Cameras for Kids: How to Inspire Creativity Through Photography
Coucou (hello!) and welcome back to our blog! Today, we’ll be discussing photography for kids and how a seemingly simple camera can spark endless hours of creativity in your little ones. At CouCou, photography is threaded into everything we do. From our editorial lookbooks to the imagery the brands we offer use, the emotions and narrative that photography is able to capture have created something greater than a retail shop here at CouCou. CouCou represents the nostalgia of childhood in all it’s essence, and there is perhaps no greater way to capture that, than through photography. We know that our community also values the ability to capture this free-spirited essence of childhood.
So, why limit the joy and retrospective practice of photography to adults?
The fact is that we ‘adults’ (sometimes we don’t feel like adults) have had a lot of our creativity squashed by the rules and ideas we have surrounding what photography is ‘supposed’ to look like. The purity, curiosity, and innocence children possess allow them to experience the world and see things in ways we’ll rarely be able to experience again; unless it’s seen through our children’s lens that is.
Before we delve into how you can develop your child’s interest in photography, the cameras we recommend here at CouCou, we want to leave you with one simple statement:
Cameras for children are not about teaching photography, but rather about allowing their creativity and curiosity to blossom.
How to Develop Your Children’s Interest in Photography
You might be wondering what you can do to develop your child’s interest in photography. Many of today’s children have grown up with smartphones glued to their every move, not realizing that photography is in fact an art form much deeper than an iPhone or other smartphone device. Despite today’s children growing up in this ultra-digital era, you’d be surprised how easy it is to spark their interest in photography.
The lovely and sometimes not-so-lovely thing about our children is how impressionable they are. The old adage of ‘monkey see, monkey do’, could not be more true. The silver lining? With a little modeling from us and encouragement, we can set them up to thrive at nearly any skill!
Here are some ways to spark their interest in photography:
- Choose a camera that’s meant for kids
- Ditch the rules
- Let them explore
Now, let’s get into the details!
Choosing a Camera for Kids
Today’s children aren’t likely to have had much experience with a camera, digital or otherwise. While most of us parents grew up being photographed by our parents' film cameras and later digital cameras, that just isn’t the typical experience of today’s children. So, when it comes to introducing your child to photography, the classic digital camera may initially appear very foreign to them.
Choosing a camera that’s easy to use and fun is the best way to make photography playful for your children while allowing them to focus on what matters most - their creative expression! Kids cameras should be easy to use, equipped with automatic settings, and (if possible) offer drop-resistant durability.
Ditch The Rules
As adults, we each possess our own ideas about what photography should look like. Typically we’re looking to capture a moment in time, whether our subject be a person or a place. For our little ones, their ideas surrounding photography may look significantly different. As we introduce them to the world of photography, resist every urge to confine their creativity to our self-imposed rules. Blurry pictures that we might feel disappointed by might appear colorful and fun to our little ones! Ask them what photos they like the best and invite them to tell you why, to help them develop a way to articulate art. Let them play around, you never know what beautiful photos and memories they’ll capture.
Let Them Explore
The best way to develop their interest in photography is by allowing them to discover it for themselves. Exploring the world around them is a great way to deepen their interest in photography while allowing us to gather precious insights into how our children see the world.
Nudge your child to learn through experiential learning! Show them that they can photograph from any position or angle to see how that changes their images and watch as they get to capture and explore the world around them with curiosity and openness.
The Best Cameras for Kids
Finding the best cameras for kids is no easy task! Lucky for you, our collection includes the Kidamento cameras for kids that perfect for the first foray into photography and we find are great for kids ages 3 - 8. Kidemento cameras are designed to be fun! With cute silicone coverings that make them virtually impossible to break, they‘re straightforward, produce high quality digital photos and ready to use right out of the box making them an ideal gift. For older children, a basic digital camera such as a SONY NEX can run you around $200 used, which is more than any child needs. With these you can let them start to experiment switching into manual settings and truly start to understand how cameras work and how to manipulate their photos more intentionally.
Koko the camera is another camera CouCou carries in store, also great for those beginners. This instant camera for kids prints pictures in only 3 seconds, allowing your little ones to see their creations instantly. This option is especially great for sparking creativity. With images printed in black and white, kids can experiment with coloring their pictures themselves afterwards. This camera is the perfect first camera for kids! And, with instant printing, it allows your little ones to learn by seeing the pictures they’ve captured in real-time.
Conclusion
For many adults cameras may be old news, but for our little ones, they offer a new outlet to explore their creativity! With the right camera and a little encouragement, you’d be surprised how capable they are at documenting the world around them. As we often find ourselves wondering what goes on in our children’s little minds, photography provides us with a medium to see the world through their eyes.
At CouCou, we often talk about sustainability, open play, and other ways we can encourage healthy childhood development. However, the truth is that we can’t teach children valuable skills like exploration, perspective, and creativity, they simply have to be experienced. By arming our kids with the right tools, like a simple digital camera, they can learn these skills for themselves, with a little help of course! Discover our selection of Kidamento cameras at CouCou and as the holidays approach, consider giving the gift of creativity and exploration.
- Until next time, à bientôt CouCou family!
