These days, it’s all too easy to snap pictures of your children any time of the day with our smartphone or pocket cameras. In fact, parents today may be guilty of becoming too “trigger happy” at times, and hiding behind the camera instead of engaging with their kids face to face.

Still, there is definitely enough time for capturing precious memories. Here are 10 photos parents should remember to take!

1. Annual portrait shot

This is a great way to chronicle your kids’ lives over the years. Choose a background that is more or less a meaningful constant in your lives, e.g your grandparents’ house, or a bench in the nearby park, or seated on your familiar family sofa that has been handed down from generation to generation. Every year, get the kids (and/or yourselves) to pose in the same configuration. Many years later, you’ll marvel as you look at how each year’s photo is a testament to a year of much growth and maturity.

2. Playtime

Take candid shots of your children at play – whether at home or out of doors. Don’t ask them to stop their play for a photo! Rather, get your camera ready to snap those looks of glee before the Big Jump, or the sense of victory when the Police catches his Thief. Pillow fights, garden romps, racing around the playground – these are their moments of pure delight begging to be captured.

3. Those unique mannerisms

Every child – every person really – has some set of unique quirks or habits that make you laugh and immediately go “That’s so you!” It could be the nonchalant way she flicks her hair every or the endearing way he crooks his mouth to the side when he’s trying to ask for something. Try to capture these moments, difficult as it may be.

5. Favourite toy

Ask your child to pose with his favourite toy. It could be her lovey which she never leaves home without or his best car that he would never lend to a friend.

5. Bath time

Little kids look simply adorable in the bathtub, surrounded with their favourite bath toys and lots of lovely bubbles! Or wrapped up in a towel, with squeaky clean faces and wet spikes of hair. Take their photos while they’re young, and don’t have that self-consciousness about their naked form that older children would have. Of course, be wise in what angles you take from, to avoid indecent exposure!

6. Milestones

This is an automatic reflex for most parents, but we thought we’d still include it here. Capture those beautiful and brave firsts for your little ones – the first time eating solids, the first day at school, the first tooth that fell out, the first solo swim, the first piano recital, that first date, and so on…

7. In the zone

What sets your child’s imagination ablaze? What gets him up first thing in the morning? How does he love to spend his time? What does he enjoy doing with his hands? Whether it is reading a good book, drawing dragons and dinosaurs, dressing up as Princess Elsa, collecting leaves or building Lego towers, take photos of your child “in the zone”, those moments when he is completely engrossed in the task that he loves, those glimpses into his passions waiting to take flight.

8. Best friends

Sure, best friends may come and go, and even change rapidly as your child grows older, but these are special friends nonetheless that you and your child may want to remember. So take photos together, whenever you can.

9. Photo with Mum

Sometimes we’re so busy taking photos of our kids, we forget to take photos WITH them, which are just as important. Mums, take photos with your kids, whether it be a spontaneous #wefie or a posed photo in matching Christmas outfits.

10. Photo with Dad

Of course, the same goes for Dads. Don’t always be the man behind the camera – remember to be in front of it sometimes too. Our children want to remember their childhood not just as their childhood, but as a journey with family and loved ones.

By Dorothea Chow.

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What kinds of photos do you love most taking of your child? Share them in our comments below!

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