Have you tried incorporating stop motion animation into your homeschool curriculum before? If you haven’t but you’re interested, read on to learn:

• What stop motion animation is.
• The educational benefits of animation for children.
• How animation can be used across the curriculum.
• Testimonials from homeschool moms.
• Where you can download free animation resources to use at home and school.

What is stop motion animation?

Even if you are unfamiliar with stop motion animation, you have probably already seen it in movies and TV shows. Those hilarious Chicken Run and Wallace & Gromit movies are stop motion animated, and family favorites Pingu and Gumby were also created with the medium. 

Stop motion animation is a filmmaking technique where physical objects are repeatedly moved and photographed, which creates the illusion of movement when the image sequence is played back quickly. 

Movie-making with stop motion animation is such a fun and easy activity the whole family will want to give it a go. Children as young as five can grasp the stop motion concept and make simple animations from the outset. Animation promotes a healthy, non-competitive use of technology that inspires children to step away from their screens to make models and write stories with their friends and siblings.

Educational benefits

Making animated movies offers myriad opportunities for developing 21st Century skills such as digital literacy, critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, self-expression and creativity. It can also be used to bring learning to life – in any subject – right across the curriculum.

Language arts 

Script-writing, storytelling and character development promote and encourage children to practice writing skills and to use their imagination.

Science 

In science lessons children can make animated videos of processes such as the life cycle of a frog or the flow of electricity around a circuit, or make time-lapse videos of plants growing, crystals forming and eggs hatching. 

Mathematics

Mathematical concepts are not always easy to grasp but animation provides an outlet for children to show what they know and document their understanding visually, using manipulatives such as LEGO®, pattern blocks or clay shapes.

Social studies

Lessons about ancient Egypt, the Roman Empire or the moon landing can be vividly brought to life through animated storytelling.

Art and design 

Animating is an art form in its own right, but the movie-making process offers opportunities for practicing more traditional artistic skills. Young animators can practice their drawing skills while making storyboards, and they can develop model making and painting skills while creating backgrounds, characters and props. 

Digital literacy

Stop motion animation perfectly balances familiar, hands-on creative activities with more challenging computer skills. The process provides a fun, exciting environment for children to practice digital skills used in professional filmmaking, graphic design and audio production.  

While the educational benefits of stop motion animation are endless, the activity, above all, is fun and exciting. As they make their animated movies, children learn through play, creativity and experimentation. In fact, making movies is so much fun it might just become your children’s new favorite hobby, providing a distraction from competitive video games or passive social media use.

How to get started with stop motion animation

If you are interested in making movies with your children, investing in an all-in-one kit such as HUE Animation Studio is the perfect place to start. The kit has been thoughtfully designed to provide educators, parents and kids aged 7+ with everything they need to create stop motion movies, from script to screen. 

Priced at $69.95 with a three year warranty, HUE Animation Studio contains a camera, software, easy-to-follow tutorial videos, a 64-page full color book of activities with instructions, and printable resources including a storyboard template, illustrated backgrounds and paper puppets. 

“Tech toys such as HUE Animation Studio provide an engaging way for children to develop a range of multi-sensory skills. Not only are they learning about the technical side of stop motion animation, but they are also able to explore their creative interests through storytelling or scriptwriting, scenery production, artistic direction, lighting and sound. This versatile product can help children create compelling school projects (more valuable than ever with the lockdown and increase in remote learning) or have fun with friends making movies with each person taking on a role that suits their abilities and preferences.” – Dr. Amanda Gummer, Child Development Expert

Feedback from homeschoolers

We provided HUE Animation Studio kits to two homeschool moms and their children to experience firsthand the benefits of incorporating stop motion animation into their curriculum. 

Mom #1 (Serena R)

“In our homeschool, we are always looking for ways to make learning hands-on and bring it to life. Creating their own animations and movies with HUE Animation Studio helps our family do just that. Our boys are able to use the provided camera to record the content and then edit it on our laptop. The “HUE Book of Animation” that comes with the kit is colorful and educational and is full of ideas to create fun stop motion videos. It comes with a software as well and this allows our boys to edit the content they’ve filmed right on our laptop. HUE Animation Studio comes with everything you need to create a stop motion animation right in your home.

What we love about HUE Animation Studio is that it is so easy for our boys to use and they can create videos without our help. We love to encourage this creativity and autonomy in our homeschool. It is amazing for them to use items around the house to create a video that they are proud of. It’s fun to watch them get excited about new ideas for videos, see them capture the footage with the camera, and then edit it on their own. If you have a child interested in animation, this is an incredible addition to your homeschool!” 

Mom #2 (Cassie D)

“Some kids find their niche early in life, others experiment with many different trades, skills, and crafts before settling on something they truly enjoy or are gifted in. My third born daughter is one of the latter. She’s always asking, “What am I good at?” My husband and I have strived to expose her to a variety of creative outlets, but nothing has quite piqued her interest as the HUE Animation Studio.

My daughter has spent hours piecing together videos of the progression of eating an apple with brilliant sound effects of biting noises. She videoed her brothers posing an epic war scene of machine gun versus cowboy. She has taken her younger sister’s small wooden toys and made them interact in an entertaining commercial that humors the littles.

Being a complete novice at stop animation, my daughter found this product had more than sufficient information to pique her interest and launch her curiosity into the world of animation.”

Animation resources

If you would like to learn more about incorporating stop motion animation into your homeschool curriculum, we have a wealth of information and resources on huehd.com. To save you time searching our enormous archives, we’ve curated a list of our top content just for you:

• Tips & tricks for making your first stop motion movie
• Stop motion set making for beginners and kids 
• Stop motion techniques for beginners
• Digital storytelling and HUE Animation 
• Free Animation Activity Guides 
• HUE Animation resources and more on TeachersPayTeachers 

If you have any questions or would like to find out more about animation, please don’t hesitate to get in touch via huehd.com/contact. 

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