Children won’t enjoy books if all the books offer are exciting stories and colorful pictures. If the text is written in tiny squiggly letters, they’ll probably glance through the pictures and drop the book.
The attention span of children is really short. So, you only have a few seconds to grab their attention, especially if you want to instill the reading culture in them.
Their storybooks must be written with simple and legible fonts to achieve this. This will make their reading fun and easy as they will immerse themselves in the story.
Also, consider that some children may have visual impairments or learning difficulties like dyslexia. Without the proper font, these kids are going to find it challenging to read a book.
You want them to enjoy the book with their peers, right? So, you must choose visually appealing, playful, and inviting fonts to capture their interest. By doing so, they will actively participate in the story, plus their imagination and curiosity will be sparked.
So, what are the easiest fonts for children’s books? Some of them include Comic Sans, Verdana, Century Gothic, KG Primary Penmanship, Doodle Fonts, Trebuchet MS, and Sassoon Primary.
However, my best choice is the Sassoon Primary font because it was specifically designed for early learners. Its simple, clear letterforms and distinct shapes help for easy reading and understanding.
I’m still going to explain other fonts in detail and give you visual examples so that at the end of this article, you’re able to make a smart choice for your next book.
Without much ado, let’s dive right in and explore the easiest fonts for children’s books.
Also Read: Worst Fonts Ever
Easiest Fonts For Children’s Books You Should Explore
1. Comic Sans
Comic Sans is one of the most friendly and casual fonts for children’s books. You can notice that this font appears handwritten and playful and so it appeals to young readers.
Comic Sans was created by Vincent Connare but was released by Microsoft in 1994.
While sharing the story behind the font, Vincent noted that he intended to mimic the hand-drawn lettering found in comic books. That surely explains the name, ‘Comic Sans.’
Since its release, this font has gained so much popularity and has also been useful in most educational materials and storybooks for kids.
However, with how informal and playful Comic Sans looks, it’s best suited for children’s storybooks. The font’s rounded letterforms, exaggerated shapes, and irregular baselines give it a whimsical and approachable quality.
I love that this creates a sense of friendliness and informality. This feature makes the font mostly suitable if you’re writing for kids between the ages of two and five.
Don’t forget that kids at this age are starting to explore their reading potential, so they need text that feels more relatable and less intimidating. Additionally, children with dyslexia or other reading difficulties are going to enjoy books written with this font.
At least the exaggerated proportions and generous spacing between the letters make it easier to distinguish one letter from another. That way, they won’t be confused when reading.
Also Read: Best Free Helvetica Alternatives
2. Verdana
The Verdana font is also another simple and legible font useful when creating children’s books. Designed by Mattew Carter and launched by Microsoft in 1996, this font is primarily known for its readability and simplicity both on paper and on screen.
According to Carter, he worked specifically on the font spacing during the design process. If you look closely, you’ll notice that the font’s design has a clean and open appearance with generous letter spacing.
This feature stands out for me because it makes it easier for kids to distinguish individual letters and words. Aside from that, the ample letter spacing helps to prevent letters from blending.
Kids will understand better and enjoy their stories without needing to strain their eyes. Another feature to love about this font is that it has a modern and friendly aesthetic.
This gives it a professional and polished look while still appealing to children. Hence, you can use this font for their educational materials. They will have the best reading experience.
I also love that the font comes in different weights and sizes, giving it flexibility in terms of formatting and emphasizing specific elements within the text.
Also Read: Best Cursive Fonts For Email Signature
3. Open Dyslexic
As the name suggests, the Open Dyslexic font is designed to help persons with dyslexia in reading and comprehension. You should select this font if your target audience is kids with reading disabilities or dyslexia.
I was not surprised when I found out that the font’s creator, Abelardo Gonzalez also has dyslexia. So, he created the font to address the reading challenges faced by fellow dyslexic readers.
Released in 2011, the font is free to use and distribute. Abelardo noted that he was inspired to create the font because other similar fonts were not affordable.
But aside from being the best font choice for dyslexic readers, Open Dyslexic also works well for kids in general. At first glance, you’ll notice the font’s weighted bottoms. This helps to anchor the text and prevent it from appearing to flip or rotate.
I love the stability the font offers as readers will never be confused or misinterpret text. In addition to that, the letters are slightly enlarged and have enough space between them, making it easy for kids to distinguish individual letters and words.
