What Are the Best Craft Kits for Kids Who Love Photography and Cameras?
A photography craft kit for kids is a hands-on set that turns taking, printing or decorating photos into a make-and-keep activity. The best craft kits for kids who love photography are the Aqua Fairy Magic Water Elf DIY Kit for kids who want to make something worth photographing, and the VTech KidiZoom Camera Pix FX for kids who want a real first camera of their own. If your child likes to print and decorate their pictures, the Canal Toys Photo Creator Instant Camera is the one that keeps the fun going after the shutter clicks.
I picked these five kits by asking what the child actually does with a camera — shoot, make, or keep — and matching the kit to that. Prices were checked on 8 November 2026; anything I could not verify today is marked [to verify].
What kind of photography kid are you buying for?
Work out which of these three your child is before you buy. It saves you from buying a camera for a kid who really wanted a craft table, or a craft kit for a kid who really wanted to press a button.
The Shooter is always holding something up to their eye — a phone, a toy camera, their hands in a frame shape. They want to take pictures, lots of them, right now.
The Maker loves the thing at the end of the process. They build, mix or paint something, and the photo is the trophy — proof it worked.
The Keeper prints everything, sticks it on the fridge, makes albums, and decorates frames for grandparents.
Which craft kits are best for kids who love photography?
| Kit | Best for | Ages | Price | Why it wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aqua Fairy Magic Water Elf DIY Kit | Maker | 5+ | $31.99 | Make glowing water creatures, then photograph them |
| Canal Toys Photo Creator Instant Camera | Shooter + Keeper | See retailer listing | £54.99 (UK RRP); US price varies by retailer | Shoot, print and decorate in one box |
| VTech KidiZoom Camera Pix FX | Shooter | 3+ | $37.99 | A real first camera, tough enough to drop |
| Dan&Darci Glow in the Dark Rock Painting Kit | Maker | 6–12 | ~$14.99 | Paint glowing rocks that look magical in photos |
| Skillmatics Foil Fun Pretty Patterns | Maker + Keeper | 4–9 | $19.99 | Shiny foil art that photographs beautifully |
Aqua Fairy Magic Water Elf DIY Kit — $31.99, ages 5+
The kit for the Maker. Kids squeeze coloured gel into moulds, drop them in water, and watch little sea creatures form and float free — then photograph every one.
Pros: Eight bottles of gel and eight moulds, so plenty to make and photograph; the "reveal" moment is a real photo opportunity; screen-free play that keeps kids busy for an hour or more.
Cons: Not a camera kit — pair it with a camera if your child has nothing to shoot with; it needs water and table space.
Canal Toys Photo Creator Instant Camera — £54.99 UK RRP, ages vary by retailer
The kit for the kid who wants the whole loop: take the photo, print it, colour it in, and stick it on the wall. The Photo Creator Instant Camera prints on thermal paper, and the box comes with markers and stickers so every print becomes a little craft project.
Pros: Prints come out straight away, which is the part kids care about; markers and stickers turn each photo into a decorated keepsake; over 250 prints from the paper in the box.
Cons: The US price varies by retailer — £54.99 is the UK recommended retail price; thermal prints are small, not real photo quality.
VTech KidiZoom Camera Pix FX — $37.99, ages 3+
The safest first camera on the list. The VTech KidiZoom Camera Pix FX is a chunky, brightly coloured digital camera made for small hands, with 35+ photo effects, a selfie mode, games and a video recorder — and it survives being dropped down the stairs.
Pros: A real camera at a pocket-money price, with no film to buy ever; the photo effects keep younger kids experimenting; tough enough for ages 3 and up.
Cons: Image quality is fair rather than great; you will need a micro-SD card for serious storage, sold separately.
Dan&Darci Glow in the Dark Rock Painting Kit — ~$14.99, ages 6–12
A Maker kit with a photographer's payoff. Kids paint ten rocks with glow-in-the-dark paint, and the finished rocks look wonderful in photos — especially in a darkened room with the glow switched on.
Pros: Ten rocks in the box, so plenty of subjects for a photo session; the glow photographs far better than plain painted rocks; at around $15 it is an easy stocking stuffer.
Cons: The box says 6–12, so a younger child will need an adult to run the session; the glow needs "charging" under a light first.
Skillmatics Foil Fun Pretty Patterns — $19.99, ages 4–9
Foil art is a quiet winner for kids who love cameras, because shiny foil catches the light and looks far more dramatic in a photo than on the table. Kids press coloured foil onto sticker outlines to make sparkling animals and patterns, ready to photograph, frame or gift.
Pros: No mess, no drying time, no water — the cleanest kit on this list; the finished foil pictures look genuinely impressive in photos and on a bedroom wall; a good fit for ages 4–9.
Cons: A ten-year-old may find it too easy and finish the whole box in one sitting; it is flat art, so for something three-dimensional, look at the Aqua Fairy or the rocks instead.
How much will the photos cost after Christmas?
A digital camera like the VTech KidiZoom costs nothing to run — the photos live on a memory card, and printing is optional. An instant camera is different: every print costs something.
The Canal Toys Photo Creator runs on thermal paper rolls, and a refill pack costs around £24.99 for up to 100 prints in the UK — far cheaper per print than instant film. Traditional instant film can cost close to a dollar a shot, and a child who loves photography will take a lot of shots. If you buy an instant camera, put a refill pack in the same parcel.
What can a photography-loving kid make with their photos?
A camera is only half the hobby — the other half is what happens to the pictures. Two keeper projects turn a pile of photos into a gift in itself, and both work on a rainy afternoon (see our rainy-day craft kits for kids aged 8-12 for more indoor ideas).
First, the best-of-the-month wall: print the ten best photos of the month, let your child decorate the borders with Ooly Chunkies markers (6-pack, MSRP $8.95), and pin them up in date order. By Christmas you have a year in pictures.
Second, the photo scavenger hunt album: give your child a list — something red, something tiny, something that makes you laugh — and let them hunt with the camera, then stick the results in a plain album with a caption under each one. It works just as well on a Christmas morning as on a bored Sunday.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best age to buy a child their first camera? A tough digital camera like the VTech KidiZoom works from age 3, while an instant camera suits ages 6 and up, when a child can wait for a print and look after the paper.
Does my child need a real camera, or is a phone enough? A phone takes better pictures, but a camera of their own teaches them to look, frame and wait — and it keeps your phone in your pocket.
Are instant cameras expensive to run? Yes, compared with digital — film can cost close to a dollar per shot, so budget for refills or choose a thermal-paper camera like the Photo Creator, whose refills are much cheaper per print.
What craft kit should I buy a kid who already owns a camera? Buy them something to photograph: the Aqua Fairy kit for water creatures, or the Dan&Darci glow rocks for night-time shots.
Last updated: 8 November 2026. Prices checked 8 November 2026; items marked [to verify] could not be confirmed against a retailer page today.