It’s so important to let children be children and enjoy and experience their childhood! When you’ve got a child model, and we have a plethora of child models in our Models Direct books, it’s essential that they’re allowed to play, explore and learn on set without the unnecessary pressures and expectations of the modelling world. We let them do that and so do our clients!
We know that the modelling world isn’t quite so accommodating to how models feel and can sometimes be an unsafe environment for them to be in. Our long-standing agency is very aware of this which is why we ensure our clients are reputable and that our team thoroughly carries out our necessary background checks.
When a child is selected for a modelling assignment, balancing their life being a child with a professional modelling career can be quite the juggle. We’ve addressed some key points to really think over to enable our junior models to stay junior, have all the fun they deserve and be part of something revolutionary.
Parents – you’re involvement is crucial!
Whether you’re a parent or guardian, you’ll be accompanying and supporting your little one on their modelling opportunities. You’ll be prioritising their well-being and emotional needs when they’re on set, you’ll be seeing to their downtime between breaks and how they are during takes.
What can child models do during their downtime?
You’ll be thoroughly briefed on health and safety precautions beforehand with a risk assessment in place. Any nooks and crannies, or potential danger spots, you’ll know about! Running on-premises – sorry, but that’s a big no-no. Playing with equipment? Nope, another big no-no.
Instead, our team and our clients can advise you where to go to get some fresh air or a change of scenery. Whether this means a place to eat lunch, grab a quick walk, or visit a local attraction, we’ll let you know beforehand and on the day of your child’s assignment.
Alternatively, you can bring things to keep your child amused and entertained whilst they are on the premises, particularly things that you know they like. Examples include:
* Colouring books & pencils
* Reading books
* Downloading an educational app on a device
* Carrying an age-related toy such as a Rubik’s cube or a travel jigsaw puzzle
* Keeping prepped throughout the day
Remember to keep snacks and healthy treats packed too. For more ideas, you can check out our blog about healthy eating on set and what sorts of things to fill your bag with to keep your junior happy and content. We also give our parents and guardians a heads-up about the day’s schedule and the possibility of going over time as we liaise with clients throughout their assignments. Should this happen, we let our models know in advance so that they can prepare their travel arrangements and grab any extra bits such as snacks and nibbles.
The main thing we’d like to say is that kids should be kids and allowed to have fun, roam around, and explore their environment, even when they’re on set. This, however, has to be meticulously supervised at all times but shouldn’t mean that they can’t be who they want to be and show their characteristics when they’ve been booked a gig.
