Flying A Kids Kite
The Age Factor
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 2 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 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 fliers. 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 4 when he first flew our big Dowel Rokkaku. In very light wind, mind you! If you can find some thin 30cm (12") bamboo skewers in your local shops, try Making Skewer Kites to help you get a kite in the air. On the cheap!
- 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
myself, are able to get considerable enjoyment out of single line
designs for their entire lives.
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 2.
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 art work on complete plastic bags could then be used for making kites. A bit safer for the kites than letting eager fingers at them, at an earlier stage :-)
FREE: A very simple kite-making e-book!
I'm referring to Simplest Dowel Kites, my popular kite-making download. It's a printable PDF file. Make a diamond, delta or sled. In the right weather these will fly hundreds of feet up for hours on end.
Could you do me just a small favor though?
Please sign up for my free monthly publication, "Tethered Flying". No other emails will be sent, and your details are safe with me. You need to be at least 16 years old. There's...
- A huge ''photo of the month" (linked from a much smaller one in the email of course)
- 3 "tips of the month" (1 for beginners, 1 for parents and 1 for more experienced kite-fliers)
- A "flight report of the month" selected from my own flying logs and illustrated with a photo.
During sign-up, you'll get a link to download that e-book :-)
Need winders, reels, flying line?
We earn a small commission if you click the following link and buy something. The item does not cost you any more, since we are an "affiliate" of Amazon.
Click here to buy anything you need. Just use the Search box in there if you need different weights or lengths of line, for example.
P.S. Keep an eye out for books by kite author Glenn Davison, a prominent kite person in the USA.
What's New!
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Adelaide Kite Festival
Jan 16, 19 06:00 AM
This page was published soon after we attended the Adelaide International Kite Festival in 2014. The weather varied markedly over the 3 days of the event!
Wind Speeds
Light Air
1-5 km/h
1-3 mph
1-3 knots
Beaufort 1
Light breeze
6–11 km/h
4–7 mph
4–6 knots
Beaufort 2
Gentle ...
12–19 km/h
8–12 mph
7–10 knots
Beaufort 3
Moderate ...
20–28 km/h
13–18 mph
11–16 knots
Beaufort 4
Fresh ...
29–38 km/h
19–24 mph
17–21 knots
Beaufort 5
Strong ...
39–49 km/h
25–31 mph
22–27 knots
Beaufort 6
High Wind
50-61 km/h
32-38 mph
28-33 knots
Beaufort 7
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Comments
Plenty of fun kite info, photos and videos - there's definitely too much here for only one visit! Feel free to leave your impressions of this site or just this page, below...