I love taking photos of my kids. In fact, if you asked me what my hobby was, I would probably say kid’s photos.

Most of the walls in my home are decorated with photos of my children over the years. Summer is my favorite time of year to take photos of my kids because there are so many opportunities for great pictures.

Need photo tips? Here are my five favorite tips for taking great photos of your kids. 

While my children typically provide an endless supply of photo ideas, sometimes I need a little inspiration. Especially if I’m working on a gallery wall or other photo project for my home.

Most of these pictures are things that can and should happen during the natural course of the day in summer, and I intend some to be used as a sort of summer photo “bucket list” of things to do this summer.

I hope these kid’s photo ideas spur you on to enjoy summer experiences with your kids and to preserve them with photographs.        

Here are 50 ideas of simple but memorable pictures to take of your kids this summer. Use it as a springboard to come up with your own photos as well.

50 Kid’s Photos to Take this Summer

1. 1. Dirty feet – Little, bare, dirty, sweet feet. 
   2. Eating watermelon, the drippier the better.
   3. Footprints in the beach sand.
   4. Picking wildflowers in a field – classic.
   5. Lounging in a hammock reading.
   6. Riding bikes in the neighborhood.
   7. Asleep after a day of hard playing.
   8. Jumping in puddles after a summer rainstorm.
   9. Little flip flop feet in the grass.
   10. Having a backyard finger food picnic.
   11. Hands holding a water balloon.
   12. Mid cannonball, belly flop, or Nestea plunge. 
   13. Playing tag in the backyard.
   14. Eating a melting ice cream cone.
   15. Inspecting or holding a bug.
   16. Twirling sparklers in the night.
   17. Eating messy gooey s’mores.
   18. Fishing – feet dangling, dirty hands, tiny fish.
   19. Cannonballing into the pool.
   20. Feeding ducks at a local pond.
   21. Blowing bubbles with a sibling.
   22. Faces glowing in the light of a bonfire.
   23. Running through a sprinkler.
   24. Flying down a slide with wild abandon. 
   25. Giggling with a friend.
   26. Asleep in the backseat on a road trip.
   27. Picking berries at a local farm.
   28. Lounging in the pool on a raft. 
   29. Pulling weeds in the garden.
   30. On the beach with the sunset as their backdrop.
   31. Holding a mini American flag at a parade.
   32. Lying in the grass.
   33. Wishing and blowing on dandelion fluff. 
   34. New summer clothes.
   35. Freckles brought on by summer sunshine.
   36. Nibbling popcorn on movie night.
   37. Faces peeking out of the camping tent.
   38. Playing with the family pet.
   39. Riding a ride at a carnival or fair.
   40. Don’t forget to let them take a summer selfie!
   41. Catching tadpoles or lightning bugs. 
   42. Holding a butterfly on their little finger.
   43. Washing the family car.
   44. Searching the shelves in the library.
   45. Climbing a tree.
   46. Holding the first giant hamburger of bbq season.
   47. Siblings holding hands.
   48. Sleeping in bed head.
   49. Sipping pink lemonade.
   50. Your littles with YOU.

Make it a goal this summer to shoot these pics and more. Remember, you only get so many summers, mom. Make this a great one and record it for the memories!

With seven children, trips to the dentist can be quite the adventure. Since my children were young we’ve always emphasized good dental habits because frankly, I didn’t want to pay for fillings x 7!

When they were very small, the dentist would line them up against the back wall and do their exams standing up since there wasn’t enough room in the chairs for all of them.

We’d usually have high fives all around when all seven would be declared cavity free, once again. Over the past 22 years we’ve only had three cavities! I’d consider that a success.

With the largest candy holiday of the year only a few weeks away, now is a great time to teach your kids how to scare those cavities away. So what are my tips for keeping the cavities at bay?

Drink Lots of Water

While my children love fruit juice, sodas and other beverages, we’ve always encouraged our children to drink water throughout the day and with their meals. This is especially important in the evening hours. I’ve known families who put their children to bed with a sippy cup full of juice, which is basically like giving them a cup of sugar!

I purposefully didn’t buy soda or juice when my kids were little, because I wanted them to drink as much water as possible.

Limit Sticky Sweets

When your child comes home with a bag full of candy, it’s okay to remove many of the biggest cavity causing candies, like sticky sweets, gummies, and lollipops. Your child will probably have so much candy they won’t even notice if you take these cavity causing candies.

In addition to removing some of the worst offenders, limit the amount of candy your child is allowed to have each day. Don’t let them store their candy in their bedroom or a place where they have easy access to it. I remember one year, I found about fifty candy wrappers under one unnamed child’s bed after Christmas.  That was the last time we let them keep candy in their room when they were little!

Set Them up for Success

We make sure each child has their favorite color toothbrush, toothpaste they like, and we helped them brush and floss when they were little. We sing brushing songs, use timers (and timer toothbrushes), and even got them little cups so they could swish and spit like the big kids.

Once they were older, our orthodontist recommended ACT Kids Anticavity Rinse* (recommended for children 6 years of age and older) which can deliver the power of fluoride to all of the surfaces of your children’s teeth to help prevent cavities, strengthen tooth enamel and protect their teeth.

My kids LOVE using ACT Kids Anticavity rinse and beg to use it regularly. It’s an easy way to prevent cavities that they never forget to do.

When my children were very young, we brushed their teeth in the bathtub. Instead of getting the bathroom counters covered in toothpaste and mess, everything washed down the shower drain when they were done. (I have some adult friends who still do this!)

At Christmas time, when cookies, candies, and sweets seem to be everywhere, my kids get a toothbrush in their stocking every year. Hopefully it helps remind them to brush after they eat all their chocolate!

Reward Cavity Free Trips to the Dentist

Years ago I met someone who paid their children $10 each time they went to the dentist and they were cavity free. Considering the cost of a filling was about $75, $10 was a bargain!

I loved this idea and decided to try it with my own kids. My kids look forward to going to the dentist because of the free goody bag and new toothbrush, but also because they know they are going to earn $10 if they keep up the good dental habits between visits. Even though it hurts the pocketbook a bit when I’m paying out $10 per kid, it’s still cheaper than filling one cavity.

Trade the Candy for Cash!

Once after my nephews had an exceptionally large trick-or-treating candy haul, my brother had an excellent idea. He allowed his boys to sample some of their favorite candies and then offered to buy their entire bag from them. Since the boys were saving up for some electronics, they quickly decided to trade in their bags of sugary sweets for some cash.

If you don’t want to trade candy for cash, you can trade candy for a special event (trip to the zoo or museum), a toy, or something else your child really wants.

This year, don’t let the upcoming candy filled holidays scare away all the good dental habits in your kids. Start these habits now, before the candy comes through the door and help prevent your kids from dealing with cavities down the road.

Do you have a great tip for keeping the cavities at bay?

Leave a comment sharing your tip and be entered to win an awesome anticavity prize package, which includes better-for-you snacks, ACT Kids Anticavity Rinse, fun certificates for the kids and much more. ACT provided me with one of these “Anticavity Goody Bags” and is offering one to a lucky winner, as well.

Giveaway is open only to US residents ages 18 years of age or older. A winner will be selected using Random.org on October 24, 2016 and will be notified via email or message on social media.

*ACT Kids Anticavity Rinse was ranked as the #1 recommended children’s mouthwash by pharmacists in the 2016 OTC Guide from Pharmacy Times.