The kids are growing so fast and we all love taking pictures of them. Pictures of them wearing their new bike helmet, playing on the swings in the playground, sliding down the pool slide, dressed in their scary Halloween costume…. And the list goes on and on. Then we post them “Look at him riding his Bike”, “What fun we had at the pool today”, …Right?

That’s great! We need to share our moments and watch them grow while creating the ‘memories’ we’ll look back on. But, and not to put a downer on the moment here, would they be useful in identifying him/her if you needed to? I’m not trying to rain on anyone’s parade nor is this meant to be a downer post. I’m just saying I like to hedge my bets and am betting you do to. We never ever want or dream of anything bad happening, but wouldn’t it help if you were prepared if you needed to be. Here are some ways you can get useful photos and have fun getting them!

How tall are you this month?

Almost everyone has a growth chart either tapped to a door or marked on a wall somewhere and I bet you do to. What about making it a monthly game to see how much they’ve grown! Each month you can take their picture by the growth chart showing how big they got in just one month. Doing this will not only be fun, it’ll give you up to date pics of them in the process. Put the pics in a photo album and watch them grow. Just be sure to get shots of them looking directly at the camera/phone. Think about all the laughs you’ll have looking at these pics with them 10, 20 or more years from now! Hmmm — blackmail material maybe?

WANTED POSTER

You can have a lot of fun with this one!

However often you want, but no less than at least quarterly, create a WANTED poster and paste or tape their picture into it. And the beauty of this idea is that they’ll want to do it! This is not only a fun game but also a great way to teach them some responsibility because they’re Wanted for having done a good thing. You can decide what it is you want them to do without you having to nag them about it every single time. Depending on their age it could be; putting their toys away in the toy chest, picking up their room, taking out the trash, loading the dishwasher etc. You get the idea. Pick a ‘chore’ that you want them to do without having to be told to do it every time and when they’re consistent or exceeded your expectations or went above and beyond – its time to make a Wanted Poster with a new picture! Then, when they’re not around, put it up on the fridge. The next time they walk into the kitchen they’ll see the poster and what they’re wanted for along with their reward.

Here’s a template to inspire you. Download the PDF here – Wanted Poster PDF . and you can print it whenever you need it. Just paste or tape a current  4″x6″ pic of them looking like a mug shot in the frame and in the FOR box list out all the good things they’ve done and include their REWARD like; a bowl of cherry vanilla ice cream or two huge chocolate chip cookies or a trip to the toy store or scrumptious strawberries topped with whipped cream. A dinner date with mom & dad at<their favorite restaurant>.

Another way to use this is as an incentive – put it on the fridge and they get this reward when they’ve done the ‘chore’ or got that A in math class(FOR)… Just a thought but either way you get the picture (pun intended).

Other Hints & Tips

• When you take their picture get down on their level. Kneel, bend, stoop if need be but try to take their picture at their eye level.
• Make sure your pic is well lit. If using your phone, turn on the flash in your camera setting.  If you’re using the pop-up flash on a DSLR, try putting a handkerchief in front of the flash(one layer only) to soften the light or hold a business card angled toward the ceiling in front of the pop-up to direct the flash to bounce off the ceiling. Just be sure the get them to raise their face up a little since the light will be coming from above.
• Let them make those funny faces but try to get one with their every day expression.

 The bottom line is you can have a ton of fun while still being safe. Make a game of it and enjoy yourselves!

If you found this helpful then please let me know in the comments below along with any suggestions to add to this list. Thanks.

If youlike the idea of having up to date pictures of them then you can join the wait-list for our upcoming WATCH ‘EM GROW program launch! This program will help you with that and be lots of fun for them and you.