head and chest when lying on stomach
* Recognize bottle or breast
* Smile when talked to
* Show active body movement
* Follow moving things with their eyes

4 Months most children...
* Hold head up for a long time without bobbing
* Laugh out loud
* Roll from front to back
* Like to play
* Grab an object held near their hand
* Make sounds when talked to

Teething can begin as early as 3 months and continue until a child's third birthday. Between the ages of 4 and 7 months, you'll notice your baby's first tooth pushing through the gum line. The first teeth to appear usually are the two bottom front teeth, also known as the central incisors. These are usually followed 4 to 8 weeks later by the four front upper teeth (central and lateral incisors). About a month later, the lower lateral incisors (the two teeth flanking the bottom front teeth) will appear.

6 Months most children...
* Sit with little support
*Respond to a friendly voice with a smile or coo
* Roll from back to stomach
*Turn and look at sounds
* Change object from hand to hand and from hand to mouth

9 Months most children...
* Sit alone and change position
* Say "mama" and "dada"
* Crawl
* Respond to people they know
* Respond to their name
*By 10 months old babies have learned words.

12 Months (One Year) most children...
* Pull themselves to stand and may step with support
* Can nod their head to signal "yes"
* Give love
* Pick things up with thumb and one finger
* Say two or three words

15 Months most children...
* Walk without support
* Do some self-feeding
* Speak and make their voice go up and down
*Drink from a cup held by someone
* Use four or five words

18 Months most children...
* Walk (may run a bit)
* Use five to ten words
* Climb up or down one stair
* Pull toys that have wheels
* Mark on paper with crayons
* Understand easy directions

2 Years most children...
* Give toys when asked
* Recognize a familiar picture and know if it is upside down
* Kick large ball
* Turn pages in a book (two or three at a time)
* Use two or three words together, such as "more juice"

3 Years most children...
* Walk up stairs holding railing
* Unbutton large buttons
* Stand for a moment on one foot
* Talk of toilet needs
* Open doors
* Stack objects by size
* Ask and answer simple questions
* Speak clearly and are understood by family members

I boldfaced that last portion for a good reason. I know a three year old. What he says half the time, I do not understand. I would not recommend playing a three year old for this reason. We'll call the one I know Luke.

He is ready and rearing to go, has tons of personality and is a character for sure. He loves Thomas the Train Engine, and Dora and Diego both. But mostly Thomas. Most of our conversations consist of me going uh huh and sounds fun and him rambling on.

He's a talker.

But he's not Elmer Fudd! He pronounces r's well enough to hear them, if not with enough emphasis.

Babies show a lot of personality, as do toddlers. And the minute they can move about they make certain you know it. Oh do they ever make certain you know it. However unless this is a baby that somehow has the mind of an adult (and you better explain that in your profile) then they're not going to be using words like prognosis.

One or two syllable words is best.

Source: Educational Cyber Playground

Roleplaying as a Four or Five Year Old

Four and Five year olds can be fun and cute to play. They're normally out of the shy outside of the family stage, that many toddlers go through, and are learning in pre-k and kindergarten. This means they you've got a child character who knows what feels like significantly more.


Knowledge

Those children who weren't in pre-school are now socializing with a larger group of kids, and all of them are learning to settle down for short lessons, about fifteen minutes long for kindergarten and about ten minutes long of pre-school.

It's at this age that children begin to sit down and learn to write. Because of cognitive development, they may end up writing their name like so: gABBy, and the 'y' or a 'b' may be backwards. Letters and numbers are often backwards at this stage, and until late in the kindergarten career probably will be a significantly, if constantly dwindling period of time.

This page tells of the developmental skill for a four year old, while this page tells of the skills of a five year old.

Vocabularly

By this age, children speak in compound sentences, should be clearly understandable, and speak in small one and two syllable words. 'Easy' words are common. To get an idea, read a child's book level one. Most children speak smoother than that and some may use transitional word or phrases on occasaion


Taste

The biggest thing about this age group is the sheer energy. They have a short attention span, and are constantly moving and turning, twisting and looking everywhere. Their taste palate will lend itself to bland unsalted food at this point. Chicken anything it grand, and mac and cheese is a seemingly universal favorite. PB and J sandwiched tend to be well loved at this point, especially without the crust. When it comes to pizza, a cheese pizza tends to be preferred, but some adventurous kids may go for pepperoni.


Places to Go

The challenge many people find while playing this age range is where's a good place to role play as a child. Keep in mind that for this age adult supervision from a parent of trusted guardian is key. However, most parents won't take their child to a place they feel is inappropriate, and any child found wandering about without their parent is likely to be gently taken by the police the child services.

In other words, playing a kid this young means you have to play their parent/guardian/babysitter as well. Otherwise the child will end up in the foster care system.

