My “ah-ha moment” came a few years ago while chasing a toddler from one end of the park to the other during a family photo session. I just needed one good picture of him, and I didn’t have it. He was not going to sit still no matter how nicely I asked. So, in a last-ditch effort to save the session, I started a simple game of Red Light, Green Light. This. Changed. Everything.
The moment I stopped giving directions and started playing, I was able to capture the whole family much more naturally. The toddler’s expressions were genuinely happy because he was just a kid playing with his family! And, the parents were much more relaxed as well.
Since then, I’ve intentionally incorporated play into all of my family photo sessions. Children are wired to play and tapping into their natural tendencies produces a much more genuine and joyful experience for everyone (including the photographer). I encourage you to give it a try! Here are 12 of my favorite family photo prompts and games.
1. Blowing dandelions
Blowing dandelions is one of my favorite ways to slow down children who are busy movers. Any dried up dandelion will do, but my favorite are those that are more difficult to blow because they require concentration and effort.
I love to position children with the sun at their backs to catch the light in the dandelion tufts for backlit magic. And the best part is that this photo prompt works for children of all ages from toddlers to teens.
2. Twirling
Children love the sensation of spinning. I love to capture their joy in motion as the light shines through their hair and clothing. Simply asking a child to twirl or spin usually does the trick, but you can also mix it up with variations, such as saying, “let’s see how long you can spin!” Or, ask them to twirl a certain number of times, or to spin fast or slow.
This prompt works best with younger kids and toddlers.
Check out Melissa’s Click Photo School course, “101 WAYS TO PLAY: FRESH, FUN FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHY” for more creative games and tips.
3. Interacting with nature
Nature is the best playground! I always try to choose locations that have sufficient space for children to safely explore with elements that are both visually beautiful and interesting to children. My favorite images are often those where the child is genuinely interacting with their environment — playing with the flowers, showing me nuts they’ve gathered, or pointing at an airplane.
Sometimes I catch children in self-initiated play between shots and photograph them that way. Other times I direct them to search for bugs, smell a flower, look at a bird, etc. When possible, I try to encourage this exploration to happen with the sun behind them for beautiful backlight.
4. Love attacks
A love attack is any gesture of love — hugs, kisses, tickles, or snuggles — given by surprise. I will ask parents to surprise their child with kisses on both cheeks or sneak up and catch them with tickles. Children love to surprise and to be surprised, so “love attacks” are the perfect way to prompt squeals of laughter and genuine joy.
I also love to have children surprise their parents by running up and tackling them with hugs or interrupting a romantic moment with surprise snuggles. This is extra fun for children when they feel like it’s a sneaky surprise. I usually pull the kids aside, whisper to them the instructions (such as, “when I say go, run to your parents and surprise them with BIG hugs!”), then ham up telling the parents they get to have a special romantic moment and wink at the kids, letting them relish in our “secret.”
5. “Look at Someone Who…”
This prompt gets families looking at each other and laughing. I simply ask them to “look at someone who….” and finish with a variety of silly options, like “loves chocolate the most” or “uses the most diapers.” The options are endless so I just keep trying until I get some good laughs.
This photo prompt will vary based on the makeup of each individual family, which makes it a good one to use with kids of all ages.
10. Run!
When children are high energy or are having a hard time standing still, running is a great option! Sometimes I simply direct them to “run!”, while other times I structure it as a race or a game, such as Red Light, Green Light or Freeze Run (they run until I yell “freeze!”).
6. Playing with a favorite person
While I love playing directly with the children during my family photo sessions, I recognize that parents are an incredibly valuable resource. They know their child best! So, I often encourage play between parents and the child by having a parent (or other favorite person) stand just out of the frame and interact with the child. I keep the prompt vague — like, “do whatever you normally do to make your child to smile” — and let the magic unfold!
I love the variety of expressions in these images because the children generally have big, authentic smiles, but aren’t looking right at the camera. I love to think that when family members look back on these images, they will remember that special moment with someone they love.
7. Pretending
Children love playing pretend! Especially kids ages 3-5, when interest in pretend play peaks. During family photo sessions, I incorporate variations of pretend play by asking kids to act as characters from their favorite movie, doing impressions of their favorite character, or sending them on an imaginary quest (such as searching for fairies).
Pretend play is one of my most utilized strategies, especially with my own children.
8. Ring Around the Rosie
This is a great activity for families with young children. The kids are generally familiar with how the game works and excited to play it in a new setting with their parents. I also often include variations, such as slow-mo or different speed versions.
Check out Melissa’s Click Photo School course, “101 Ways to play for fresh, fun family photography” for more creative games and tips.
9. Simon Says
When I want children to do something specific, I often make it into a game by playing Simon Says. I try to save this for when children are showing signs of direction-following fatigue.
11. Follow the leader
This is one of my favorite activities to use near the end of a family session or whenever the light is golden and best. I have the family line up holding hands with the sun behind them and direct them to walk in a straight line, looking either straight ahead or at each other (just not at me).
You can also call this a snake, train (complete with fun train sounds!), or human chain. To add interest, you can play Red Light, Green Light as they walk, say “stop!” and “go!” or occasionally yell “freeze!” I use variations of this game in nearly every session, because I think it is beautiful, and I love the way it showcases the environment as well as the family.
12. “All Done!”
At the “end” of a session, when I’m confident I have enough images for a full gallery, I will often announce, “all done!” and just let the children play. This free-play portion of the session at the end allows them to interact with nature and just play on their own terms. I have noticed that some children visibly relax when the session is “over.”
During this time, I chat with parents or play with the children, but I’m still watching and ready with my camera. Some of my favorite images have been from this bonus play time after we are “done” with the session.
Why you should get to know each child:
I try to choose games and prompts that match a child’s personality and preferences, based on my own observations and my pre-session questionnaire. I always ask about a child’s interests and what makes them happy so that I can incorporate their specific interests into our play. Knowing that a child loves Peppa Pig or the song “Going on a Bear Hunt” can make all the difference in building connections and winning them over.
I also try to match a child’s energy. When a child seems shy and hesitant to interact with me directly, I allow them to remain with a parent until they are comfortable engaging in activities. Then I’ll try games they can play with their parent first, and then with me directly. When a child seems full of energy and eager to move around, I don’t try to force stand-still poses, but instead incorporate high-energy activities like running, jumping, and twirling.
The above images are a visual representation of what matching a child’s energy can look like. At the beginning of the session, this little girl was shy and hesitant to interact with me. I let her stay close to her mom and dad. When she was ready, I invited her to play through activities with her mom, and then finally by herself. By the end of the session she was comfortable with me and ready to fully interact with genuine smiles.
If you found these suggestions helpful, you can find many more ideas for play in Melissa’s self-paced course through Click Photo School, 101 Ways to Play: Fresh, Fun Family Photography.
