4 Fun Photography Activities for Kids with the Instax Mini!

Written by Kathleen Frank

Many of us are in a new time of balancing working from home and home-schooling. And if you’re anything like me, you could use some help!

We came up with four fun Instax Mini activities to introduce kids to the world of film photography.

These are perfect to do as a family or for kids to do solo. We even included some ways to extend the activities in case you need them to take a little more time.

You can check out pricing and reviews for the Instax Mini here.

Why Film?

These projects are flexible enough to be used with any camera, film or digital, but using an instant film camera, like a Fujifilm Instax camera (find on Amazon), will give kids a little extra fun and novelty.

Who doesn’t love the excitement of waiting for a Polaroid picture to develop? It’s such a different experience than snapping pictures with an iPhone.

There are also a limited number of shots per pack of film, so it will help kids slow down, think about the images they want to create, and really engage with the activity.

It’s also a great way to share your own film photography hobby with your kids!

What Camera Should You Use?

We love the Fujifilm Instax Mini for these projects. It’s simple enough for kids of almost any age, and it comes in fun colors with plenty of kid friendly accessories.

It also has pretty affordable film, which is always a plus! It’s a great way to get kids excited about film photography.

Let’s get on to the activities!

1. Film Photography Scavenger Hunt

Everyone loves a scavenger hunt! Give each kid one pack of Instax film and a list of ten items to find. A few great scavenger hunt themes are colors, letters of the alphabet, or nature.

If you want to make the activity a little more special, have each of the scavenger hunt items connect to an emotion, such as: Photograph someone who makes you laugh, or photograph your favorite thing to do on a rainy day.

Extend the Activity: You can make this one a little tougher by adding more items to the list, or you can try layering up themes. Like, find objects in nature that start with the letter n.

For older kids, try branching out into photography concepts. Ten images each covering a different aspect of photography, such as light and shadow, rule-of-thirds, or close-ups.

Another great way to extend the activity is to turn your family room into an art gallery at the end of the scavenger hunt. Have kids find creative ways to display their Instax images and write a title card for each one.

2. Tell a Story in Ten Frames

Have kids gather up their favorite toys and create an epic story with them. Use the Instax camera to capture the story in ten images. Display the images in order and see if the rest of the family can understand the story.

Extend the Activity: Kids can spend time writing out their story before they photograph it. You can also play a game where you mix up the order of the images and the other kids or family members try to put the pictures in the right order.

3. Document Your Day

Your family might be getting a little bored with staying at home right now, so ask your kids to become photojournalists for a day!

Use the Instax Mini to photographic ten moments throughout the day that show what life is like right now. It might help to set a timer throughout the day to remember to take the pictures.

Extend the Activity: Ask your kids to write out why they choose the moments they did. Kids can also dress up like reporters and come up with little news stories for each moment they photographed.

Want to keep it going? Have the kids put on a news show at the end of the day and share their images and headlines.

4. Photo-a-Day Gratitude Journal

This is a great time to slow down a bit and remember what we’re grateful for. It’s also a great project if kids are feeling overwhelmed by what they’re hearing in the news and how life has changed.

Have kids use their Instax camera to take a photo every day for a week of something they are grateful for, something that is helping them get through this time. Write the date on the image, and paste the photo in a journal or album.

You can find some great Instax Mini albums on Amazon here.

Extend the Activity: Expand the journal idea for this activity by having kids write out what they are grateful for and why to go with each image. You can also make this into more of a scrapbook and have kids decorate their pages after they paste in their images.

If you try out any of these projects, let us know how it goes in the comments! And please share any other photography activities that have been a hit with your kids!

We’d also love to hear if you’d like to see more film-related photography activities for kids on the site! We love seeing you share your film photography passion with your kids and bringing up the next generation of film photographers.

Kathleen is the founder of Shoot It With Film, and you can read more of her articles here, such as Shooting Film on a Budget and 5 Great 35mm Film Cameras for Beginners. You can also check out her work on her website and Instagram.

Leave any questions below in the comments, and you can pick up a Fujifilm Instax Mini for yourself on Amazon.

And if you want to learn more about shooting film, read all of our film photography tutorials here!

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Kathleen Ellis

Kathleen Ellis (Kathleen Frank) is a fine art and travel film photographer and the founder of Shoot It With Film. Find her other articles here, such as 5 35mm Film Cameras for Beginners and 5 Best Point and Shoot Film Cameras.

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