Make an At-Home Photo Booth for Free Family Fun!

The family that plays together stays together, right?

It can be a real struggle for families to find and spend quality time together these days.  Many moms and dads work long hours and are exhausted by the end of the day.  Not to mention the fact that in today’s economy, most families don’t have a lot of extra money to spend on various activities.

In our family, we are constantly trying to find the balance between giving each person time to recharge alone, getting date time as husband and wife, and having fun all together.

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One of the things I’m constantly brainstorming is what kinds of family activities we all can enjoy even on weeknights that will strengthen our relationships for years to come!

Here’s a quick, easy, and totally free idea for something to do that will bring out the silly side in everyone!

At-Home Photo Booth

You’ll need:

– a camera/smartphone
– access to a computer
– props and backgrounds {optional}

Recently, my son and I were at the mall when he spotted a photo booth and asked me what it was.  I explained that you pay money, sit inside, and it takes several photos of you that print out on a strip.  He, of course, was immediately sold.  I, on the other hand, could think of lots of better uses for my $3.  Then it hit me, photo booths are fun.

 Why not do it on our own?  

To have your own photo booth experience, you can either put up a sheet or blanket to make a background, or use a plain wall behind you.  Then, pose in as many silly ways as you can imagine and take the photos either by flipping the camera on your phone or setting up a tripod.  Here are a few ideas for making your photos memorable:

1. Face It

We tried all the crazy faces we could think of: bunny ears, big grins, serious faces, “deep in thought” faces, fish faces, sticking our tongues out…well, you’ll see for yourself.   It can actually be a funny way to see how similar your facial features really are to those of your children…

2. Give Yourself Props

For New Year’s Eve, I used my Silhouette Cameo cutting machine to make hats, mustaches, masks, and more out of cardstock and popsicle sticks for us to use.

We even got the extended family, my parents, to play along!

If you don’t want to make your own props, use things you already have around the house!  Get out various sunglasses, hats, or even old Halloween costumes.

3. You’ve Been Framed

Holding an empty photo frame can add another fun element to your snapshots.

4. Strip It

There are online photo editors like PicMonkey.com and Ribbet.com where you can upload your photos and turn them into collages totally free!  If you want that authentic photo booth feel, you can have it!  Just create your collage, print, cut, and voil·!

The best part about it?  Well, there are actually a few.

It’s easy, it’s free, and it’s fun for the whole family.  Plus, you can have all the entertainment you want without even having to leave the house.

And hey, some of the photos might turn out to be useful in the future, like on your Christmas cards or to embarrass your kids in front of their prom dates.

Here’s to families and fun!

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