Awhile ago my husband and I watched this documentary series called Two Brothers and I loved how a father did video interviews over the years and compiled it together into a moving piece of family history!
My friend and blogger Jennifer Borget of Cherish365 is great at doing these video interviews with her kids on their birthdays (and is a way better videographer than me!) and it’s inspired me to want to do it with my kids too. Plus, all those wonderful and touching video montages and other great things you see on Facebook of parents doing every year with their kids to document their growth over the years, is just so touching and sweet and sentimental, it makes me want to do something for my kids too, and document their childhood in a fun and personal way.
Plus, all those wonderful and touching video montages and other great things you see on Facebook of parents doing every year with their kids to document their growth over the years, is just so touching and sweet and sentimental, it makes me want to do something for my kids too, and document their childhood in a fun and personal way.
This last year my husband and I decided to do back-to-school video interviews with our kids. We aren’t the most skilled filmmakers or videographers or video editors, but the memory is by far the more important thing!
I still need to edit my daughter Lisa’s video and my son Michael’s videos. But, here is the edited version of my daughter Alison’s back-to-school video interview in 2016!
She was the hardest of our kids to get talking and talking loudly. She’s the least talkative of our kids and I think was nervous as we did make it seem a tad too formal (lesson for this next year!). It can be hard to get your kids talking if they aren’t especially verbal by nature.
Which is why it’s important to do the following before you start shooting the video:
How to do a Back to School Video Interview with Your Kids
1. Prep Your Child
Explain to your child what you want to do and why. Tell them you are going to ask them some questions about themselves because you love getting to know them and want to remember them as they are right now, forever!
Encourage them to be honest in their answers and explain that there are no right or wrong answers and they won’t get in trouble for being truthful. Also tell them to talk loudly and clearly, stay seated in their chair, and keep their fingers (or other things) out of their mouths.
2. Prep the Shot
Choose an area of your home that is quiet and well-lit from a window. You can use an extra lamp or spotlight if needed (if filming at night). Have your child sit down and face your child toward the light, rather than have the light behind them. They can be quarter turned toward the light or even half-turned too, in case their face is showing up as too overexposed facing toward the light.
Use a tripod (if you have one) or some sort of shelf or prop to keep the camera steady. Focus your camera lens on your child. Sit behind the camera, and then hit record when you’re ready to go!
3. Prep the Interview Questions
Have some questions written down ahead of time that you want to ask. Start with some simple questions, like what their name is, how old they are, what year they’ll be in school, who their teacher will be this year, how many siblings they have, and so on.
It will build their confidence and help them feel relaxed. Make sure to phrase questions in such a way that your child will understand.
**See below for more suggestions and sign up here for a printable version of them!
4. Film the Interview
As you ask questions of your child, rephrase questions they don’t understand or move along if your child doesn’t know or doesn’t have an answer. This video interview is NOT supposed to be a test or be perfect! It’s just supposed to be a fun way to remember your child, in this moment, for years to come.
Also feel free to ask questions spurred on by the conversation naturally. You don’t need to stick to a script.
At the end of the video, be sure to remind your child how you feel about him or her. Tell them you love them and some of your favorite things about them, as well as maybe your favorite things to do together.
You can also add what you’re excited for them to learn this year.
5. Edit the Video
You can keep the video you shoot in its natural form and keep it that way, or you can edit the video interview to eliminate certain questions or long pauses, add subtitles if your child was quiet or hard to understand (like my daughter Alison), and add some fun music or sound effects. If you are filming with your phone, you can edit it on your phone, or upload it to a computer and edit with free or paid software.
Back to School Video Interview Questions
You can ask your child whatever you would like. As you know your child better than anyone, you can cater the questions to their understanding and their personality too. But, it’s still always helpful to have a list of ideas to get you started! I know it!
I have broken the back to school video interview questions into three different age groups (with slightly different phrasing for similar questions) – ages 3-6, ages 6-11, and ages 11-18. Again, use the one that seems a good fit for your child.
Click here to get a printable version of these questions.
Back to School Video Interview Questions for Preschoolers and Kindergartners
- What’s your full name?
- How old are you? Can you show me with your fingers?
- What’s your favorite color?
- What do you like to do for fun?
- What’s something awesome you can do?
- What’s your favorite animal?
- Where’s your favorite place to go?
- What do you like to eat? What don’t you like to eat?
- What do you love to do? What don’t you like to do?
- Are you scared or afraid of anything?
- What makes you mad?
- What makes you sad?
- Who do you love?
- What makes you feel most loved?
- Who are some of your friends?
- What do you want to do for work when you’re an adult?
- What’s your favorite thing to play with?
- What’s your favorite game?
- What’s your favorite thing to do with Mom, Dad, Grandparents, siblings?
- What’s your favorite song?
- What’s your favorite movie?
- What’s your favorite book?
- What do you like to watch on the TV? (TV shows and movies)
- How do you feel about Jesus?
- Can you tell me something about Jesus?
- Do you know your ABC’S? Can you sing it for me?
- What grade are you going to be in at school?
- What don’ you like about school?
- Who’s your teacher going to be this year?
- What are you most excited to do this year in school?
Back to School Video Interview Questions for Elementary School Students
- What’s your name?
- How old are you?
- What three words you’d use to describe yourself?
- What grade are you going to be in this year?
- What were some of your favorite things about last school year?
- What’s your favorite (or best) subject in school?
