Little Kid Friendly Activities for Your Next Family Session

Are you ready to capture the beauty of your family in a fun way?

Hi, I am Rosalynn, a family photographer, and I like to do things a little bit different. Family photography is one of my favorite things to do because of the experience families get during a session. Yes, I get all of the photos where everyone is standing looking at the camera, but these are done in 10 minutes or less… and this is where the difference comes in; for the rest of the session we go out and we PLAY. This makes it an especially great experience for young little kids, because it allows them to get their energy, fidgeting, and their wiggles out. They aren’t restricted to standing still and being well behaved the entire time. They’re encouraged to just be kids and to be themselves. The result? Beautiful, engaged photos with parents and kids playing together.

In this blog, I want to give you a preview of some of the activities and games that I have incorporated into sessions with clients. This is a list of sure fire winners that the whole family loved, especially the little kids.

Idea 1: Colored powder

The color powder is similar to the consistency of baby powder. You can throw it up in the air, throw it at each other, even have a little color fight. It is really, really fun. The photos end up being vibrant, cute and very, very colorful.

*I have colored powder available for clients upon request.

Idea 2: Blanket Swings

I have found that bringing a blanket to sessions with young kids is a simple way to create a lot of activities. This is an opportunity for you to play London Bridge, with the parents holding the corners and the kids running underneath. You can also turn it into a little blanket swing. Kids love this! Every single time I do it, I get the chants of “again, again, again, again, again!”“more, more and more!” Kids just absolutely love blanket swings. This is one of the highest rated ideas for kids six and under.

Idea 3. Picnic at the Park

If your family is a group of foodies, this idea might be perfect for you. This is an opportunity to bring a nice blanket, a cute little picnic basket, and an excuse to eat some fun snacks, maybe bring a bottle of champagne (or sparkling juice). It’s an opportunity for really beautiful photos of your family being themselves, engaging, eating, chatting, and laughing together.

Idea 4. Selecting a Location with Water

Water at a location is so amazing to incorporate. It gives you the opportunity to walk into the water, splash each other, throw rocks or sticks in the water, or have a rock-skipping competition. Spaces with water are not only beautiful, they also allow for easy engagement, smiles, and laughter.

Idea 5. Collecting Treasures in Nature

Gathering wildflowers, looking for bugs and sticks in a field, discovering a cool rock; kids love to discover new things. They love looking at interesting things and adventures. Finding even the littlest things makes toddlers and preschoolers just so, so happy. I am sure you have seen your kids fill with total joy at finding a flower or a stick or a small bug on the ground. This is a way for you to point, smile, engage, and get beautiful smiles out of your kids.

Idea 6. Getting a Treat from a Local Shop

Capture your family where they love to visit. For example, if you guys are really into coffee, your location could be at a cute little coffee shop where we could do a session.Your family could get some coffee, sit, and hang out with each other. This will give fun images of everyone engaging and chatting and just being themselves. Another fun sweet treat might be ice cream. We could meet up at a little ice cream shop, where your kids can get ice cream and you all sit outside licking ice cream cones and having fun being together while enjoying a special treat.

Idea 7. Playing with kids at the park

This option is super easy and there are tons of parks all over Phoenix. This is an opportunity for you to take a squirmy little toddler who might not really like pictures, and turn their energy into a great session. The child won’t even notice that they’re getting their photos taken anymore, because they will be so happy just to be playing with you at the park.

Idea 8. S'mores Around a Campfire

I used this idea around the 4th of July and we incorporated sparklers as well. The kids did sparklers and then the family sat around hanging out by the campfire. We got beautiful photos of everyone laughing and enjoying being together.

Idea 9. Blowing Bubbles

Oh the amazing power of a little container of bubbles. It is so simple and can bring so much happiness and joy to kids. This is an opportunity for you to blow bubbles and have your kids run through them, try to pop them, or to blow bubbles themselves. This is one of those childhood moments that is magical to preserve in photos.

I hope this list of simple and easy activities was helpful to you and that it gave you a preview of what a family session with me could be like. All of these activities have been tried and tested with my clients and are guaranteed to win smiles and allow families to connect, while still getting beautiful, candid images.

If you are interested in chatting with me about a family session, please click the link below for a consultation call. This is a time to chat with me and discuss what it would look like to do a family session. I love coming up with fun experiences for families, so click the consultation link below, and I look forward to chatting with you.

If you enjoyed this article, I think you’ll like:

How to Get Ready for a Family Photography Session:

https://rosalynnjewelphotography.com/how-to-get-ready-for-a-family-photography-session/

Selection the Best Location for your Session:

https://rosalynnjewelphotography.com/selecting-the-best-location-for-your-session/

Rosalynn is a passionate family and newborn photographer who focuses on giving families a fun, memorable experience during every session. She offers maternity, in-home newborn, and family photography in a warm and relaxed manner creating a memorable experience for the entire family. Clients love the digital files from their session and the artwork to display in their home.