Model Making for Kids

Information on Model Making for Kids

Is model making for your kid(s)?

Are your kids practical and creative? If they like building camps and building sand castles perhaps, they might be interested in model making. Models can be put on display if your kids build exact replicas of historical ships, or your kids could make a boat they could actually sail on a pond or a lake with a small battery-powered engine and remote control. The possibilities are almost endless!

Model making is a very versatile hobby:

• Kids interested in role playing games can buy and paint their own miniature character figures
• Building and painting models teaches kids thoroughness, patience and attention to detail
• Model making is a skill that can be used later in life, should your kids work as architects or film-makers, who often use scale models at the early stages of a project
• Model making helps expand kids' imaginations as they can create a story around each model and imagine the life of a model village or the battles fought by their ships and planes with their favourite fantasy character

Model making may not be suitable for all children. It best suits those who are happy to spend time on their own, quietly working away. If your kids prefer to be outside kicking a ball then they may not have the patience for model making!

Right from the point they can play with toy blocks, kids are starting to build. However the manual dexterity and patience required for successful model making, plus the tools and chemicals used such as sharp needles and glue, mean it is a hobby more likely to be appreciated by older kids around 9 or 10 upwards.

Models are generally made out of plastic, wood or heavy cardboard. Kits can be purchased either assembled, in which case they only need painting, or in parts which require careful gluing prior to painting. There is a huge variety of kits on the market, depending on your kids' interests.

Get your kids to start model making!

Are you kids interested in creating something practical? Model making could be their favourite kids activity! Kits start out around $50 and can give your kids hours of fun playing with the end result. If it breaks, not to worry, there's always another model to make! Check out our ActiveActivities Directory for local model making activities and our kids events page for exhibition venues in your area!