Here's a list of some easy places to roleplay the little bugger you've chosen to play as:

Daycare
The Park
A Kid's Museum
The Beach
The Forest (a hiking trip)
At Home
The Hospital (Kids Eat Weird Things)
A School
A Friend's House
The Library

There are many other places also, but keep in mind the places you are most likely not going to find a child so young.

A Bar (Most parents would never take a child to a bar, especially after the lunch hour.)
A Strip Club
Any Alley
On Their Own
A Bar
The Office
Most Workplaces
A Bar

You'll notice I put A Bar three times. This is because many bars, once five o'clock passes, Will Deny Entrance To Minors. And let's face it. A fake ID isn't likely to work for a four or five year old. Even with the Parent that I just know you've got with their child, they likely won't be allowed in during dinner hours and later.


Personality

At this age, a child's personality is more than obvious, and they tend to have a lot of it. By now, you can tell if a child is shy or outgoing. They have favorites shows, games, and the whole she-bang. Children have just as much depth of character as an adult. They also have a history. It may be short, but it will be there, and consist of things such as learning to ride a trike/bike and an accidents they may have.

Misc.

Keep in mind the boundless energy of these child. They tend to make friends easily, even the shy ones, and tend not to be able to sit still. They probably aren't allowed caffeinated beverages, so drink Sprite for their soda, and by now enjoy sweet things.

Girls and boys will start pulling away from each other as playmates around age five. Girls are more likely to only play with girls by the end of kindergarten, and boy are likely to start making 'No Girls Allowed' signs.


I hope this has helped some with this age group. They can be fun to play, I admit. I'm going to include a link to a video clip of each age speaking, so you can understand further how your character probably speaks.

Four Year Old Girl
Four Year Old Boy
Five Year Old Girl
Five Year Old Boy

Roleplaying as a Six or Seven Year Old

Six and Seven year olds are cute like five year olds, if taller, and bolder. By this point, they aren't quite as shy around strangers, and are most likely to reveal something terribly embarrassing their parents or siblings don't want others to find out. Many have enough curiosity and boldness to get them in significantly more trouble. On average, a six year old is likely in first grade, and a seven year old is likely in second.

Knowledge

By the end of first grade, your six-seven year old is able to write, albeit messily, add and subtract two digit numbers and higher, and is probably beginning to learn the multiplication tables ups to ten and basic division. For further math standards, here is an excellent site for you to use. Doctor Suess is likely their favorite type of books, along with other similar books. If they are a particularly talented reader, they may be reading Junie B. Jones length books, and probably enjoy that style and length read to them as well. They know basic facts about the government, where they life, and can find the state/province/region they live in on a map, along with their country on a globe.

They understand stop, drop, and roll and know who to call in an emergency and their parents number.

By the end of second grade, you seven year old is able to write clearer, and is probably learning the basic of cursive. They can multiply and divide two digit numbers and higher, and are learning about fractions and words problems. They recognize patterns, and can fill in a number missing in a basic addition or subtraction sentence. They read on a Junie B Jones level now for sure, and enjoy Amelia Bedelia as well. They know where they live, and who the leader of their country is, along with some basic history of their country. They know about bugs, how a plant grows, and the different stages of life. They've probably lightly covered consumer and producers and other simple science. They can spell two syllable words such as Easter and basket. They can spell all the holiday's and many words like them. They may still get letters backwards.

Vocabulary

Your character can now speak clearly, with a decent vocabulary and plenty of two syllable words that aren't too big. Compound sentences, and complex thoughts are readily available, though in fairly simple terms. Children at this age know how to say what they want to say and are great communicators. In fact, many don't know how to stop communicating.

Taste

Their taste hasn't changed too much from four and five, though they may choose to add a little salt, or pepperoni pizza instead of just cheese. Hot dogs are common favorites, along with cheese sandwiches. Ketchup goes on everything, and is the cure all for food that tastes bad like peas.

Places to go

Again, the challenge people face playing this age range is a good setting. No sane parent will leave their child unattended, and babysitters and teachers keep a close eye as well. Siblings may look away, but will be aware on the general whereabouts at all times as well. Keep in mind that at this age any child found wandering around without an adult is going to be gently taken by the police until the parents are located. The child will be assumed lost, especially if they appear frightened. A lost child will probably trust someone in a uniform, whether they be a policeman, a soldier, or a store employee. Other adults fall under the 'stranger' category for some children, while others trust any adult. That depends on their upbringing, and the type of neighborhood and environment they grew up in.

In other words, playing such a young child means you need to have a parent/guardian nearby as well, even if they don't say anything.

