How to Choose a Model for a Child to Build

Children learn from challenges and from accomplishments. Giving your child a chance to experiment with building models may provide him with a rewarding, educational hobby for a lifetime.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Airplane Glue
• Gripping Straight Tweezers
• Elmer's Glue-All
• Desk Lamps
• Magnifying Lamps
• Masking Tape
• Superglue
• Tables
• Masking Tape
• Superglue
• Nail Files
• X-Acto Knives
• Metal Files
• Needle-nose Pliers
• Pliers
• Needle-nose Pliers
• Pliers
• Plastic Model/replica Kits
• Tables

1. Remember that anything bought for a child must be age-appropriate.

2. Know your child. Listen to his chatter and take clues from what seems to fascinate him.

3. Join your child in exploring the world - take him to a museum, an air show or a car race, and then offer to buy him a model.

4. Watch your child to see if he shows interest in models issued in response to current events. For example, it's now possible to buy models of the ship Titanic because of the popularity of the movie with the same name.

5. Remember that model kits are no longer confined to airplanes, cars and ships. Science fiction models like the Enterprise from "Star Trek" are popular.

6. Consider providing models that develop a child's knowledge and skills, such as models of prehistoric animals or working rockets.

7. Ask the store clerk for recommendations.

8. Read all the material on the kit box. Try to determine the quality of the product, and, if appropriate, try to determine how close a replica it will be of the actual object.

9. Double-check age appropriateness. Make sure your child will be able to complete construction without being frustrated by an overly complicated assembly process.

Tips & Warnings

• Many model and kit makers will keep fans abreast of what's new by e-mailing notification of current releases.
• Some tools and materials used in model construction, such as knives and glues, may require adult supervision.
• Be sure the model speaks to the child's interests rather than your own.
• Remember that there's a difference between assisting and taking over. Let your child do the work and praise his efforts, even if it's not done to adult standards.

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on 3/4/2009 Great help and advice for all, including grandparents. I could see grandpa and grandchild having a great time with this :)

on 8/13/2006 I bought my 7-year-old son and myself identical models. I figured I'd stay a step or two ahead of him so that when he had issues, he'd be able to see how the finished section was assembled. I found the suspension to be a challenge and told my wife that when he got to those parts, he was going to need assistance.

While I waited for my glue to dry, I picked up his model, flipped it over, and discovered that he had already finished the suspension, apparently without difficulty or assistance (or paint). However, I also see where he's skipped ahead in the instructions without regard to prerequisites, for instance installing the dashboard before installing the pedals and installing lights, windows, and chrome prior to body paint.

Obviously, 7-year-olds have no interest in paint.

on 1/23/2006 Because many snap-together kits are more of a "see it, build it" kind of thing, some kids gravitate to glue-together models pretty quickly because they can be modified, and many kits offer multiple building versions in the same package. This can also mean that a child may build the kit into nothing you have ever seen before! A problem with many parents is that we tend to be disappointed when a child doesn't do something "right". Knee-jerk reactions to a child's project because the colors aren't correct or the parts used aren't the ones that you would use with that version of the kit dismiss what the child was really trying to do: express himself. The easiest method to determine if a kit was built "right" is if the child is truly happy with the outcome, no matter what the image on the box top looks like.

on 11/22/2005 Models come with a "degree of difficulty." The easiest are the "snap-together" types. Choose the easy ones for young children or beginners.