Despite the age old “don’t ever shoot with puppies or kids” myth, working with kids on set can actually be really, really fun. This guide will give you some solid, hands on advice for making your shoot a kid-friendly and successful one.

1. Have a kid wrangler
Establish one person on your crew whose sole job it will be to watch the kids and be the point person to parents.  This person should, preferably, have some Mary-Poppins tendencies and actually enjoy being around kids.  The kid wrangler will watch them and have them where they need to be at any given time. This will also be the main point of contact with all the parents.

2. Have a kid space
Have a place set aside on your set where the kids can go to relax, play and just be kids. This should be a place that is preferably out of earshot as kids aren’t quite as good as adults at being quiet when camera is rolling.

3. Have things for them to do
Movies, coloring books, games and toys are all essentials for any kid-friendly production. Keep ‘em occupied.

4. Give them a quiet space.
Kids get tired. FAST. Have mats for each kid and some blankets or towels that they can wrap themselves in and get some quiet time. Kids need to just check out and relax.

5. Snacks & Drinks
I cannot stress this enough. Have tons of healthy, non-sugary snacks and sandwiches available at ALL times. Give each kid a specific plate or tray where they can keep their snacks. Make sure they know where their snack tray is and where they can eat it. Do not have ANY sugar on set. ANY. Tell your whole crew to suck it up for a day, they won’t die without Swedish fish. Kids crash and BURN with sugar and you can’t afford sugar meltdowns.

And if you don’t want to blow through 18 cases of water in one day? Provide each kid with their own, LABELED, water, name clearly marked, and only give them a new one when that one is gone.  You think extras go through drinks fast? Watch a pack of 5 year olds on a case of Dasani. It’ll last 7 minutes.


6. Separate the parents from the set
Parents are more than welcome to share the kids space, but try and avoid having them be on set. I have found that kids tend to act up more and often when they have a parent watching when the cameras were rolling.

7. Give them an adult buddy
If a kid is in a scene with an adult, make sure they are buddies before you begin filming. Introduce them first, and make sure they have some time to bond. The adult in this case, should act as if they are all “in this thing together” and hang out with the kids when not shooting.  I know this worked magically for me when I shot with some kids. Every time we had a break, I went with the kids, talked to them, played games. It made our on-screen time more authentic and the kids trusted me. Trust is BIG. When the kids would whine “I’m siiiick of waiting” I would whine too “Meeee toooooooo. But let’s just play a game in the meantime”.  Being “in it together” went a long way. It wasn’t adults vs kids, it was them vs us.

8. Be ready to roll
Only call the kids on set when you are ready to roll. They lose patience faster than my Grandma in line at Arby’s.  Have the wrangler prep them beforehand, have the adult talent get excited with them. Then call them on set and be instantly ready to roll.

9. Never ever ever have arguments or discussions in front of kids
If a kid sees any minor flaw or way to break the peace, they’ll take it and run with it. Don’t ever let them see you sweat. If you need to have a serious discussion on set, or an argument is brewing? Promptly, swiftly and immediately whisk the kids to their waiting station and make sure they are oblivious.  Nothing will kill a kids performance faster than a bitchy producer / director squabble. Kids don’t get it and it makes them freeze up.

10. Make it FUN
Remember, acting is supposed to be play-acting and you should approach it that way. Kids approach it as imaginary play and you should too. It should be fun and carefree. Keep the tone light. You don’t have to kiss their ass, but make sure they enjoy themselves.

11. One person directs the kids. ONE.
If someone needs the kids to move or do something differently, one person and only one person should be giving them direction. Too many people directing them will just have them confused and overwhelmed and they’ll feel ganged up on.  Make sure everyone on set knows this and adheres to it. If someone else besides that one person wants to make a suggestion? Have them whisper it in the ear of the ONE person and then relay the message to the kids.

12. Don’t be afraid to be the fall guy
I was the main talent on a shoot with kids and whenever we had any feedback or change for the acting in the kids I would always make sure that I was included in the  advice, sometimes even taking the fall.

For example, if the kid wasn’t looking at the camera when they spoke and we couldn’t see their face? The director would whisper it in my ear and then I’d roll my eyes to the kids and say “I’m soooo sorry! I blocked you on that last shot, and the director couldn’t see your face. Could we reshoot it and this time I’ll lean back so I don’t mess it up and you could lean forward a little bit more so they can be sure to see your face?” The kids listened because they felt bad for me, we got the shot and who cares if I was the fall guy?

13. Once in wardrobe, TAKE A PICTURE
Oooooh kids. They truly have no idea what they were wearing after they’ve put it on. Take a picture of them in the approved wardrobe immediately and hang it on a poster board near set.  Double check them against the photo when they go on camera. Trust me, they will NOT remember what headband, hat or shoe was theirs once they’ve chucked it off and started playing. 

What if you have a lot of accessories for your kid talent?

I took a big tarp and with a thick sharpie made big boxes on the tarp and wrote the kids names in the boxes. Every time they left set I had them take off their accessories, and I would place them within the box on the tarp. This made it extremely easy to get them back into wardrobe, without searching under couches and in bathrooms for hats and such.


14. Be complimentary
Imagine your most prima donna actress and then multiply it by 15. Kids need positive reinforcement. Smile. Tell them they were fantastic. High-five them and the killer? SHOW THEM THE SHOT. Every kid instantly gets better once you all huddle around the camera, and everyone oooohs and ahhhs over how great the shot turned out. Plus, it’s usually generally exciting and fun to have the kids get excited. It makes it more fun for everyone.

15. Don’t you know who I am? 
I usually play “don’t you know who I am?” with kids on set. It’s a pretty simple game. We’d get them to laugh about how FAMOUS we were going to be after the shoot/production. We’d talk about how we’d be sooo famous we’d be one of those people who would say “Don’t you know who I am?” Then all day long we’d say “don’t you know who I am” at the silliest times. If someone asked to pass the pretzels we’d turn and say “Don’t you know who I AM?” If someone farted nearby (very common kid set occurrence) we’d turn our noses up and say “Don’t you know who I am!?!”  It became an infectious silly way for us to act “Hollywood” and get the kids excited, plus it was really funny.

Happy Shooting! And remember, working with kids can be rewarding, fun and a silly good time!