Want a great idea for an activity that will make your little one super proud? This one will also introduce him to the world of writing and visual arts all at once. You guessed it, it's actually time to make a photo novel! Never made one and don't know where to start? Don't panic, Kidlee is here.
What exactly is a photo novel?
The photo novel is a narrative art close to the comic strip with photos that aim to illustrate and tell a story at the same time. That is to say, a mixture between a comic strip and family photos, all sprinkled with a pinch of imagination.
What do you need?
For one of the coolest photo novels, you will need the following materials:
- A camera (even a phone will do)
- A sheet of paper or several!
- A computer and a printer
- Good mood and creativity.
Photo novel: where to start?
Step 1: Find a story to tell
Remember that a photo novel tells a story. So, before you begin, here are some questions you should ask the child.
What is the theme of the story? It is best to choose a simple theme. For example: school, vacations, Mother's Day, a birthday or even good deeds for the planet.
Who are the characters? Is it the two of you or just the child? Will you dress up and take new pictures or use old ones? Why not stage his toys? In short, the range of actors is endless, you can even opt for a pretty orange. The most important thing is to let the child's imagination run wild.
How many scenes? Where do they take place? This way, you will be able to prepare an adequate environment to take pictures of these scenes.
Now that you have the answers to all of these questions, it's time to write it all down on your scratch paper.
Step 2: take pictures
It's time to bring scenes to life and immortalize them in photos. Whether it's with a professional camera or a phone camera, fun and creativity will be the order of the day. Let the child create his or her own scene while remaining available if he or she needs help. So, if you have some knowledge in photography, don't hesitate to explain to the child how to take a picture or why the picture is blurry.
Step 3: Bringing the photo novel to life
Here you have two options. First, you can choose the old school method. You take out the pictures, paste them on blank paper and write the little sentences next to them. Secondly, if you are from the "new" school, you will probably use a computer to do your editing. To begin with, you already have the choice between Paint and PowerPoint, otherwise we also advise you Pixlr which is an excellent image processing software. So all you have to do is agree on the plates, the colors and the layout. Once the photo novel is finished, we'll go straight to printing to admire this piece of art in your hands. And it will be a wonderful souvenir to keep in the family library.
