Understanding ages and stages » to effectively develop kids content and products

Targeting kids by age can be tricky. Kids change and develop so quickly from year to year, and there are drastic developmental differences at each age and stage. 

That’s why Magid kids experts Sarah Holmes and Molly Ludwig believe in looking at micro-ages – smaller slices of age groups rather than wide ranges like 6 to 14-year-olds. It’s the only way to pick up on important nuances that are meaningful for launching a product, content, or new service for kids.

In their many years of being in field continuously with kids, they’ve seen how drastically different a 6-year-old reacts to kid-targeted content or experiences vs. a 12-year-old. While one finds the slapstick comedy most funny, another appreciates the sarcasm. Younger kids can appreciate the non-baby feel of a darker movie, the older kids may know it’s still too kiddish for them.

Identifying the differences of the nuanced ages while also identifying the universal themes of what’s working across the wide range of kid consumers makes looking at micro-ages critical.