Model Kits do seem predominantly to be “boy’s toys”, although girls also enjoy constructing them. Ranging from civil and military aircraft to military vehicles and cars, ships, spacecraft, figures and dioramas, most people will think of famous names such as Airfix, Revell or Tamiya when the term “model kits” is used.
And it’s certainly true that all those manufacturers continue to supply an astonishing range of plastic construction kits suitable for all ages and abilities. Aside from giving hours of pleasure and fun to young and old, in some cases becoming the basis of a lifelong hobby interest, plastic model kits also have many purely educational benefits that will help any child develop a variety of skills and aptitudes.
Your child’s motor skills will be certainly be developed by constructing these model kits, but they will also encourage co-ordination and planning and logical thinking.Part of making model kits is to read and review the instructions and identify parts on the plastic sprue.You also need to identify parts, figure out where they fit and in in which sequence they go together. How to follow directions is a valuable life lesson that will pay off later no doubt after the trip to IKEA!
However, making model kits involves more than just logical thinking and planning. Your child’s creativity and patience will be improved as will the appreciation of the craftsmanship required to build and finish any model, and by extension the value of adopting those same principles in any work or project.Painting the finished piece will develop artistic appreciation and also hone motor skills.
But model kits needn’t just mean those familiar plastic boats, ships or tanks.Other model kits available, such as model rockets, incorporate all the education benefits of the plastic kit world but go much further by actually working properly!
Mathematics takes on a whole new relevance for a child in model rocketry. Showing how to calculate something like flight trajectory, power output becomes more meaningful.The imagination required to build and finish a model rocket is matched by the technical skills you need to develop.An understanding of electronics and mechanics will be enhanced by doing something fun and practical with them. Physical education will also benefit, especially when you launch a model rocket in a strong wind and have to chase it across country when it comes to earth!
Encouraging your children to get stuck into model kits is probably the most enjoyable yet significant learning activity you can undertake at almost any age.Better if you join in too!
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