Get Your Kids Making Their Own Cartoon Shows

Kids love animation and cartoons. Children also have vivid imaginations and love to express it through drawing and painting. But today, thanks to animation software aimed at children,  they have the wonderful opportunity of being able to create their own animations themselves with a little help from mum or dad of course.

I remember as a child all I did was draw, draw, draw….and draw again. Whenever I had the chance that’s what I would do. I used to watch the old Spiderman cartoons over and over again and was just fascinated by what I was seeing. I used to copy the characters and then started making my own up based on the shows I watched, my surroundings and of course my imagination. Does that sound like any of your children?  

I had no idea then what I was called animation. We also had no computers then. But now many children have a lot of tools that they can use to create their own animation. All I had was a sketchpad and a pencil. There’s nothing wrong with that by the way. The basics are usually the best way to get started but you can’t ignore progress. With all the cheap and free animation software, drawing tablets, electronic pads like the ipad etc. around children have never had it so good. Yes I have to admit I’m jealous! J But it’s not about me it’s about the kids!

Here’s a brief explanation of the different styles of animation. There are 3 main ones. Stop-motion, 2D and 3D. The Wallace and Gromit films have a stop-motion style. The Bino and Fino show we produce is done in a 2D style. 3D animation is used to produce animation films like Toy Story.

Here is a list of animation software aimed at kids. It is by no means definitive but it’s just to help you get started. On a general level it’s about letting the children have fun and learn by playing. You never know, your little one could be the next Walt Disney or producing their own Bino and Fino episode!

Toon Boom Flip Boom

This animation software makes it fun and easy to create cartoons, add sound and then share them with fans and friends. Easily make animated cartoons with your own creations, or choose from a clip art library. You can also add sound, record yourself, or drop sounds from a library. Once you are done with your animation, you can share it online on an iPad, iPod or iPhone.

Toon Boom Animation-ish

Powered by Toon Boom and created by Peter H. Reynolds, New York Times Best-selling Author and Illustrator of The Dot, Ish, Someday and the Judy Moody series. Packed with Peter's inspirational tips on creativity, plus terrific drawings, Animation-ish lets you design animation for movies, greeting cards, websites, presentations and school projects, and share your creations with the world!

IKit Movie

iKITMovie, the maker of Animation Software for Kids, creative teens and adults specialize in Stop motion Animation Software, projects ideas, tutorials and have designed the easiest software To Teach Kids Animation For Fun and Learning in Education.

Photo Animation for Kids with Special Needs : Kid-friendly animation software available on the market teach wishful animators different aspect of the animation creation process. IKITMovie allows students to create high quality stop motion projects, Claymation movies quickly and easily and easily able to demonstrate their projects and develops creativity.

FluxTime Studio

Explore the hottest animation community on the internet and create your own animation online. It's fun, and as easy to handle as a tape recorder! FluxTime Studio is free - you can create, edit and play your own animation clips, and send them as e-cards to friends and family. FluxTime develops animation tools for fun and education. We think that everyone should be able to animate regardless of technical skills and we made it our mission to provide the most direct and immediate access to animation.

Animate It!

Independent educational software publisher, Kudlian has teamed up with multi- Oscar® winning, Wallace & Gromit creators, Aardman Animations to launch software that gives children the chance to create their own animation classic in the classroom.

Using sophisticated stop-frame technology, Kudlian and Bristol-based Aardman Animations have launched the ‘Animate IT!’ software range, including a mobile app version. Building on the success of Kudlian’s award-winning ‘I Can Animate!’, the software combines professional functionality with an intuitive, easy-to-use interface, underpinned by the element of fun that inspires children to learn and create.

Free downloadable resources, tips and tutorial videos from expert animators are also available on www.animate-it.com. From free themed film kits offering inspiration and assets for your animations to ‘how to’ videos showing teachers and pupils some simple yet mind-blowing tricks of the trade, the site is packed full of innovative, straightforward and fun ideas. Enthusiasts can also sneak a peek behind the scenes at the Aardman studios and get updates on competitions for schools; the latest comes with the help of the BBC Proms and Wallace & Gromit. 

I hope this list helps. We’ll do our best to keep updating it. If you have any examples of your own please feel free to send them in. Right that is enough talking! It’s now time to get your children animating! Let their imaginations run wild. The best way to have more animations that reflect the world we live in is to have more children around the world animating.