Create short stop motion movies by animating toys, clay, or drawings using a phone or tablet, simple frame by frame moves, and basic editing tools.


Step-by-step guide to Animate ANYTHING
Step 1
Choose one toy clay figure or drawing to be your movie's main character.
Step 2
Think of a tiny idea for your movie like walking waving jumping or opening a door.
Step 3
Tape the poster paper or cloth to a wall or inside a box to make a plain background.
Step 4
Put your character on the flat surface in front of the background where your camera will see it.
Step 5
Secure your phone or tablet on the tripod or stack of books so it cannot move.
Step 6
Open a stop motion app or set your camera to manual photo mode ready to take single frames.
Step 7
Take the first photo of the scene to start your animation.
Step 8
Move your character a very small amount toward the next position.
Step 9
Take another photo after each small move.
Step 10
Repeat moving the character a little and taking a photo until your idea is finished.
Step 11
Play the photos in the app to watch your animation and see if it looks smooth.
Step 12
Delete any blurry frames and adjust the frame speed to make the motion look right.
Step 13
Add a short title or simple music using the app's editing tools if you want.
Step 14
Export or save your finished movie to your device.
Step 15
Share your finished stop motion movie on DIY.org
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!

Help!?
What can we use if we don't have a tripod, poster paper, or a toy/clay figure?
Use a stack of books or a heavy box to steady your phone, tape a plain bedsheet or wrapping paper to the wall as a background, and use a drawing, small toy, coin, or homemade clay figure as your character while keeping the same framing and photo steps.
My animation looks jumpy or some photos are blurryāwhat should I check or fix?
Ensure the phone or tablet is firmly secured on the tripod or books, switch to manual photo mode to avoid focus shifts, move the character only very small amounts each time, use steady lighting, and delete any blurry frames as the instructions say.
How can I adapt this activity for younger or older kids?
For younger kids pick a bigger action like waving and take fewer, larger moves and photos, while older kids can do tiny movements with more frames, use advanced camera settings, and add edits like a short title or music in the stop motion app.
How can we extend or personalize the stop motion movie?
Make custom backgrounds on poster paper, add props or extra characters, experiment with frame speed and deleting blurry frames for smoother motion, then export the movie, add a title or simple music in the app, and share it on DIY.org.
Watch videos on how to Animate ANYTHING
Facts about stop motion animation for kids
ā³ Stop-motion techniques date back to the early days of cinema and were key before CGI existed.
š§± Clay animation (claymation) brings plasticine characters to life ā studios like Aardman made them famous.
š· One second of stop-motion at 12 frames per second needs 12 photos ā a 1-minute clip needs 720 frames!
š„ Ray Harryhausen used stop-motion to animate monsters in classic films and inspired many filmmakers.
š± You can make stop-motion movies with just a phone or tablet and free apps ā no fancy gear needed!


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