Have You Taken A School Photo With Toys?

Many of us have got used to homeschooling the kids during lockdown. You might even have enrolled some of your child's toys to act as classmates.

So why not take things to the next level and arrange a "class photograph" with toys?

With junior's help, bring together all the toys you'd like to appear in the photograph. For infants, this could be a complete collection of their soft toys. For older children, it might be Barbie dolls or action figures.

Next arrange them in neat rows, with the taller toys at the back -- much like in a traditional school photograph. We found it particularly good fun to place the toys in groups so that, for example, all the teddy bears sit together, while the rabbits form another cluster. Your little one could also pose for the camera, perhaps in the centre of the group.

Take your snap. Try to make sure that all the toy classmates are fully visible. You may need to use your camera's panoramic setting to fit everything in. And take photographs from several angles as you might not notice that a toy has become hidden until you come to note down their names.

This light-hearted project is a bag of fun for both parents and kids, plus it has long-term value. You'll be very glad you did this in about 20 years' time when many of the names will have receded from memory.

My family also discovered that child number 1 has way more soft toys than we ever imagined. Time for a rethink next Christmas.