7 Apps and Summer Camps to Get Your Kids Editing

Pro editing systems are no longer the only way to edit videos. There are many different user-friendly mobile apps and desktop programs, some of which do half the work for you. Many of these apps and programs are designed specifically for pre-teen kids.

There are many benefits to getting your kids editing. For example, master filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, in his book Rebel without a Crew, describes how when he was a young boy his school teachers allowed him to present certain class projects as videos instead of in written format, and how the recognition he received from his teachers and peers gave him the confidence to become a straight-A student within a short period of time. Another benefit is that many kids’ apps engage kids to write narratives, create storyboards, organize productions, and collaborate with peers, all of these being concepts that kids are encouraged to learn in school. 

With a camera phone and editing app, your kid can capture your family vacation, trip to the zoo, or grandma’s birthday party, and edit the material in an entertaining manner and display it on your 70" or simply put it up on YouTube or Facebook. Let’s check out some of the options available out there. 

1. iMovie App

Designed for iPhone and iPad, the iMovie app lets your kid create powerful videos using built-in themes and templates, effects, transitions, titles, and, of course, background music. This app is simpler to use than the desktop version of iMovie, but will still require your kid to flex his or her creative and technical muscles.  

2. NYFA Kids Summer Camps

For a more elaborate experience, the New York Film Academy offers a variety of two-week Kids Summer Camps for kids, ages 10-13, in different locations, including New York City. One of the courses offered is Filmmaking, which covers various types of editing. There are also Teen Summer Camps for kids older than 13. 

3. LEGO Movie Maker App

Available for free on iTunes, this iOS app helps your kid create stop-motion animations using LEGOs. It lets your kid capture photos of LEGOs characters, buildings, etc., and edit them into stop-motion animations in a streamlined and fun way, all from your iPhone or iPad. This is something your kid can use alone or together with the whole family. 

About 15 years ago, there was also something called the LEGO Studios Steven Spielberg Moviemaker Set, which included a physical camera and editing software. In many ways, it’s similar to the LEGO app, and at the time was hailed as a great educational tool. Although no longer in production, it can still be found online at places like Amazon. 

4. iStopMotion for iPad

Also available on iTunes, this app is similar to the LEGO app but is designed to let you make stop-motion animations with anything you can capture.  

5. PicPlayPost

A highly popular beginner iOS app, PicPlayPost lets kids upload photos, videos, and music and combine the three into fancy collages. It’ll guide your kid through organizing all the material and offers tools to manipulate the project to make it more and more entertaining. 

6. Magisto Movie Editor and Maker

An even simpler Android app, Magisto will transform your kid’s videos and photos automatically into a music video in just three simple steps: select media from your device’s library, choose a theme, choose music, and then just click “Make My Movie.” Then your kid can post the movie directly to YouTube or other venue. Magisto will let your kid make hundreds of videos a day, and provides a great way to introduce to video editing.

7. Microsoft Movie Maker

A simple desktop editing software, such as Microsoft Movie Maker, is very, very easy to use—and fun, because it lets you get down to business in just several basic steps instead of hundreds of steps. Even an experienced editor may find such a program more fun than a professional system, because it cuts straight to the point. Programs like this don’t offer all the tricks that full-fledged editing systems do, but as far as cutting up and arranging footage, and adding titles, music, and simple transitions and effects, many in the audience will never even know the difference. (Windows Movie Maker doesn’t come included with Windows 10 systems, but you can still get it. Depending on whether you upgraded to Windows 10 or bought a new computer that came with Windows 10, you’d have to follow different steps in order to get it, and there are many instructional videos on YouTube on how to do that. Additionally, there are many similar basic editing systems available for Mac and Windows.) 

There are many, many more editing apps and software of different varieties for pre-teen kids that can be found for download online, for iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows systems. Among these you’ll also find special-effects kids’ apps such as ToonCamera, which allows capturing photos with a fantasy-style cartoon effect, and Comic Life, which will let your kid turn photos into digital comic books. Some of these special-effects results can be uploaded afterwards into an app like iMovie for further editing. All of the available kids apps are designed to be easy to learn and easy to use and, in addition, there are many step-by-step video tutorials on YouTube for many of them. Many of these apps are free, so feel free to try them out, and enjoy!