Here's a list of possible settings for the runt to be in:
Daycare
The Park
A Kid's Museum
The Beach
The Forest (a hiking/camping trip)
At Home
The Hospital (Kids Eat Weird Things)
A School
A Friend's House
The Library
A Store

There are many other places that no child that young will be at:

A Bar(Most parents would never take a child to a bar, especially after the lunch hour.)
A Strip Club
Any Alley
On Their Own
A Bar
The Office
Most Workplaces (except for Bring You Child to Work day)
A Bar
Around guns
At a concert (exception: The wiggles or children's bands)
A casino


Please note that once again, I said bar three times. That is because there is a preponderance of six and seven year olds in Gambit's Bar who act like they are, I don't know, two. They are not. Nor should they be there. And no, a fake ID will not help. If bar security of employees notice, they should be pulling the child to the counter and calling the parents. After six pm a small child is likely not to be allowed at all.

I also tagged around guns. Most sane parents do not allow their children around guns. Period. Thirty-two children died playing with guns in the year 2007, by accident. By. Accident. Parents work hard to minimize possible injuries to their children, and likely keep their gun locked up separately from the bullets, probably on two different floors.

Personality

At this age, they have a lot of personality and a whole range. They have favorite shows, and these are a mix of toddler cartoons, which they are likely being gently pulled away from, and shows like iCarly and Hannah Montana. Pop music is becoming popular among this age group. The character should have a basic history, and will have favorites and things they don't like. Girls and boys no longer want to play with each other, and blame it all on cooties.

Misc.

Full of energy, these children want to play and have fun. Lessons are about thirty minutes now, and they still tend to not be aloud any soda by Sprite of Fanta. What the child wants to be when they grow up changes constantly. Girls go for ballerinas, and princesses, and mothers or teachers. Boys often choose policemen, or firemen, or 'army men.' The games the two genders play also change.


Hopefully, this has helped out some with this age group. It's a lot to fun to play them. I've included a video clip of each age, so you can get a feel for them

Six Year Old Girl Also Here around 2.17 for behavior.
Six Year Old Boy
Seven Year Old Girl
Seven Year Old Boy

Roleplaying as a Eight, Nine or Ten Year Old

This is a period of Great Change. It's harder to pin point anything in this age group personality wise, vocabulary wise, or anything I've really covered in the last groups. Some children here will have started puberty. Some will not start puberty in this group at all. Some are more immature than others, and some might as well be teenagers already.

It's not unusual for there to be playground dating here. You sat next to a person of the opposite gender? You must be dating! Kissing doesn't come into play normally. By age eight, they knew vaguely about the others body parts, and by ten, will have an idea of how it looks in a text book, and knew how babies are made. Some girls will have begun their menstrual cycles, some won't have.

It's difficult to say really, as that depends heavily upon family history. Sometimes puberty does not start until as late as 17, if not later. However, on to the age group we're talking of.

Knowledge

Because we are covering three years here the knowledge is highly diversified. This children are doing basic geometry, can multiply and divide well, and do basic equations, such as for circumference and the like. Science wise, they have learned photosynthesis, and a great deal else, from types of leaves to basic astronomy. They know about stars and what they are made of know a lot of history and half literature books now. After age ten, they likely won't have another spelling lesson, but they understand phonetics now, and can spell fairly well, except for tricky words. They've had grammar lessons, and history of their world, region, state along with civics lessons and social studies.

This is a time of transition. They are either preparing for middle school, or about to enter it. They know about sex, and have a sex ed course yearly, on parts of the bodies and how children are conceived. They are curious, but their curiosity has mostly waned. They are beginning to discover electronics in detail now, other than playing games on the computer.

Vocabulary

It varies. This is a fairly large age group though. They should be reading chapter books. Voracious readers will read books as big as the final Harry Potter book, but many only read because of school. Because of this, their vocabulary is still growing, but some will far outstrip others. 'Big' words are likely only used by nerds.

There should be no speech impediments here. This children are very clear, and extremely prone to using slang.

Taste

Taste buds are beginning to blossom. Spices and the like are okay now, and spicier food is becoming tastier. They may still not like sour food too much, but they may go with it. Children in this age range are beginning to eat new foods they haven't before, but will still be cautious with food they've never seen before. They still eat off the kids menu when going out, except for the few who believe that 'that's for babies.'

Places to go


There should be less of a challenge with this age range. Parents should still be nearby, but less watchful. Police are less likely to be immediately called, though store staff may see that smaller eight and nine year olds have a parent with them. In stores, nine and ten year olds may wander off, if their parent know where they are.

They are more likely to talk to an adult, though some will be wary of adults that appear 'rougher' than what they are used to or too 'different.'

While you do need a parent/guardian near, right by their side may not necessarily be required. Parents are likely to be within 25 feet of their child, but there is relative privacy, so long as the child is within eye sight.

