Communicating with Children: Principles and Practices to Nurture, Inspire, Excite, Educate and Heal

Consisting of a book and a website, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)'s Communicating with Children: Principles and Practices to Nurture, Inspire, Excite, Educate and Heal is designed to facilitate the process of learning about the importance of communication that is age-appropriate and child-friendly, holistic, positive, strengths-based, and inclusive. The purpose of the resource pack is to improve communication for, with, and about children, guiding UNICEF Country Offices, academics, media producers, and others in the development of materials for child viewers, particularly in low and middle-income countries, but with hopes that it will be used in developed countries as well.

The resource pack presents 4 central principles for producing communication for children:

1. Communication should be age-appropriate and child-friendly: "Children need and have a right to clear and interesting child-centred (not adult-centred) communication...
2. Communication for children should address the child holistically: "Communication that balances and gives complementary attention to all their developmental needs best serves all children, from infants to adolescents...
3. Communication for children should be positive and strengths-based: "Regardless of country or situation, it means developing communication that invites children to imagine or be transported to seeing things they have not previously experienced; that excites children about possibilities of what they can do today or become in the future; and channels their energy into positive thought and action. Such communication can be transformative."
4. Communication for children should address the needs of all, including those who are most disadvantaged: "Media reflects who and what is valued by society. This is true in presentations of people and of culture and traditions. It is critical that communication allows all children to hear and see themselves reflected positively, as opposed to communication that focuses on marginalization, shame, negative or patronizing portrayals. Good communication includes positive portrayals of children from different cultures and ethnic groups and all socio-economic backgrounds, those with disabilities, and children who have or are experiencing trauma, grief or living through emergencies. Creative solutions and competencies should come from marginalised groups themselves, not just from those in positions of authority or from privileged backgrounds. Conscious decisions should be made to include the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children as a regular part of all types and forms of communication."

The description of each principle is supported by guidelines and also maps the different developmental characteristics and needs of children at different ages. The authors then explain their approach and illustrate the principles with positive examples from a range of countries and media, and age groups. The Frequently Asked Questions page on the Communicating with Children website shares a number of strategies to avoid common mistakes in developing communication for children and aligns them with these topics:

• How does one ensure that communication is child-appropriate? - e.g., "A good rule of thumb is to portray the daily lives of children, their interests, wants and experiences, as bases for appropriate content, and to pre-test communication ideas with children prior to final production."
• What are some strategies to help prevent or change a negative behaviour? - e.g., "It is important to make sure that our communication shows and tells children what we want them to do, rather than what we do not want them to do....Instead of showing a girl being harassed, exploited or abused, model a confident and proactive girl dealing successfully with the first signs of harassment."
• Is the use of fear justified or effective? - e.g., "When presenting conflict or emotions such as anger, present the problem verbally and in as short a time as necessary. Push the boundaries and expand the use of creative and positive models that do not frighten, but that offer solutions."
• How can one be entertaining as well as educational? - e.g., "Make the communication fun and inspiring: children will be more likely to return to such stories and repeat the lesson. Create stories about children’s lives and interests and about people important to them; appeal to their imagination and curiosity; make characters multi-dimensional; and encourage critical thinking, play, learning and action during and after communication."
• What are some strategies for making creative and child-friendly "lessons to be learned" - e.g., "Communication where adults are the experts, talk down and preach to children and emphasize what they did wrong will not be as successful as communication that inspires children to learn from problem-solving, exploration and imagination."
• How is it possible to challenge and avoid stereotypes? - e.g., "[F]ind ways to present males, boys and men, in nurturing roles such as teachers of young children and as expressing emotions. Present females, girls and women, as leaders, playing non-traditional sports, driving motor vehicles or running businesses. Portray both men and women helping in the house and taking part in child care. Show children and adults with a wide variety of disabilities as able to speak up on their own behalf and as providers rather than solely as recipients of charity or support. Include people from local ethnic or minority groups in a manner equal to the dominant group."
• How can I make sure children understand my communication? - e.g., "Less is often more, simple could be best and often low-literacy productions, especially print, ensure that communication reaches all, especially the most disadvantaged....Encouraging stories and ideas that come from children themselves, presenting real life positive situations, and the actual participation of children in productions are all examples of helping to ensure both authenticity and comprehension."
• Is copying a successful commercial formula the best approach? - e.g., "Each country and region has indigenous talent and a history on which to build local communication. While there is a growing need to compete with international productions, many countries have found a niche in developing something unique to themselves, using their own stories, culture and traditions. Experience has shown that these can be of high quality while costing very little."
• Is pre-testing necessary? - e.g., "Yes....For example, instead of you and a small group of adults deciding the content of communication on a given topic, it is better to spend time with children prior to production. Ask them simple questions about their interests, find out what they know and would like to learn on that particular topic. Instead of producing finalised materials, develop prototype scripts and drafts of materials and ask children simple questions about the format, style, interest and comprehension."
• Is special training needed to communicate with children? - e.g., "A successful method includes involving communication for development staff in the planning phase of new initiatives or projects. This ensures that communication is integral to and supportive of every aspect of programming. It ensures that important research on knowledge, attitudes and practices about the critical behaviours, as well as communication access and use, are included."