This post for simple stop motion for kids is in partnership with Sainsbury’s.  Have you seen the Sainsbury’s Christmas advert yet?  Mini has been singing “the greatest gift for Christmas is me” pretty much every day for weeks.  But not only has it inspired him to sign, it has inspired both of my boys to try stop motion.

I always thought that stop motion videos would take a lot of time and patience to make and that is something that my boys do not have bucketloads of!  But I want to share with you that it is simple.  Yes, really.  Sainsbury’s have sussed simple stop motion for kids.

Simple Stop Motion for Kids

So first up, what is stop motion? Well, I am sure you will have seen Wallace and Gromit, that is a stop motion film.  It’s a filmmaking technique that makes inanimate objects appear to move on their own.  Basically, you place your objects in front of the camera, take a picture, move it a little and then take another picture, so on and so on.  Digital photographs make this so much faster and a lot of fun.  The beautify of stop motion is that you do not need tons of things and special expensive software. In fact, all you really need is a free app.

In association with their fantastic Christmas advert, Sainsbury’s have brought out a really affordable amination kit to accompany it.  It costs just £5 with a £2 donation to Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.

The kit includes ready-made film sets and a full cast of fun characters, including toy designer Dave and his family.  Both of the boys have loved making their own videos and all you need is the Free Sainsbury’s Story Studio app and a camera or tablet to get started.

Maxi’s little video took him 30 minutes and it was a real joy to see him so engaged with the creative process, even finding additional props in my cake decorating tin.

The kit is great for getting kids interested in stop motion and a fantastic price.  The box transforms into a great set, plus you get a set of characters, 2 additional flat lay sets, a director’s handbook, blank storyboards, press our puppets, stickers and a zoetrope.   You can pick up yours instore whilst stocks last.

Once you have the kit, then all you need to do is download the app onto a phone and you can start making stop motion videos.+

The Benefits of Simple Stop Motion for Kids:

• Helps with storytelling and communication, especially for children that are not keen on writing.
• Stop motion is such a simple filmmaking techniques, once you have shown kids how to make a stop-motion video it is something that they can do independently, which is great for confidence.
• It encourages problem-solving.  Maxi wanted his penguins to jump, so he had to figure out how to do that.
• Encouraging planning. making a stop motion video is much easy once children plan – storyboards help with this.

It would be a perfect Christmas gift or even better grab a kit now and give the kids something fun to do once they finish school.  It is amazing what they can produce with a little imagination and some spare time.  If they do make any videos make sure you share them with us  and Sainsbury’s using #ChristmasisforSharing on The Mad House twitter, facebook or Instagram