The Open Dyslexic font is designed to improve readability by reducing letter crowding and minimizing letter similarity. There’s more visual clarity. Kids will have the best reading experience if you use this font in preparing their educational materials.
Also Read: Best Fonts Similar To Helvetica Neue
4. Sassoon Primary
From the name alone, you can already tell that this font is specifically designed for early learners and children’s reading materials. The font was created by Rosemary Sasson, a renowned typography designer.
Before creating the font, she was primarily focused on educational and medical aspects of handwriting. She then discovered that nobody knew of a specific font that children found easiest to read and immediately swung into action.
She spent two years in research before finally designing Sasson Primary. With her background in education, she was able to collaborate with other educators to address the unique needs of young children in their early stages of reading and writing.
The font’s design features simple and clear letterforms with distinct shapes and proportions. Interestingly, the fonts are based on the traditional letter shapes that children first learn to write, making it easy for them to recognize the letters and use them when writing.
Another unique feature of this font is that it appears handwritten. The letters have a slight slant, somehow mimicking the movement and progression of handwriting.
I love that it looks very natural and fluid. Aside from that, the letters are consistent with the appropriate spacing so that texts are not clogged.
These attributes make the font very legible and help to prevent confusion between similar letters. For example, children can easily differentiate between lowercase “b” and “d.” They can also distinguish between uppercase and lowercase characters.
The overall aim of the Sasson Primary font is to facilitate the children’s learning process. That’s why the font offers a range of weights including dotted and traced versions.
With these variations, kids can practice their letter formation and tracing skills.
Check Out: Best Handwriting Fonts In Word
5. Century Gothic
If you want a font that’s clean, modern, and yet legible for children, then you shouldn’t miss out on Century Gothic. Designed by Monotype Studio and released in 1991, this font was inspired by geometric sans-serif typefaces.
Its clean lines, rounded curves, and consistent stroke width make it simple, legible, and visually appealing for kids. I also noticed that the font does not have any decorative elements.
Its simplified shapes make it easy for young readers to recognize and process individual letters and words.
Aside from that, the font also offers lots of spacing between letters and words. They are not lumped together. This way, kids will not be confused especially when they are just beginning to read.
I love how the generous letter spacing allows them to differentiate between letters easily. Also, the font has a contemporary feel to it, making it a suitable choice for high-grade elementary educational material.
Check Out: Best Fonts For Resume
6. KG Primary Penmanship
Check Out: Best Fonts For Memorization
For teachers looking for the right font to use on students’ worksheets and projects in their classrooms, this font will work best for you! First, the “Primary” attached to the name already gives you a sense that it is designed for kids at the elementary level.
And truly it was! The font was created by Kimberly Geswin. She was a designer known for her collection of fonts inspired by handwriting.
She wanted to design a font that resembles the style of handwriting taught in primary schools. And so, after speaking to several primary school teachers, she eventually designed the KG Primary Penmanship font.
At first glance, you can notice that the design of the font replicates the characteristics of a child’s handwriting. Its simplified letterforms and distinct shapes make it highly legible and neat for kids.
Interestingly, the letters appear irregular and slightly imperfect. It was an intentional choice aimed at replicating the organic nature of handwriting rather than a precise typeface.
Another benefit of using this font is that since it emulates the style of handwriting that children are taught in school, it helps them connect the text in the book to their own writing experiences.
This way, they are more engaged and confident when reading as they recognize the letterforms they are learning to write. Like other fonts I have reviewed above, KG Primary Penmanship has a large letter size and features ample spacing between the letters.
This makes the font much more legible for early readers. You should opt for this font if you want to boost the handwriting skills of your child or student. They can practice tracing the letters within the text.
Overall, KG Primary Penmanship has a playful and whimsical appearance that adds a touch of charm and visual appeal to children’s books.
Also Read: Creative Fabrica vs Creative Market
7. Rock Salt
Also Read: Best Google Fonts
Rock Salt is another playful and informal font you can try out when designing elementary books for kids. However, you can only use this font for certain elements in the book such as titles, headings, or creative text and I will tell you why.
First, Rock Salt was designed by Haley Fiege and was released in 2010. This makes it pretty new, unlike other fonts. Interestingly, the font was inspired by the imperfect brush lettering you’ll find in homemade and DIY designs.
