• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Peanut Blossom
  • Start Here
  • Recipes
  • Book Club
  • Cookbooks
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • ABOUT
  • RECIPES
  • HOLIDAYS
  • BOOK CLUB
  • COOKBOOKS
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • ABOUT
    • RECIPES
    • HOLIDAYS
    • BOOK CLUB
    • COOKBOOKS
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Blog » Photography

    5 Simple Posing Tricks for Capturing Kids

    Published: Jan 23, 2014 · Modified: Dec 2, 2022 by Tiffany Dahle · This post may contain affiliate links.

    1.7K shares
    • Share
    • Email Friend!

    Great posing tips for kids when you want to capture an at home portrait session.

    A photo collage shows several shots from a portrait session of a young girl.

    It seems with every age my kids pass, we encounter different photo posing challenges.

    Just when I thought I had things down pat, they throw me a new curveball.

    You've got to be On Your Game when shooting my kids.

    I recently pulled together a Valentine's photo booth session as part of the Melissa & Doug Capturing Childhood series.

    We had so much fun that morning, I just had to share the outtakes and lessons learned with you!

    Be sure to check out  tips on setting up your own photo booth here.

    5 Simple Posing Tricks for Kids

    Simple posing tips for kids | Peanut Blossom

    1. Get the sillies out right away!

    Kids bring a bundle of energy and wiggle worms when it comes to photo sessions. They don't want to sit, cock their heads "just so" and smile at the camera. Our sessions usually start with individual photos of each girl separately to warm them up. They know I'll capture their goofiest, silliest, most obnoxious faces for a few minutes before we get to work.

    This is By Far their favorite portion of the session:

    Simple posing tips for kids | Peanut Blossom

    The big CON can be, they get so worked up they never calm back down! Once they ramp up, they throw their whole body into it and won't stay anywhere near the frame of the shot. So I discovered an awesome workaround:

    "Show me the funniest FACE you can make without moving any other part of your body!"

    Sometimes these "outtakes" end up being some of my favorites from the session, so they are totally worth your time!:

    Simple posing tips for kids | Peanut Blossom

    2. Account for Height Differences

    Simple posing tips for kids | Peanut Blossom

    My 6 year old is significantly taller than my 3 year old. When I first paired them against our backdrop, the Peanut had to scrunch down to be even remotely close to Little Pea's face.

    She was uncomfortable, Little Pea was choking her trying to hug her, and they couldn't stay still.

    I brought out one of our kid-sized chairs for her to sit on and then had her wrap one arm behind Little Pea's back and around her waist.

    I told Little Pea to put her arm around the Peanut's shoulders.

    This brought them close together more comfortably and much more stable.

    3. Do Not Ask for Cheese!

    I've mentioned this one before but I always seem to forget it. Want to know a MUCH better question?

    Ask your kids to shout:

    "Daddy wears Dirty Diapers!"

    And then be ready to Click, Click, Click as they giggle and smile up a storm.

    4. Don't Be Afraid of Bribes

    By this time, Little Pea was waning but I was "this close" to getting my shot.

    The difference between the girl on the left and the girl on the right?:

    The promise of a single M&M.

    Simple posing tips for kids | Peanut Blossom

    5. Cheek to Cheek

    One of the funniest moments of the morning is one of my new favorite tips. My friend Zina has mentioned to me how she asks her girls to touch cheeks when she takes their photo. So, I suggested my girls try the same!

    Unfortunately, our attempt looked more like this:

    Simple posing tips for kids | Peanut Blossom

    What? The cheeks are touching, right?? Ha. I pulled the Peanut out of the seat and touched my cheek to hers to show Little Pea what I was looking for.

    The final result? My new most favorite picture of my girls together. Sometimes showing works just so much better than explaining!

    Simple posing tips for kids | Peanut Blossom

    What to Do with the Photos

    Once you have the adorable pictures, why not print a few for a photo album or use them in a photo slideshow?

