Child Photography – Have it All!

September 8, 2014

Children are all about themselves. The younger they are, the smaller their world. Around two years old they will realize that they can, and can't, have things. And they will want it all.

(As an aside, that's why it's so much easier on you to ask your toddler, “do you want the red cup or the blue cup?” instead of asking “what color cup do you want?” If their selection is wide open they will never decide because they want it all.)

What to do? One answer is photography. They can have it all on camera. They can have their fresh flowers on “film” instead of picking them. They can capture butterflies and the butterfly will go on to do its thing. Same for other people, places and things that may be “hands off” but all theirs by capturing it with their camera.

In the olden day, we gave our daughter disposable cameras and let her go for it! She became quite adept and still has the photos tucked away in a scrapbook. In this day and age, digital cameras make it easier to get lots of photos without spending a fortune on developing.

You probably have an old phone or camera that is quite simple to use that you could tailor for their exploration. Several companies are making cameras especially for children and hopefully by the time you read this they will have better resolution and the price will come down. (2014 fall. Playskool Showcam: Resolution: 640×480? for $50. Projects too and has built-in editing software.)

Kids cameras are great for kids. Your older children will want a more adult camera with better resolution. They will also be able to use your computers to do the fun editing.

Skills/learning/benefits: creative, exploration, sensory, fine motor, language, social skills

The Props: Bring a camera and plan a walking tour of your neighborhood, the park or your own backyard. Send them on assignment to capture a bug or their favorite flower.

Photography allows your “everything is mine” completely normal child to have it all.