Using a digital camera is a vital skill in today's world and that is why I always make a point of teaching our reception children how to use it both safely and successfully to provide them with the necessary photographic skills needed to operate it effectively in futures years.
One of the first lessons I do with them is very basic, where all they have to do is take a photo of another child within the group. As well as ensuring that they are all taught the basic operating instructions for the camera, the activity also serves well to help me learn their personalities (not that easy when they're just sat working at a PC) and gives me a nice collection of photos to keep for later use (including showing them to them when they're about to leave the school at the end of Year 6).
We begin by discussing how to hold the camera safely in a wrist strap so that it won't break if dropped and I also show them some of the important buttons on it like the power and snapshot ones. Two other things I emphasise to them is the importance of holding the camera still whilst taking their photograph (so that the photo doesn't turn out blurry) and the reasons for not covering the lens with their fingers (you'd be amazed at how many children are tempted to do this).
Having explained all this, I then get them to take turns at taking photographs of each other - encouraging the subject of each to smile when looking at the camera by saying silly phrases like 'sausages'! After each photo, I also show them how to select the 'play' mode on the camera to review their photo and ask them re-take their shot if the child's face is: grumpy, looking away from the camera or not even in the shot!
Finally, I support the children in attaching the camera to the computer and using the simple printing wizard offered by Windows to print out their photographs. They all really enjoy doing this and are always impressed that they've managed to take a photograph all by themselves and print it out within the 20 minute session.
As you can see it is quite a simple lesson but it is one that teaches a lot of key principles to the children and provides them with a good foundation of skills for developing more independent and creative photography later in the year.
(You can see a collage of the photos they took this year on my school's website by clicking here.)
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