Getting Younger Kids Excited About Family Photos at Home
Honey, I Shrunk the Kid
Young children see the world from a completely different perspective, and that can make their photos incredibly interesting. Give your little one a simple, easy-to-use digital camera, and let them do their thing. Their low-to-the-ground angles will result in some truly captivating shots. Afterward, choose your favorites to create a photo journal to look back on!
Where is the color?
Once your little one is accustomed to their camera, send them on a mission to take photos of items with a specific color—and only that color. This will help them to continue getting used to their camera and for those who are very young, it can reinforce colors in relation to shapes. Another variation can be the first letter of your child’s name. Ask them to take photos only of items that start with the same letter as their first name.
Good Old-fashioned Scavenger Hunt
Give your little ones, depending on age, clues—or tell them outright—about the items you’d like them to find and photograph. Then have a fun prize at the end of the hunt for them to take pictures of and enjoy.
Find Your ABCs
Help your kindergartner to learn their ABC’s in a brand new way! Have them run around the house (or the store, the park, the backyard, the toy box) and take photos of something in alphabetical order. When all is said and done, make a book out of their ABCs for them to look back on later, or read to their younger siblings.This is also a great way to get creative with family photos at home, capturing moments of discovery in a relaxed, familiar environment.
Celebration Cards.
A great way to tell someone you love them is with a card. It’s the foundation for Hallmark, after all. Why not help your kids create a photo card from some of the images they’ve taken to celebrate someone special in their lives. Whether Mom, Dad, Grandparent’s or teachers—there are tons of ways to make this fun and help your little ones bring their enthusiasm and creativity to the mix.
Taking Family Photos at Home with Older Kids and Teens
Photo time capsules
Documenting childhood can be something kids may not appreciate now but will cherish later. Have your older child take photos for a week of everything important in their life. Friends, teachers, their bedroom, textbook, and even things they don’t like—everything. Once done, have them go through and print the photos and write descriptions on the back. Then, have them place everything in a box, seal it up with a date not to be opened until, give the box to Grandma or Grandpa to ensure NO PEEKING! Then, in the time frame you decide, have them go through the photos again and reminisce.
Superhero shrink-ray
Forced perspective photos can be a lot of fun for older kids and teens. I’ve found tweens and teens love to laugh about silly things and this is a great way to do it. All it takes is 2 friends; one that stands far away, while the other is near. Have the near friend hold out a hand to make it look like the far friend is resting in their palm. Let the fun ensue!
Vision boards
A vision board is a great activity for teens, promoting creativity, goal-setting, and self-expression. Whether it’s career goals, hobbies, or personal aspirations, creating a vision board teaches them to think and set intentions. In addition, vision boards are such a great creative outlet! For what they can’t take photos of, have them hunt through magazines, or online and place them on the board. Here are some pinterest ideas to get you inspired!
Compare and contrast.
No one sees things in exactly the same way. To prove this point, have multiple children (siblings, friends, etc) take photos of the exact same object or objects. This works really well if you have children of varying ages in the family. When you’re all done, compare and contrast the different ways the item was photographed and discuss the reasons behind the composition.
365 Days.
Similar to the Photo Time Capsule, this project takes photo-documenting to another level. Instead of a week-in-the-life, this is a full year commitment of taking a photograph of something—anything—every single day for a year. You could even incorporate family photos at home into their vision board to remind them of what they already have and love. For older kids on social media, this could be a great way to post their blooming skills and get encouragement from friends as they post their images online.
Have a more formal family photoshoot coming up and need the kids to cooperate? Click here for some tips!
About the Photographer and Author:
Julie Kubal is a child and family portrait artist and photographer serving Washington DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia. She is passionate about creating warm and meaningful artwork through modern portraits and lifestyle photography at a location of your choice!