Element.prototype.children
Returns a live HTMLCollection of the child elements of the element
Syntax
element.childrenReturn Value
A live HTMLCollection of child Elements
Examples
const list = document.querySelector('ul')!
console.log('Items:', list.children.length)const nav = document.querySelector('nav')!
Array.from(nav.children).forEach((child, i) => {
console.log(`Child ${i}: ${child.tagName}`)
})function getChildrenByTag(parent: HTMLElement, tag: string) {
return Array.from(parent.children).filter(
el => el.tagName.toLowerCase() === tag
)
}Understanding Element.prototype.children
The Element.prototype.children method in JavaScript returns a live HTMLCollection of the child elements of the element. It belongs to the Element object and is one of the most widely used methods for working with element values in modern JavaScript and TypeScript applications.
The method signature is element.children. When called, it returns a live htmlcollection of child elements. Understanding when and how to use children() helps you write more expressive, readable code.
Common use cases for Element.prototype.children include data transformation, input validation, API response processing, and building reusable utility functions. It works well alongside related methods like dom-firstelementchild, dom-lastelementchild, dom-parentelement, enabling you to chain operations together for complex data manipulation pipelines.
Browser support for Element.prototype.children is excellent across all modern browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. It is also fully supported in Node.js and Deno. For older environments, transpilation with Babel or a polyfill may be needed.
Browser Compatibility
Supported in all modern browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) and Node.js. Part of the ECMAScript standard.
Related Methods
Element.prototype.firstElementChildReturns the element's first child Element, or null if there are no child elements
Element.prototype.lastElementChildReturns the element's last child Element, or null if there are no child elements
Element.prototype.parentElementReturns the parent Element of the specified element, or null if the element has no parent or the parent is not an Element
More Element Methods
Other methods in the Element object
Related Tools
More Element Methods
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