What you need
- An empty cereal or biscuit box
- A long strip of paper, about 7 cm wide (tape two A4 sheets end to end)
- Crayons or sketch pens, or small printed family photos and glue
- Scissors (the cutting is a grown-up job) and tape
How to play
- 1
Make the camera
Cut the front panel off the box. In the middle, cut a round window about 5 cm across: that is the lens. On the left and right of the window, cut two slits a little wider than your paper strip, so the strip can slide in one side and out the other.
- 2
Make the film strip
Draw a row of boxes along the paper strip, each one a bit smaller than the window. One box for each person: grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts, cousins, and the child too.
- 3
Fill the frames together
Your child draws a face in each box, or sticks a small photo. Talk while you work: who has glasses, who wears a bindi, who has a moustache. Let the drawings be wobbly; they will still know exactly who each one is.
- 4
Slide and name
Thread the strip through the slits. Slide it slowly. Each time a face fills the lens, ask: who is this? Use the word your family really uses: nani, dadi, mama, chachi, ba, kaka, fai.
- 5
Add one thing about them
Once the names come easily, ask one more question for each face. What does Nani cook best? Where does Mama live? Who has a scooter? Now it is a story, not a list.
- 6
Let them be the photographer
Swap roles. Your child slides the strip and asks you who it is. Give a wrong answer now and then, and let them correct you. Show the camera off to the family on their next visit.
What your child is learning
Honestly stated — this is what the activity actually builds, not a list of everything it might touch.
- Family words in your home language, and what each one means
- That relations have sides: mother's mother is nani, father's mother is dadi
- Answering a question with a full sentence about someone they love
- Taking turns asking and answering
English has one word for “aunt”. Most Indian languages have four or five, and each one tells you exactly how that person is related: your mother’s sister, your father’s sister, your father’s brother’s wife. That is a lot of words for a small child, and a family camera turns learning them into a game they ask to play again.
The idea of a camera with a sliding strip of family faces comes from a lovely printable craft by @bee.a.maker. This page is a free home version made from a cereal box.
The words to use
Use the words your family actually says. If your home calls a grandmother “Ba” or “Aaji”, that is the right word. Here are the common Hindi and Gujarati ones to start from, each in its own script with the English spelling under it, so a child learning to read can read them too:
| Relation | Hindi | Gujarati |
|---|---|---|
| Father’s mother | दादी Dadi |
બા or દાદી Ba or Dadi |
| Father’s father | दादा Dada |
દાદા Dada |
| Mother’s mother | नानी Nani |
નાની Nani |
| Mother’s father | नाना Nana |
નાના Nana |
| Mother’s brother, his wife | मामा, मामी Mama, Mami |
મામા, મામી Mama, Mami |
| Mother’s sister, her husband | मौसी, मौसा Mausi, Mausa |
માસી, માસા Masi, Masa |
| Father’s brother, his wife | चाचा, चाची Chacha, Chachi |
કાકા, કાકી Kaka, Kaki |
| Father’s sister, her husband | बुआ, फूफा Bua, Phupha |
ફઈ, ફુવા Fai, Fuva |
Many Gujarati homes also say બાપુજી (Bapuji) for father’s father. Use whichever your family says.
Why it works
A face that slides into the lens is a small surprise every time, so the child wants the next one. Each surprise comes with the same question, “who is this?”, which is exactly the repetition new words need. And because every face is someone the child loves, they care about getting the word right.
The second step matters as much as the names. “Nani makes the best theplas” is a whole sentence about a real person, and that is what language is for.
Grow it with the child
- 2 to 3 years: four or five frames with the closest family. You say the name, they point or repeat it.
- 4 years: the whole family, both sides. Ask “is this mummy’s side or papa’s side?”
- 5 to 6 years: write each name under its face in your home script, दादी or બા, and let your child read it before the face slides into the lens. Add a frame for each person’s favourite food or job.
Published 6 October 2026 · Suitable for Toddler, Preschooler, Early schooler