10 Fun And Inspiring Photography Gift Ideas For Kids

Help your kids develop their growing love of photography with a gift that will help them take even better photos.

Many kids love to take photos of themselves, their friends, and the world around them.

And if your child falls into this bracket too then that's great.

Because photography is a really good hobby for them to get into as it's fun, challenging, brings out their creative side, and helps them to express themselves.

And it'll also get them out of the house and into the fresh air too, rather than being holed up in their rooms playing on their PS4 or scrolling through social media.

So, why not encourage their interest in photography by getting them a gift that can improve their knowledge, skills, and enjoyment of it.

As the following photography gift ideas for kids will all do just that.

1. A Quality Camera That Is Also Child Friendly

DSLR cameras are great.

However, they're also heavy, expensive, delicate, easy to damage, and complicated to use.

Basically, everything you don't want in a camera for kids!

So, it's a far better idea to start your kids off with a point and shoot camera instead, as these are smaller, lighter, easier to get to grips with, and will withstand the odd bump or accident.

And a great example of a point and shoot that is ideal for kids is the Nikon Coolpix W150.

As this one is both waterproof and shockproof, so is rugged enough to be a long lasting camera for adventurous and playful children.

And the simple menu makes it really easy to use, so they won't get frustrated and lose interest in it.

So, for a gift that will encourage and inspire your child to love photography, this camera is a pretty good choice.

2. A Polaroid Style Camera For Instant Photo Prints

A good point and shoot camera is great for helping kids build their photography skills and really develop a passion for it.

However, some kids just want a camera that is a bit more fun and playful.

And they can have endless hours of fun with their friends if you get them an instant film camera.

As these cameras print the photos you take instantly, giving you a physical copy to keep or give away.

And these photos make great mementos and keepsakes that a kid can put up on their bedroom or in their school locker.

So, if this sounds like a gift your child would enjoy check out the Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 camera.

As this one is fun, super easy to use with auto focusing, and prints out small polaroid photos for you to enjoy with your friends and family instantly.

The only downside to this type of camera is you have to keep buying film for them and this can run pretty expensive over time.

However, knowing they only have a limited amount of film to use can actually benefit the kids.

As this way they have to really think about the photos they are taking rather than just snapping away randomly like on a digital camera. 

3. A Lens For Their Smartphone

There's no denying that kids love to take photos on their smartphone.

And as most smartphones are equipped with really high quality cameras these days, they can capture some really great images.

However, there are ways you can improve this photo quality even further and one way is by using a special lens for your smartphone.

As these are small gadgets that clip to your smartphone and give you more options for your photos.

So, you can use a wide angle lens to greatly increase the field of view and take wider more expansive shots.

While a macro lens will give you stunningly intense close up photos that are usually beyond the scope of your smartphone camera.

And a good kit to go for is the Xenvo Pro lens kit.

As this includes both a high quality macro lens (15 times magnification) and a wide angle lens (expands field of view by 140 degrees) that will give you the chance to capture stunning photos to post to Instagram.

And there's also a clip on LED light to help them illuminate their subjects better than their onboard flash can.

So, this a gift any phone obsessed teenager will love.

4. A Selfie Stick For The Best Instagram Shots

Is there anything kids and teenagers love more than a selfie?

Nope, I can't think of anything either.

So, if they don't already have one then getting them a selfie stick is a great little gift for them.

As this allows them to extend their reach and capture their best angle, giving them awesome selfies to flood Facebook and Instagram with.

And while any selfie stick will do the job, one that I'd recommend is the 40-Inch aluminum alloy selfie stick tripod above.

Because as well as being a really good selfie stick, you can also open up some legs in the base of the handle and it becomes a mini tripod too.

Which is great for taking steady group photos of themselves and their friends when out and about in cool places.  

5. A Photography Book To Help Them Learn

While learning how to use your camera and take photos by trial and error can be fun, a little guidance can go a long way and make the whole process a lot easier.

So, why not get your young ones a photography book that can improve their knowledge and skills?

Because as they learn and become better photographers their passion for their hobby will continue to grow.

And there are many great books designed especially for kids to help them on their photography journey.

