Children's websites are just as common on the internet as those for adults. But when designing such a site (for young kids), web designers have to carefully choose images and photos, think through content placement and color schemes, and even consider whether the project is aimed at boys or girls. In other words, creating a website for children can catch some designers off guard, as there are many nuances and subtleties when it comes to anything related to kids.
But how can you create something meant for children that even adults will appreciate?
That’s the trick — that’s real mastery. Both children and their parents must feel constantly engaged by the site’s content, its design , and enjoy exploring it. In this article, we’ll look at key elements that are essential for any children’s website from the planning stage: color palette, typography, gamification, language features, animations, storytelling, and above all, how appropriate these elements are for different age groups. Yes, we’ll also touch on some aspects of child psychology and age-related development.
Moreover, we’ll explore what types of kids’ websites already exist, which are considered ideal examples of web design, and where to find inspiration for a new project for little ones.
Kids and the Internet
Just seven years ago, seeing a 3–5-year-old with a tablet or smartphone seemed absurd. But today, parents often buy special devices for kids. How do they differ from regular ones? Preinstalled apps, games, children’s books, coloring apps, cartoons, and more. Sometimes parents install everything themselves to increase variety — or because the device comes empty.
We're not going to dwell on whether this is good or bad for child development. The fact is — children use mobile devices and, together with their parents, surf the internet or play on a PC/console. Since this is a reality, children’s websites appear. Logically, there's a need for proper design, structure, and development.
Age Groups
When designing a children's website, the main question is: “What age group is this project for?” A child's age significantly affects the site’s content and overall design since perception varies greatly with age. For example, if a site is created for kids under five, images should be large, bright, and easy to understand (like in cartoons such as “Smeshariki” or “Bernard”). For older kids (7–9 years), you can include princesses with fine details and more complex animations.
Knowing the target audience helps confidently plan the next steps. Typically, there are four age groups considered when developing children's websites.
What About the Parents?
Parents also browse children's websites, especially with younger kids , so designers must consider their expectations. Parents care about their child's safety and that all images, videos, and texts are age-appropriate and relevant to the child's interests. Often, parents participate in drawing or building together with their child, so ask yourself: will parents find this interesting? If not, the child might not return to the site — no matter how many characters from “Smeshariki” or “Luntik” you include.
On these websites, kids learn, grow, and explore. So, nearly every design element should support that. A mom should feel inspired to ask, “Sweetie, what colors do you recognize here?” or “Look, did a rainbow pass through this place?”
Color Palette
Color is one of the most powerful elements of children’s web design. It should be bright, cheerful, and fun — but not harsh on the eyes. Dark tones are best avoided, as well as color toning. The most popular colors include purple, blue, yellow, green, red, and light blue — in short, the whole rainbow. The ideal number of hues is 5–7 rather than just 2–3. Avoid pastel shades and sparkling effects like those in jewelry. Some are invisible to kids, while others are overwhelming.
The goal of color is to set a mood, uplift it, bring joy and warm memories, and make the site appealing so both children and parents want to explore it. That’s why yellow is the most used color — it’s the color of the sun, a new day, warmth, and happiness.
Check out the projects Sesame Street and the Muppets , National Geographic Kids , Murzilka , Fun Science , Fifi and the Flowertots , LEGO . All of them were designed with specific age groups in mind — both in terms of color palette and character design.
Typography
When designing for children who can read a little and recognize words, you can include some text — but not too much. For older children, of course, more text is acceptable. In short, increase content with age. Typography must be clean and readable, using sans-serif fonts. That’s the key rule. Teen-oriented designs can feature more varied fonts and styles, but for younger kids, everything must be simple and clear.
The color palette for fonts should also be limited. One color and font style for younger kids, maybe two for older ones. Avoid shadows, outlines, and other effects. Instead, use variations in size and weight (bold/regular). Letters should be legible and stand out against the background — reading on a monitor is even harder than reading a book for young kids.
The web design of kidsdinos uses limited text and small visuals. This project isn’t for toddlers, but still, the font is clean, strong, and readable.
Visit the NASA Kids Club and follow the links — the text is large and tailored for a young audience.
The same applies to the Disney site — both the North American and Russian versions.
Language and Speech
Language, phrasing, and sentence complexity are just as important for children’s websites as any visual element. Each age group has its own level of speech understanding and interaction. For toddlers, images and drawings are most important — ones that don’t require explanation through text. The rule is simple: the younger the child, the less text there should be. Reading ability doesn’t matter here.
But there are more nuances to consider:
The Disney website is designed for all age groups, so it includes games, texts, images, photos, and more.
Sesame Street offers videos, coloring, and games, so not much text is needed. Parents can guide their child at first, and then things become intuitive and visual for the kid.
LEGO and Murzilka are also visually rich and easy to navigate.
Let’s Play?
Playability and entertainment are not just essential for game websites but for the web design itself. The child should enjoy finding navigation elements, fun icons, illustrations, arrows, or small animations. Offer an interactive experience through the site — videos with cartoons, animal stories, or characters (depending on the theme).
However, everything must remain simple. Interactive elements should be big and visible, navigation no more than 4–5 points, large buttons — all of this helps usability.
Examples include: Bob the Builder , Sesame Street , Disney (with their own radio) , FiFi
Animation and Cartoon Style
All children love cartoons — especially toddlers — so using an animated, hand-drawn style in web design is a great idea. While some adults may find animation annoying, children find it fun and attractive. Don’t forget about music, interactivity, video, and funny characters. And of course, story matters. Through storytelling, designers can connect kids with the content and open a door into a magical world.
Still, animations must be simple and easy to understand. A child won’t spend time figuring out where to click or where the character should go.
Check out these examples: Seussville with interactive elements, Murzilka , Lego , Ernest & Celestine
Conclusion
Designing websites for children can be fun, challenging, and rewarding at the same time. Either way, designers must always remember who the audience is , so that little visitors don’t feel out of place. Many typical rules and standards unfortunately don’t apply in this context.
Color, typography, language, and interactivity are all factors that can lead to a project’s success — or failure. So the best strategy is to ask yourself: will the child find this fun? Will they want to explore, play, or draw here?
Of course, some developmental characteristics were generalized. Some kids learn to read early, some later. Some know the bear Bernard, others only Winnie the Pooh. But design principles remain universal — based on children's perception and their way of exploring the world. We also recommend watching cartoons to see firsthand the font styles, character sizes, and color palettes they use. Flip through magazines like “Murzilka” or “Vesyolye Kartinki”.