Early years activity: Flying High

Explore flight and cause and effect with our hands-on kite making activity. Children design and assemble their own kites, then take them outdoors to run, fly and watch them soar and dance in the wind.

Recycling junk play learning aims

Develop fine and gross motor skills
Observe weather conditions and how wind affects objects
Encourage curiosity and exploration
Enhance vocabulary/express observations about movement – fly, wind, soar, lift etc. .

Resources you will need for this activity

Lightweight sticks or straws
Tissue or lightweight paper
String/wool
Ribbon
Glue/tape
Scissors.

Recycling junk play activity outline

Ask the children what they know about kites. What do they look like? Have they flown one? When/where have they flown them?
Tell the children they are going to make their own kite
Prepare the frame – demonstrate how to cross the two sticks in a cross shape and secure them together with tape (support where necessary)
Cut a diamond shape from the lightweight/tissue paper
Lay the frame on the paper and fold the edges over the sticks, securing with tape or glue
Tie a long piece of string/wool securely to the point where the sticks meet
Add a ribbon tail to the bottom of the kite (this helps to balance the kite in the wind)
Once the kites are made (glue is dry if using), take the kites outside to an open space on a windy day
Demonstrate how to hold and release the kite into the wind. Encourage running with the kite to see it lift
Ask questions (either during or when reflecting on the activity afterwards) – “What happened when the wind blew?”, “What made your kite fly higher?”, “What would you change next time?”

How to extend this activity

Work together as a team to make a giant kite and compare how it flies to their individual ones
Read stories about wind, flight, or clouds.

Special Considerations

Important: Activities with children must always be risk assessed, including for allergies or choking. Children must always have adequate supervision. Resources and materials must always be appropriate for children’s age and stage of development.