Here's a list of possible settings for the eight/nine/ten year old:
The Park
A Kid's Museum
The Beach
A Hiking Trail
Camp grounds
At Home
The Hospital/Doctors/Dentists
School
Playground
A Friend's House
The Library
A Store

There are many other places that no child will be at:

A Bar(Most parents would never take a child to a bar, especially after the lunch hour.)
A Strip Club
Any Alley
On Their Own
A Bar
The Office
Most Workplaces (except for Bring You Child to Work day)
A Bar
Around guns
At a concert (exception: A family friendly concert, away from the stage. Jonas Brothers or Miley Cyrus)
A casino


Please note that once again, I said bar three times. Children never go into any eatery that is not Fast Food unaccompanied. At this age, they might be trusted to find the bathroom and return on their own. They might still get an escort. It depends on the child and the parents.

Personality

This age group has personalities as diverse and exciting as possible. Cliques begin appearing around this time.


Misc.

Sports is very important, and many children play games like touch football or kickball at recess. Many are on sports teams outside of school.

The biggest transition ages here is nine. Nine year olds are leaving fourth, entering fifth, or leaving third, entering fourth. Fourth grade is a big transition year, and the beginning of middle school/end of elementary. That's a fairly big transition. They're officially big kids, and almost teenagers. They will likely remind whoever is asking of that.

No videos from now on. They sound like people, nothing particularly weird about their voices. Around ten, a boy's voice may begins to break, if he is a very early bloomer.

Roleplaying as a Eleven or Twelve Year Old

Oh god, these are barely not terrifying. By now, they know about sex, and probably giggle about it. This age is the double digits and proud of it. They are pre-teens, and are starting to have teenage problems.

While some may still want to just play games, most have decided 'pretend' is childish, and that tag and a whole host of other games are as well. Four square is totally in, and kickball, softball, and other pick up sports are the preferred thing, if recess still exists. So is standing around and talking.

Knowledge and Vocabulary

These kids are delving into pre-algebra, reading Where the Red Fern Grows, and know a lot about basic history around them, though they may be shaky on details or dates. They know all about the latest actors and singers though, along with the latest TV shows and the latest fads. What people think matters now more than ever for most.

They're already looking forward to driving, and the opposite gender is very date-worthy at this point and all the rage. Easily understood, they have a decent grasp of all common words, and rarely have to look words up anymore.

Taste

As many and varied as an adults. They're probably downing soda and chips and tons of junk food, if they aren't already panicking over watching their figure, or pumping up for sports.

Places to go

No challenge with this age range, though it still depends on the parents and location. I've seen hordes of pre-teens wandering unsupervised, so it's not hard. They aren't able to go far from their initial starting point, except by foot, and they aren't likely to want to travel to far. The bus is an option, but they probably don't have pocket change for the fair.

List of possible settings for the eleven/twelve year old.
The Mall
The Park
A Sports game
The Beach
The Forest
A hiking Trail
At Home
The Hospital/Doctor's/Dentist's
School
A Friend's House
The Library
A Random Store
A pop concert
McDonald’s

Place they likely aren't on their own at:
A Bar
Any Adult venue
An Alley
An Office
Work
Near guns

Bar is there again. Well, duh. A Bar is considered an adult venue nowadays. They may go to fast food, but a bar is pushing it for anyone under the age of eighteen.

Personality

Only months away from becoming the bane of everyone's existence. It's like high school, before high school even began. Like the preschool version of high school, and we all know high school is pretty much the kindergarten of life. The personalities here are diverse, somewhat frightening, and all struggling with hormonal changes.

Misc

These kids are entering puberty or have entered it already for the most part. The opposite gender is grand...just usually not their own age. They tend to have crushes on older teenagers, adults, and celebrities, all of whom have gone through puberty already so have a fully formed body.

For get big kids. They're practically teens, and won't hesitate to claim they are teenagers. What trouble there is to find, they will now find it.

For the final part of my guide, I am including a list of things you should have some idea of. You don't have to fill it out, or anything similar, but it's good to know the answers. They help define the character. I took much of the list from this rather clever website. It may be able to help with other aspects of your writing as well.

This is a pretty big list. A really pretty big list. I shall attempt to break it up some.

The Basics

Name
Age
Birthday
Physical Description
Height
Weight

A bit of background

Hometown
Type of home/neighborhood
Father's name, background, and occupation
Mother's name, back ground, and occupation
Siblings
Position in family (first, middle, last?)
Other close relatives
Relationship with family:

Other people

Best friends
Special friends
Enemies
Bullies
Influential person
Relationship with boys
Relationship with girls

Academics

Grade in school overall
Attitude toward school
Grades
Dream job

Free time

Favorite pastimes
Hobbies
Favorite sports
Favorite foods
Favorite toy

Misc.

How he/she/it dresses
Religion
Attitude toward religion

Personality

Leader or follower
Strongest positive personality trait
Strongest negative personality trait
Sense of humor
Temper
Consideration for others
Opinion of self
Ambitions
Life philosophy

What is the most important thing to know?

Do you want the character to be liked or disliked?


THE END!