Whether Baby is already feeling on top of the world or their mood could use a boost, kite flying can be a great way to take a spring day to the next level as a family. Kite flying is a simple, traditional kind of outdoor fun that can be a great activity for adults and children to do together. It’ll give you and Baby the chance to practice your teamwork and get a little fresh air at the same time.
Kite flying with a toddler, step by step
Fancy kites can be tempting, but if Baby is new to kites – and if it’s been a few years since you’ve flown one yourself – it can be a good idea to start simple. A basic diamond- or delta-shaped kite is easy to get into the air, and the fact that these are one-string kites means they’re easier to fly once they’re up there, too. And if Baby decides they love kites, if you’ve started with the most basic model, after that you can only go up!
Mini kites and kites geared towards very young children can also be a great place to start. They may not fly very well, but they’ll give your little one the chance to try things out and they’re specifically designed for toddler ease and safety.
Depending on your little one’s coordination and how interested they are in the process, your first kite flying adventure might be most successful if you’ve got a second adult on hand to help your little one out. It’s also important to pick a breezy day to try your kite out for the first time, although rainy days or days when there could be lightning are, of course, too dangerous for kite flying. So once the wind picks up, just how do you launch your kite?
- Decide who’s going to hold the string and who’s going to launch the kite. Baby may have the most fun if they hold the kite and runs and if you hold onto the string. On the other hand, it can take longer to get a kite into the air this way. And if you try to launch the kite into the air first, you can help Baby learn how to do so when it’s their turn.
- The person wielding the string unrolls a few feet of string so the kite can be held by their partner in kite-flying fun, and then the person holding the kite stands with their back to the wind, holding the kite out in front of them as high up as they can.
- If your child is the one holding the kite, they might have the most fun running with the kite to try to catch the wind. If you’re the one with the kite, you might find it works best to hold the kite facing the wind, and then release it to let it catch the wind on its own.
- Once the kite is in the air, it’s the job of the person holding the string to reel it in or to let it out if they want to when the kite starts to tug.
Don’t be discouraged if it takes a while to get your kite into the air or if it keeps falling down. After all, kites that fly up in the air and then just stay there can get a little boring before too long. It’s the wild windy wobbliness and the chance to get that kite back up into the air that makes it so much fun!
