Target Group(s)

Entertainment (Film and Television), video game industry professionals, private and public sector employees, and the general public.

Course Aims/Purpose

This course aims to introduce participants to the core principles of scriptwriting for children’s television, covering both animation and live action. Participants will explore storytelling techniques, character development, and dialogue tailored for young audiences. Participants will further develop the skills needed to create engaging, age-appropriate scripts that capture and sustain children's interest while adhering to industry standards for children's TV programming.

Specific Learning Outcomes

On completing the course, participants should be able to:

• Develop script for children’s television, applying storytelling techniques that engage young audiences effectively.
• Write episodic scripts for animated series with a focus on structure storytelling and character development.
• Create age-appropriate scripts for preschool and pre-teen (ages 7-11) TV shows, demonstrating an understanding of themes and content tailored to each age group.
• Demonstrate knowledge of scriptwriting fundamentals across multiple genres and formats in children’s television.

Course Content

1. Storytelling Techniques for Children’s Television

• Engaging Young Audiences by understanding the fundamentals of storytelling for Children’s Television with a focus on age-appropriate storylines that capture attention.
• Telling Universal Stories

2. Writing Episodic Scrips and Narrative Structure

• Structure and pacing in episodic series
• Plotting and story beats

3. Age-Appropriate Scriptwriting

• Pre-school writing (ages 3-6)
• Pre-teen tv writing (ages 7-11)
• Exploring age-specific themes and content
• Scene structure

4. Fundamentals of Scriptwriting and Genre Exploration

• Professional scriptwriting standards
• Genre in children’s television
• Portfolio development