Getting Genuine Smiles From Kids – 5 Easy Tips

Sometimes it seems impossible to get genuine smiles from your child. You know the smiles where you can see that even their eyes are smiling?  If only you just had to say “smile!” and they would turn, give you that beautiful smile, and carry on their way… if only.  However, as moms we all know the smile that will come out when we simply say “smile!”.  It tends to be that pained look where they pull their lips back and tighten their cheeks.  It could be the super smile where it’s all teeth and their eyes are shut from cheesing so hard. Or it could be a regular smile, but you can tell that the smile hasn’t made it up to their eyes.  These smiles are okay, and many times funny, but there is a way to get some genuine smiles in the mix to warm your mama heart.

Don’t Smile

Sounding somewhat serious and like you are going to tell them something really important, explain that you absolutely do not want them to smile.  And if they give you a little smirk, be sure to dramatically jump in and say “wait, wait, wait!  You’re not supposed to smile!  Stop smiling!”  The bigger deal you make it seem, the bigger the smile you will probably get.

Get them Moving

Sometimes the easiest way to get genuine smiles is to have the child forget about smiling altogether. Give your child a movement to do and be sure to make silly comments about them when you can. Have them spin in a circle (whoa, are you dizzy?), jump 3 times (you’re like a kangaroo!), tilt your head from side to side (boing, boing, boing), go back and forth between making a happy and sad face (yell out happy, sad, happy, sad), gently bump into the person next to you, swing your arms back and forth, touch your head then belly. After they do a movement you can say “look at me!”. Turn it into a game and give them movements faster and faster so they end up getting a little bit silly with the movements which will in turn give you some great smiles.

Fart Noises

I’m not one for potty talk. However, if I’m in need of a good, genuine smile, nothing can bring a smile like a fart noise.  You can even continue to try to figure out where the fart noise came from. That tends to bring on a laugh which is an equally fantastic photo.

Making Silly Noises

This one would seem like it goes along with making fart noises, but it’s a little different.  This is one where you can ask a child to make a silly noise or an animal noise.  Or you can make the noise and see if they can make the same sound you did.  For this technique, you don’t want to take the photo when they are making the noise.  You want to catch the moment after; when they see your reaction to the noise or the fact that making a silly noise made them smile.

Sneak Up On Them

This tip requires a bit of stealth mode on the part of the parent.  If my child is in the middle of play, I will sneak up on them and simply say “Hey, (child’s name)” in kind of a sing-songy way to get them interested in looking at me.  Then I’ll say “gotcha!” or “peek!” or even “smile!”.  Once they realize that you “caught them” and got the picture it usually brings on that genuine smile.  Similar to the silly noises, the genuine smile tends to come after you’ve “caught them”. So you may need to wait a beat before you take the photo.

All kids are different, so using some of these tips may work for some and not others.  But, always be sure to switch up your tactics – kids are smart.  I use these same techniques whether I’m at a photo session or taking snapshots of my kids at home.  

There is nothing better than getting a photo of your child with a genuine smile. Try out these tips for getting those genuine smiles and let me know which worked for your kids!

Want me to capture these genuine smiles for you? I’m running limited edition Personality Portraits in May. CLICK HERE to find out more or sign up for your own spot!