10 Reasons Every Child Should Fly a Kite

Kite Flying Basics

When we were young, kite flying was a typical hobby for many children, including us. As we've grown up, electronics have become so integrated into our lives that we forget how much fun it is to be able to control something that flys in the sky.

Kites are great in many way to keep your kids entertained and healthy, especially during the long summer months. Kite flying is educational: first you learn how to make a kite, then you learn how to fly a kite; and finally, you also learn how to troubleshoot a kite! There’s more to it than just that though; here are 10 reasons to get flying today.

 

1. Refines Your Motor Skills

Motor skills are generally divided into two categories: gross motor skills and fine motor skills.

Gross motor skills are skills that use many large muscle groups and the whole body to perform large movements. They include the skills needed to climb, walk, and jump. Children often need to develop gross motor skills before they can master fine motor skills.

Fine motor skills include small, controlled body movements that involve fewer muscles. These skills allow us to hold a pencil, write, hold a book, or open a package. These skills require more practice from children, especially for more detailed and delicate tasks.

When flying a kite, gross and fine motor skills are used. Children are likely to walk or run with the kite to make it fly. They will also use fine motor skills to grab a kite or kite string.

 

2. CanImprove balance and coordination

Balance is the ability to maintain a controlled position or posture during a specific task. Walking, climbing, and even sitting require balance. There are two types of balancing: dynamic balancing and static balancing. Learn why it's important to develop your child's balance and coordination skills early on.

Dynamic balancing is the ability to balance during activities that require movement, such as walking, dancing, climbing stairs, jumping over obstacles, or biking.

Static balancing is the ability to maintain or remain in balance while stationary as well. Examples include standing, sitting, squatting, standing on one foot, or playing a "freeze" game.

Coordination refers to the ability to correctly interpret multiple signals to accomplish more complex physical tasks.

For example, the better-known hand-eye coordination requires children to correctly interpret visual information in a way that allows them to catch the ball. This deceptively simple task involves abilities such as neural activity, body control, and reflexes. Flying a kite requires this coordination so that the kite doesn't fly away or fall to the ground.

Eye-foot coordination is a sensory motor skill that requires the eye to be able to perceive and understand objects in the environment in relation to our body - this is called visual coordination. When flying a kite, it is important to be able to know one's position relative to surrounding obstacles. Our muscles, joints and bodily systems move and respond to this information in a controlled and appropriate way - this is known as gross motor coordination. When we want to retrieve our kite, we can do it in a way that we can pull the kite down.

 

3. Providessensory experience

Many children these days get their sensory experiences from the TV or screen. Any kind of outdoor or exercise activity is a good alternative to that, and kite flying is as easy as it gets.

The outdoors is alive with scents and sensations. Children can appreciate the different colors, shapes and sizes of nature - the aqua and blues of the sea, the cream of sandy beaches, the greens and browns of trees, pets and others. Your child will also be able to feel the wind, both on their face and through the movement of the kite on the line of the kite they hold in their hands. Experiencing the change of seasons is a delightful experience in and of itself.

This can be a very exhilarating, and we recommend every child try kite flying at least once every season to see each change and experience each kind of conditon.

 

4. LetsCreativity Flourish

When you and your child assemble a kite together, it allows your child to use their problem solving skills and learn how to assemble it by themselves. If you already have a kite, check out our article on how to make a kite tail. Alternatively, you can teach your child to pack their own kite kit and choose their own kite string.

If you have an older child who has experience flying a kite, you can also get them to try out dual-sport/stunt kites. These kites come with 2 handles with a string on each handle. This kind of kite is very fast and can make sharp turns in the air, stop suddenly, fly upside down, and even do complex acrobatics such as figure 8 in the air. If you have no experience, it is not recommended that you try a double-line kite directly, you can start your kite life with a single-line kite.

 

5. Learn to Solve Problems

When your kite get bumped, spun, stuck or is require assembly, you have the opportunity to teach your child how to solve problems.