- What do you like learning about most?
- What’s your least favorite subject in school?
- Are you scared or afraid of anything?
- What makes you mad?
- What makes you sad?
- When do you feel most loved?
- What makes you happy?
- What do you do to help other people feel happy?
- What’s your favorite animal?
- What are some of your favorite foods? Least favorite foods?
- What are your favorite activities and sports or hobbies?
- What do you want to do when you grow up?
- What is your least favorite chore?
- What’s your favorite color?
- What do you like to watch on TV? (TV shows and movies)
- Who are your best friends?
- What’s your favorite thing to wear?
- If you could learn an instrument, what would like to learn?
- What is your favorite story about yourself as a child?
- Do you get along with your siblings? Why or why not?
- What do you like most about your siblings? Mom? Dad? Grandparents?
- What’s your favorite song or band?
- How do you feel about Jesus?
- Do you like going to church?
- What’s one of your favorite scripture stories or person in the scriptures?
- What are you most excited to learn about this school year?
- Who is your teacher going to be this year?
- What big thing do you hope to accomplish this school year?
Back to School Video Interview Questions for Middle School and High School Students
- What’s your name? Do you have a nickname?
- How old are you?
- What grade are you going to be in this year?
- Describe yourself.
- What are you most thankful for?
- What makes you happy?
- What makes you sad or angry?
- What do you want to be when you grow up?
- What’s important to you?
- What do you love most about yourself? What don’t you like about yourself?
- What do you love most about your mom, dad, siblings?
- If you could go anywhere, where would you go?
- Who do you admire and look up to? Why?
- What do you want to learn more about?
- What sports or activities are you doing this year?
- Do you like a boy/girl? Do you have a girlfriend/boyfriend?
- What are you most nervous about entering Middle School or High School?
- What’s your least favorite part about school?
- What do you like to do on the weekends?
- Do you have a job? What do you do and how much do you make?
- Are you planning to go to college or what do you want to do after high school?
- What is your favorite type of music? Who is your favorite musician/artist/band?
- What is your favorite kind of pizza?
- Who are your favorite sports teams? Why?
- What’s something you’d like to do to help someone else?
- What are you afraid of?
- If you could only keep one thing, what would you keep?
- What’s your favorite memory?
- What are you proud of yourself for?
- What are you looking forward to?
- What do you dream about?
- What do you believe in terms of your faith and God?
- What do you hope to accomplish this school year?
If you’d like a printable version of these instructions and back to school interview questions, based on your child’s age, then download my Back to School Video Interview Printables! They are currently part of a larger Back to School Printable Pack me and some of my favorite blogging buddies have put together.
Back to School Printable Pack
In order to help others get ready for back to school season, my friends and I put together some handy printables for free for our readers!
1. Back to School Video Interview Questions and Instructions Printables
If you want a fun way to record your child each school year, I’ve made it easy with instructions on how to do a video interview, complete with age-appropriate questions to get you started.
2. Build a Healthy Lunch Printable
Lara from Overstuffed has included a printable to hang inside your pantry door to remind your kids what a balanced lunch actually looks like! This also means your kids can pack their own (healthy) lunches instead of you always doing it!
3. First Day and Last Day of School Printable Signs
Katie of Clarks Condensed has put together cute chalkboard printables for the first day of school and the last day of school for your child to hold up for their pictures on those days from Preschool to 12th grade! She even included an “I want to be: _____” on each one too.
4. Daily School Schedules
Hilary of Pulling Curls has put together some handy printables for moms who have kids at multiple schools to help you keep track of their (seemingly always) changing schedules. I can see this being super handy if for some reason someone else had to do drop off and pickups for a day or two. She’s also included an Emergency Contact Form so you can stop looking it up every time you are filling out paperwork… again.
She’s also included an Emergency Contact Form so you can stop looking it up every time you are filling out paperwork… again.
5. After School Checklist Printable
Annette from Tips from a Typical Mom included a fun after school checklist printable to help your kids get those after school tasks done right away so they can go and play. Put it in an 8×10 frame and the kids can use a dry erase marker to check off the things they’ve done. Easy peasy! And it keeps mom happy because she doesn’t have to keep on reminding the kids what to do!
Put it in an 8×10 frame and the kids can use a dry erase marker to check off the things they’ve done. Easy peasy! And it keeps mom happy because she doesn’t have to keep on reminding the kids what to do!
6. Back to School Countdown Printable
Jen from Your Everyday Family has a fun treasure map printable to help your child countdown to the start of school. Customize it with all the “to-do’s” you have to complete before the big day begins.
7. Lunch Box Notes Printables
Kristina from Mother’s Niche has included printable lunch box note starters to make it easy to connect with your child in a positive way during their school day. Just write a little note on it, and stick inside their lunch.
To receive all of these amazing Back to School Printables, simply signup in the box below.
Then be sure to sign up for a free Cozi account today. It’s the #1 family organizer that keeps schedules, lists, contacts and more all in one place!
If you want more great posts on education, check out these posts:
God’s Little Explorers Preschool Curriculum Review
DIY Preschool Alternatives to Paying for a Traditional Preschool
24 Best Educational Apps and Websites for Kids
8 Best Educational Subscription Boxes According to a Homeschooler
Jen Walshaw says
What a fantastic idea. Thank you for linking up with my Back to School Resources this year. I have pinned this for when my boys go back in September