The font somehow captures the spontaneous and organic nature of brushstrokes, giving it a childlike appearance. One of the main reasons why you’ll love this font is its playful and friendly aesthetic thanks to the irregular letters and rough edges!
All these features come together and evoke a sense of creativity and imagination that appeals to young readers. I love that the font’s hand-drawn appearance makes the text much warmer and visually engaging.
But even at that, the font also has an informal style which is why I stated at the beginning that you can only use it in your titles, chapter headings, or any text that requires a creative and expressive touch.
If this is your preferred font choice, be sure to use it selectively and in moderation to create visual interest and highlight specific elements within the book. Finally, this font is available on Google Fonts and Adobe Fonts.
Also Read: Best Signature Fonts In Word
8. Doodle Fonts
Also Read: Best Safe Web Fonts To Use With CSS
Like Rock Salt, Doodle Fonts is a playful and creative font. As the name suggests, the fonts replicate doodling which is a style of handwriting where you draw the letters absentmindedly.
One primary feature of this font is its irregular lines, quirky shapes, and decorative elements that give it a unique and artistic appearance. Kids will instantly be hooked the moment their eyes meet the text.
However, due to the decorative elements of the Doodle font, it is best suited for titles, headings, captions, or other decorative text. That is to say, they work perfectly in areas where playful and creative designs are needed such as picture books or activity books.
If you’re an author, you can also use this font to enhance specific themes or characters within a children’s book. For example, the font can be used to highlight your characters’ dialogue.
Overall, Doodle font is very appealing and eye-catching. It easily captivates the attention of young readers, creates visual interest, and reinforces the themes and characters in a story.
Check Out: Best Sites Like Dafont
9. Trebuchet MS
Also Read: Best Creative Fabrica Alterntatives
Trebuchet MS is such a versatile font that will surely capture children’s attention and make reading a fun experience. The font was designed by Vincent Connare and was released by Microsoft in 1996.
Since its release, the font has become increasingly popular because of its readability and clean design.
Though it was initially made for on-screen projections and user interfaces, you can’t help but admire how the font fits perfectly on paper, infusing book pages with energy and personality.
I love how legible the font is even in small sizes. And that’s because it features clear and well-defined letterforms with ample spacing.
This helps to prevent letters from blending, making it easy for kids to distinguish the letters and words.
Another beautiful feature of this font is that as much as it has a modern and friendly appearance, it also maintains a professional and polished look. This means it will work well for body text in any children’s book.
Overall, Trebuchet MS offers a comfortable reading experience to kids without distractions. It can also be used for titles, headings, and captions.
Explore: Handwriting Fonts To Feed Every Designer’s Inspiration
10. Quicksand
Check Out: Best Transfonter Alternatives
Created by Andrew Paglinawan in 2008, Quicksand is an easy font for children’s books. The font is an offshoot of sans serif with rounded curves and clean lines.
It was mostly inspired by geometric and humanist typefaces. Interestingly the font name somehow reflects the smooth and fluid movement of sand.
You’ll love how legible texts written in these fonts are even in small sizes. The letters are clear and enjoy generous spacing, making it easy for kids to read and enjoy their stories.
More so, the Quicksand font has a contemporary and friendly aesthetic that resonates well with kids. The font is available in both Google Fonts and Adobe Fonts.
Finally, as much as it works well for body text, the font can also be used for titles or to emphasize captions in a book.
Also Read: Best Fontello Alternatives
Conclusion
As you can see there are different easy fonts you can use when creating a children’s book. A common feature that stands out in all of them is the generous spacing of the letterforms, making the text legible and easy to read.
Of all the fonts reviewed above, my favorite is Sassoon Primary. I love the intentionality behind the font design. Adrian created the font because no one else knew the specific font kids found easiest to read.
She sure did a good job! One of the font’s unique features is the handwriting design which has the letters slanting slightly to mimic the movement and progression of handwriting.
You don’t have to be limited to my choice. Go ahead and explore other fonts. However, bear in mind that font selection is just one task to tick off your list when creating a children’s book.
You also need to consider factors like font size, line spacing, and text layout. Also, be sure to choose fonts appropriate for different areas within the book such as titles and the body of the text.