We have some helpful articles to help you troubleshoot and resolve these typical kite flying problems:

1. How to stop a spinning kite
2. Why your kite keeps crashing
3. How to balance a kite
4. 8 easy steps to kite flying
5. How to fly a kite fast

If you have more questions, you can check our FAQ, we have written some answers to common questions about kites, if you have your own questions, please contact us, we are committed to solving your kite problems. And, if you find that this is an enjoyable experience for you, we hope you recommend it to others.

 

6. Make friends/socialize

Kites often bring people together, whether they are related to each other or not. There are often other families and children flying kites in the same area as you. As part of a family outing or picnic, kite flying is an easy activity to prepare; it can even be a group bonding activity!

A colorful or unusually designed kite is often the perfect conversation starter, and it can lead to new friendships that can last for years. Since kites are usually flown or piloted by 1 person at a time, so its also an opportunity to talk about sharing with your children. The family learns to take turns and work as a unit.

If on a school-organized outing, ask your child to invite classmates to learn how to fly a kite. Your child may also interact with other children when they come to ask about kite flying. Take this opportunity to teach your child how to negotiate with others, how to take turns, and how to help others fly a kite. This can increase your child's self-confidence and social skills.

 

7. Exercise In Nature

Flying a kite requires of you a commitment to go outdoors, which means you and your kids have get some sun! In a world where we're constantly glued to electronic devices (yes, even kids these days), flying a kite can promote movement and help relieve neck and eye strain. Electronic devices really take up too much of our time, not only children, our lives are also filled with a lot of electronic devices, and sometimes we are with our families to enjoy them together, and we will each use our own electronic devices. We need to give our children a childhood with natural colors, and we also need to relax our minds and bodies.

 

8. Promotes Mindfulness

Teaching your children to pay attention to their surroundings helps them become aware of the here and now. This, in turn, helps improve pain management, reduce anxiety, improves mood, as well as mental focus.

You can teach your child what happens if you let go of the kite as part of being mindful of what they are doing. We also recommend that you read our tips for safe kite flying with your children to ensure they are having fun and staying safe.

While kites are not inherently dangerous, we strongly recommend that your child is always supervised by an adult when handling or flying a kite. And wear gloves for the child. The string of the kite itself is not very sharp, but the sudden force of the wind can cut the child's hand in an instant.

 

9. Develop Confidence

To this day, I get a feeling of contentment every time I successfully fly a kite. It started when I was much younger, still learning to launch and fly kites. Over the years, I've gotten more and more confident in handling kites. This made me have more confidence in other areas of my life, and gave me a love of sports as well. 

Confidence is very important in helping children learn. The higher the level of self-confidence, the more likely the child is to take on bigger, more complex challenges and try to solve them.

As your child improves in kite flying, they may even start teaching other kids how to fly a kite, which can be great for their social needs and development!

 

10. Teach Fortitude

When I can't get my kite to fly properly, I say "try again"! Troubleshooting a kite usually involves the process of fixing something and then taking a test flight to see how the kite handles in the air. This will teach your child patience, determination and tenacity. Failure can also hone  your patience. Improve yourself and fly the kite higher each time than the last time.

Kite flying has been a great stress reliever for me. As I watched my kite float in the open blue sky, the wind was blowing the kite and it was blowing me too, feeling the wind. It was at this moment, the daily stress of life melted away. Kite flying is a fascinating and healing experience for both the pilot and the audience. It's also a great low-stress exercise! We hope you and your kids enjoy kite flying as much as we do! If you too enjoy this activity, I hope you can share this movement with those around you.

Finally, we recommend our kites for children, kite flying is a classic pastime for all ages, especially for today's young people. Who doesn't remember flying a kite in the long summer or spring with the wind blowing in your hair and the fresh air around you. These are moments to cherish forever, and you can give your child a gift with our JEKOSEN brand kids kites. Our kites are colorful, fun and diverse, and come in many shapes and sizes. From majestic dragons to proud eagles and everything in between, we have something for everyone. Light up the sky with bright ideas and fun kites that every child can enjoy flying. As a parent or loved one, there is nothing better than the feeling of giving your child a great gift they will never forget. And, by participating in this great tradition and using JEKOSEN brand kids kites, you too can feel like a child again.