    • Where Should I Print My Photos? Shutterfly vs. Mpix.com?
    • A DIY photobook is on a coffee table.
      7 Unique Photo Book Ideas
    • Several Christmas presents are wrapped in red paper with big white satin bows.
      10 Heartwarming Photo Slideshow Ideas

    More Family Photo Tips

    • Two girls look at the photo on the back of a digital camera.
      100 Days of Summer Family Photos Challenge
    • A Christmas light display at night in front of the family home.
      25 Joyful Family Christmas Picture Ideas
    • A photo collage shows a mom through the years.
      100 Photos Every Mom Needs Before Her 40th Birthday
    • Photo collage of everyday life photos from a photo challenge.
      53 Photo Prompts for a Day in the Life Photo Project

    More Photography Tips for Parents

    • Fun Pumpkin Patch Poses for Tweens
    • A young girl gets on a yellow school bus on the first day of school.
      24 Back to School Moments to Capture This Year
    • How to take better Easter morning photos of your kids: sisters wearing bunny ears and pastel pajamas sit together on a piano bench.
      25 Easter Picture Ideas {FREE Printable}
    • Two young girls wearing Valentine's Day shirts in front of a red and white polka dot background.
      DIY Valentine's Day Photos of Kids

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Share Your Thoughts Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Julia Janzen

      November 18, 2014 at 12:13 pm

      Some of the links to the Melissa and Doug site like for setting up a photo booth have a 404 error message. I'm wondering if you might have another link. I'd love to see the photo booth. 🙂

      Thanks!
      Julia

      Reply
    2. Kim Byers @ The Celebration Shoppe

      January 23, 2014 at 10:02 am

      Your girls are darling! I love the suggestion to get the sillies out first; a must for a successful shoot with kids!

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. Capturing Sweethearts – Our Blog says:
      August 15, 2016 at 3:19 pm

      […] For helpful posing tricks for photo booth sessions, check out my hysterical outtakes and lessons learned here! […]

      Reply
    2. Why We Still Send Holiday Cards in the Age of Facebook says:
      November 17, 2014 at 8:38 am

      […] I’ll re-read this handy guide on 5 Simple Posing Tricks for Capturing Kids from Peanut Blossom so I’m all ready to take the family photo when the dresses […]

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Tiffany!
    I believe a great family recipe is one that makes everyone at the table happy, not just the kids. I'm the author of two bestselling cookbooks for kids that are chock full of recipes everyone in your family will love. I'm also the hostess of the best online book club for moms.

    More about me →

    What's Trending Now

    • Colorful mint juleps with fresh mint sit on a platter next to a bowl of cheese straws.
      10 Easy Kentucky Derby Party Ideas
    • A young girl chops onions in a food processor.
      The BEST DIY Kids Cooking Classes
    • A photo collage shows a brunch table with fresh flowers and candles and a few sample recipes below.
      26 Best Mother's Day Brunch Recipes
    • 20 Great Gift Ideas for Moms

    Popular

    • A freezer-friendly metal pan holds an 8x8-inch apple crisp with crumble topping.
      Freezer Friendly Apple Crisp
    • A stack of the best books for book club in 2023
      Best Book Club Picks 2023
    • A taco salad made with mini frozen tacos.
      10-minute Trader Joe's Meals
    • A photo collage shows a table set with ground beef taco fillings and tortilla shells on a pan next to alternative taco tuesday recipes ideas.
      30 Taco Tuesday Recipes for a Family Fiesta
    • A collage of easy dinners for busy nights.
      30 Quick Dinners for Busy Nights
    • A photo collages shows several easy dinner ideas kids could make.
      Easy Dinner Ideas for Yo-Yo Nights {You're On Your Own!}
    • A meal train dinner kit featuring supplies for tacos sits in an aluminum tray for delivery.
      30 Clever Meal Train Ideas with Recipes
    • Harry Potter themed snacks are in a platter with a witch hat sitting next to an open copy of a Harry Potter book.
      21 Harry Potter Snacks for Movie Night

    Footer

    As Seen On

    The Taste of Home Logo
    The Pioneer Woman Logo
    The Country Living Logo
    The Buzzfeed logo
    The Good Housekeeping Logo

    About

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Contact
    Privacy Policy
    Disclaimer
    Terms of Service

    Favorites

    Bread Recipes
    Soup Recipes
    Quick Dinner Recipes
    Harry Potter Fan Club
    Reading with Kids

    Holidays

    Easter Recipes
    Catholic Celebrations
    Thanksgiving Recipes
    Christmas Recipes

    Recipes

    Appetizers
    Dinners
    Main Dishes
    Salads
    Side Dishes
    Desserts
    Brunch
    Homemade Pantry

    ↑ back to top

    Copyright © 2023