Simple Tech Challenge For Kids: Make A Stop-Motion Movie

My kids are obsessed with technology. From photography to building and designing video game levels to playing video games, they want to try it all!

While we do try to limit screen time at our house, I also like to follow their interests and encourage them to learn and try new things. I often set up simple little tech challenges for my kids in order build creativity and inspire them. The most recent tech challenge that I have given my kids is to create their own stop-motion movies.

It all started a few months ago when my kids became obsessed with some adorable stop-motion shorts from Nintendo featuring Yarn Yoshi and his adorable puppy pal, Poochy. After watching the shorts numerous times, my husband suggested to the kids to try making their own little films using our own Yarn Yoshi toys. I immediately started searching for a stop-motion app on my iPad so that the kids could give it a try and they were instantly hooked!

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Here's what your kids will need to get started with making their own stop-motion videos:

• iPad
• stop-motion Studio app from Cateater, LLC (it’s free for the iPad)
• your child's favourite toys and any props

If you don’t have an iPad, then you could easily use a camera to take photographs of each step or scene in the movie and then use a free video editing program on the computer to assemble the video. The app is obviously much easier though, especially for younger kids.

Once you have all the required materials for this stop-motion tech challenge, you will need to explain to your kids how stop-motion movies work. They will need to create a scene with their toys, take a picture on the app and then adjust the figures every so slightly. Then they can take a new picture. Keep repeating until the storyline is complete.

Your kids might want to add extras to their movies like voiceovers, which is included in the free version of the app. There are additional features available for purchase, like the ability to add video transitions, credits and a title sequence. However, my kids find the simplicity of the free version perfect for their current needs. They're mostly just excited to watch their homemade stop-motion movies when they're done!