Want a summer activity that’s creative, meaningful, and gets the whole family involved? This post shows you how to turn everyday moments into a mini “scavenger hunt” photo project—complete with teams, gallery walks, award ceremonies, and free Canva templates to treasure your family’s summer memories.
As the school year ends and summer begins, parents everywhere are looking for ways to make the most of their family time together. One exciting and meaningful way to bond as a family is through a summer photography project! This project is not only fun and interactive but also provides a unique opportunity to capture and preserve precious moments.
So grab your smartphone or camera, gather your family, and embark on this creative summer adventure!
To help you document your journey, I've created a free Canva template where you can upload your scavenger hunt images and create a treasured record of your Family Photography Project. The link and Canva directions are provided below.
Why should we do a family photography project?
With busy work and school schedules, families can struggle to meaningfully connect. Add in the addictive nature of screens and it can feel like we go the whole day without talking to one another. This project allows family members to spend quality time with each other in a creative way that can also offer glimpses into the heart and mind - and that’s a pretty cool way to make and strengthen connections!
How can we get the most out of a family photography project?
- Invite other family members to join in the fun: Whether you’re on vacation visiting grandma and grandpa or they live right down the street, invite them to join in the family photography project. This is also a great family reunion activity, so don’t be afraid to present this idea to a larger group!
- Work in teams: Partner younger siblings with parents to provide practical support for little ones. But don’t be resistant to partnering a parent with older children or teenagers. Big kids still love one-on-one time with mom and dad, even if at first they seem resistant! Want to add a little competition to your project? Consider parents vs children or boys vs girls teams as well as a time limit!
- Timing: Decide if you should work the list all in one day or if you should break it apart. The age and interest of your children will influence your decision. Little kids will benefit from smaller investments of time, perhaps spending a few minutes each day tackling one item at a time. Bigger kids may tick off each item in an afternoon. Creative children who have an interest in photography may spend more time interpreting each topic, taking into consideration lighting, angles, and overall composition of each image. There is no wrong way; just whatever way works best for your family.
- Gallery Walk: This project doesn’t have to conclude with the last snap of the shutter. Print the images and present them just like a museum gallery. Each photographer could talk about which image is their favorite or you could just hang them and let family and friends admire the images on their own.
- Awards Ceremony: Award prizes or stickers for the most creative, colorful, or unusual image. If you are nurturing little photographers, categories could include best use of light, space, leading lines, composition. Or you could simply have the family vote on which image they like best from each photographer.
- Tangible Products: Don’t just keep the images digital. Print them! You could make a photo book of all of the images, use your child’s photos to make a set of greeting cards to give to Grandparents or other loved ones on special occasions or just because, or use the images to create a calendar so that this summer project can continue to inspire love and happiness throughout the year.
Family Photography Project Ideas
- Favorite place
- Favorite book
- Bird’s eye view (a picture taken from up high looking down)
- Bug’s eye view (a picture taken from low to the ground looking up)
- Favorite color
- Something small
- Something you love
- Funny faces
- Movement
- Something wild
- Animal
- Self-portrait - that expresses your personality or current mood.
- Clouds
- Reflection
- Something that looks like the letter E
- Something red
- Spider web
- Hide and Go Seek
- Favorite toy
- Strike a pose!
- Family selfie
Family Photography Project Canva Template Link
Canva directions:
- Click on the Canva Template Link
- Click “Use Template”
- Create your own FREE Canva account or Log into your existing Canva account
- Fill the template with your Family Photography Project Images!
Want some more photography project ideas? Try one of these:
Nature Scavenger Hunt
- Maple leaf
- Pinecone
- Feather
- A smooth rock
- Footprints
- Water
- Bird
- Squirrel
- Bug
- Cloud
- Colorful rock
- Wild flower
- Worm
- Bird’s nest
- Ladybug
- Ants
- Butterfly
- Hummingbird
- Cactus
- Spider
Nature Scavenger Hunt Canva Template Link
Canva directions:
- Click on the Canva Template Link
- Click “Use Template”
- Create your own FREE Canva account or Log into your existing Canva account
- Fill the template with your Family Photography Project Images!
Alphabet Hunt:
Challenge kids to find objects that start with each letter of the alphabet and take photos of them.
Canva directions:
Click on the Canva Template Link
Click “Use Template”
Create your own FREE Canva account or Log into your existing Canva account
Fill the template with your Family Photography Project Images!
Shape Scavenger Hunt:
Circle
Square
Triangle
Rectangle
Heart
Star
Tear drop
Plus / cross
Sphere
Oval
Octagon
Crescent
Pyramid
Arrow
Diamond
Right triangle
Cone
Kite
Cube
Parallelogram
Shapes Scavenger Hunt Canva Link
Canva directions:
Click on the Canva Template Link
Click “Use Template”
Create your own FREE Canva account or Log into your existing Canva account
Fill the template with your Family Photography Project Images!
Texture Hunt
Rough
Smooth
Bumpy
Soft
Hard
Wrinkly
Prickly
Fuzzy
Shiny
Scratchy
Squishy
Sticky
Slimy
Slippery
Fluffy
Dry
Gritty
Hairy
Wavy
Glossy
Texture Scavenger Hunt Canva Link
Canva directions:
Click on the Canva Template Link
Click “Use Template”
Create your own FREE Canva account or Log into your existing Canva account
Fill the template with your Family Photography Project Images!
