A favorite pastime among children is kite flying. So simple and joyful, it’s a great windy-day activity that can make them feel almost as though they’re flying themselves. What’s better than that, though? Making their own kites and sending them soaring into the clouds. It’s more complicated than it looks, however, to fashion a kite that’s both good looking and able to fly. That’s where kits come in. With templates, precut rods, and detailed instructions, it’s a great multifaceted activity for parents and children to share. From simple diamonds to flying tetrahedrons, check out the kite-making kits we like the best.
1. Innorock DIY Kites for Kids
This kite kit is precut, easy to assemble, and really just requires a creative kid’s eye to color the bright white canvas. The diamond shapes each measure a large 23.5 inches by 27.5 inches and include a 39.3 inch streamer tail that flies behind it in a trio of colors. You get four separate blank kites as well as 16 markers in eight colors and four kite handles with string. As there is very little assembly required, this is the perfect kite-making kit for younger children who just want to let their creativity soar.
2. Hengda Kite for Kids
For children needing a little extra artistic guidance, consider these animal-inspired kites that will have them flying everything from an owl and a fish to a butterfly and an octopus. Each of the seven kites is like a page from a coloring book, with deep black outlines and spaces to color in. After kids use the included six crayons (or any other coloring implement) to decorate their kites, parents can attach a string and handle (also included) and see the kites soar. Each animal measures roughly 32 by 16 inches, large enough to see their details clearly from the ground even as they dip and dive.
3. Pitsco KaZoon Kite Kit
This kit is a perfect way to teach middle schoolers and high schoolers about aerodynamics, lift, equilibrium, and Newton’s laws of motion while having fun at the same time. You get everything you need to build a four-cell tetrahedral kite, plus a teacher’s guide complete with instructions, lesson plans, and worksheets geared for different levels of students. And even if you’re nowhere near a classroom, this kit will provide hours of engaging fun.
4. F Finec Diamond Kite DIY Kit
This kit, with everything you need to make lots of kites, is great for family get-togethers, birthday parties, and other group activities. Each kit comes with 16 blank diamond-shaped kites measuring about 16 by 20 inches. After children decorate their flat kite canvases, all that remains is to quickly and easily add the crossbars and attach a string.
5. 4M Design Your Own Kite Kit
This kite-building kit stands out from the crowd due to its material. Still lightweight and easily able to fly, these kites are made of a thin woven fabric as opposed to paper or plastic. While that means you’ll have to use paints or markers rather than crayons to decorate your kite, it will also be more durable and less apt to rip. Included in this kit is a 20-inch white kite with a tail, string, paints, and a paint brush.