Flying a Kids' Kite

The Age Factor

People at any age from 2 to 102 can enjoy flying a single-line kids' kite! However, keep the following things in mind:

• 0–1 years: Kite flying is technically possible if they can grasp a string! However, there's really no point in trying it, unless you are plotting to set up a photo to amaze and astonish other parents ;-) The kite's flight might last just a fraction of a second, before the unsuspecting young kite pilot lets it go! However, from 18 months or so they can probably appreciate a piece of ribbon attached to a finger and allowed to flutter in the breeze. All the better if they are capable of trotting along on their own two legs, finger-tails held high!
• 2–3 years: We have experience in this area. Our boy Aren has flown a small diamond, an ideal kids' kite, for short periods. Sometimes he flew from his pram, at other times while standing. Just see that video down there! However, attention span can be very limited in this age group. After a short while, watching the line or the kite, they tend to play "toss the reel"! Even so, they can appreciate a flying kite and look forward to going out to see it fly. Running around with finger-tails a-flutter would also work in this age group.
• 4–5 years: This is the ideal age group for child flyers. When kids fly kites at this age, they can get quite excited about making one, with some help, and going out to fly it. Our Aren was four when he first flew our big Dowel Rokkaku. That was in very light wind, mind you!
• 6–8 years: The excitement factor wanes a bit, but some in this age group will still love to fly a small single-line kite. Others will begin to get distracted by more expensive kites of various kinds or non-kiting activities.
• 9+ years: The child might be starting to develop into a kite-person for life—or not! A small number of people, including me, are able to get considerable enjoyment out of single-line designs for their entire lives.

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Kite flying is just one example of preschool activities that can engage children as young as 3 years old. At this age, they could also help decorate the kite sail with marker pens or even a sticker or two.

Although too young for any of the construction, they could select plastic bags for the tail. An adult could then cut out and attach the tail.

And of course, kiddy artwork on complete plastic bags could then be used for making kites. That's a bit safer for the kites than letting eager fingers at them, at an earlier stage :-)

If you can find some thin 30 cm (12 in.) bamboo skewers in your local shops, try my e-book Making Skewer Kites to help you get a kite in the air, on the cheap! The skewers I use are 2.5 mm in diameter. Just use the thinnest ones you can find.

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