So, for a book that explains the techniques and principles behind taking great photos you could get them the 'National Geographic Kids Guide To Photography'.

As this one teaches them how to set up shots, shoot different subjects, stage their lighting, and get the most out of their photographic equipment.

While 'Seeing Things: A Kids Guide To Looking At Photographs' is a book that showcases famous photographs and explains what it is that makes them so great.

Which will help child photographers set up shots and be able to tell a story with their own photographs. 

6. A Wireless Photo Printer So They Can Develop Their Shots

While posting photos online is great, you can't beat the joy of holding them in your hands.

So, giving your kids a photo printer to print out their creations with is a really nice gift idea.

And one I'd highly recommend is the Canon Selphy CP1300.

As this one lets them print directly from their smartphones, iPads or cameras in a range of sizes, producing photos of a high quality that look great.

And they can do so on traditional photo paper for normal photos or use sticker paper to create photos they can stick onto phones, in school books, or in lockers.

You can also team up with your friends to create prints of photo collages that combine your work.

And this printer is small and compact, so it's easy to slip into their school bag to take over to their friends houses.

So, this is a gift that all child photographers will love.

7. A Photo Album To Store All Their Favourite Photos In

Once your kid has the chance to print out some of the photos they've taken then another gift idea is to get them a photo album to put them in.

As this will give them the chance to create a scrapbook of their best work and be something they can look back on with pride.

So, something like the Pioneer Photo Album would be a good choice.

As this one has an emoji cover that will appeal to kids and a frame on the front to put a photo of themselves into.

And there's room inside to fit up to 200 photos (4" x 6") so they'll have plenty of space to fill up. 

8. A GoPro Action Camera For Adventurous Kids

If you have an adventurous teenager who is more interested in shooting video than static photos then they'll be over the moon if you get them a GoPro Hero 8.

As this will allow them to capture all their high jinks in stunning and smooth 1080p HD quality video.

Whether that be mountain biking, kayaking, surfing, abseiling, or whatever they get up to.

The GoPro is a tough, durable, and waterproof (up to 33 ft) camera, so they'll have no worries about it when it's strapped to their helmets.

Which is great as they'll be able to enjoy the adrenaline rush all over again when they watch it back afterwards.

And you can still snap some impressive still photos with it too.

So, for a special gift for those that live an exciting and action packed life that they want to capture and share, this camera is perfect.

9. A Camera Drone For Stunning Aerial Shots

Another super cool photography gift idea for a teenager is to get them a drone.

As this will allow them to take photos and video from the skies, which is amazing and will open up the world for them from a new perspective.

So, this is great for getting stunning shots of things like landscapes, coasts, or busy cities.

And they can also be great for taking photos of areas that may be hard to reach by foot, as well as being good for capturing fast moving action shots.

While flying the drone itself is a fun activity in its own right, after all it is a flying toy even if you don't use the camera!

So, getting your kid a starter drone to play around with like the Altair AA108 is a gift they'll absolutely adore.

As not only does this come with a 720p HD camera that is capable of taking some really nice photos and videos.

It also has a beginners mode that makes it super easy to fly, with one touch take off and landing, built in stabilisation, and an altitude hold mode that keeps it airborne even if you take your hands off the controls.

So, they can get their drone 'wings' with less chance of crashing and smashing it to pieces. 

And once they've got used to flying this drone they are in the perfect place to be able to upgrade to more complex and sophisticated models in the future.

10. A Deck Of Cards To Give Them Inspiration For Their Next Photos

The last thing you want is for your child to run out of ideas of what to photograph, get bored, and give up on their hobby.

So the next gift idea is really great way to negate that, and that is to get them a pack of photography idea cards.

As this deck contains 72 cards each with a different photography theme or challenge on it.

Meaning they'll always have fresh things to try out whenever they are running low on inspiration. 

Rounding Up

Photography is a really fun, inspiring and healthy activity for kids to get into.

So, I hope you've managed to find a gift here that you think your photography-obsessed child will enjoy.

Because all of the photography gift ideas for kids I've given you here are ones that will improve their experience in one way or another.

And as such they'll all be gratefully received by any budding photographer.