3 Tips to Prepare Your Child for Picture Day

In your mind, you clearly visualize the school picture of your son or daughter: a neatly dressed child with a beautiful smile and perfectly coiffed hair. The portrait of your dreams will be prominently placed in your home and the homes of grandparents and other relatives. Then, the proofs arrive and you realize your expectations have not been met: shirts are untucked and wrinkled, hair is messy, or the beautiful smile you imagined is completely absent. How can you prepare your child for school picture day to bring expectations and reality closer together? Schools in Polk County will soon have fall school picture day. The following tips from the Catholic Diocese of Orlando will better prepare your child for this important day.

• Choices: Be sure that the uniform chosen for picture day is free of stains and obvious wear and pressed.
• Practice: Some children simply do not have ample practice sitting still for a portrait. Explain what will probably be expected of them and practice sitting and having a photo taken. If you have a digital camera, show your child how the pictures look afterward. If not, use your phone to take pictures.
• Hair care: Millions of school pictures depict a smiling child with extremely crooked bangs. Rather than reaching for a pair of scissors or scheduling a hair appointment the day before pictures are to be taken, have your child’s hair cut at least a week in advance. This gives the hair a chance to look more natural and any minor haircut imperfections to be repaired. For young children, keep hairstyles simple because tiny hands tend to pull out bows and shove perfectly placed hair into disarray.

While you should not go overboard with practicing smiling (which usually results in forced smiles), you should take the time to ensure your child’s face is washed after breakfast, his or her clothes are clean, and you are not showing any anxiety. Remember, pictures can be taken again on make-up day, and if your child does not particularly care for the photographer for the schools in Polk County, choose another party to take the pictures. Call the Polk County Catholic Schools at 407-246-4800 to inquire about your child’s school picture schedule.