A young boy is mesmerized by a model car

Car model making for kids

If your kids have an artistic or even a practical streak, perhaps making a model car is an option for their next school holiday activity list! This popular kids activity will keep them occupied for hours. You can also have a fun day out together visiting a hobby shop to select their first kit. You'll find there are so many to choose from that it won't be an easy decision.

  • Category: Arts and crafts
  • Approximate age to start : 5 years old and up due to small parts
  • Approximate price: $20 - $150 for a full kit plus paints, brushes etc
  • Best period of the year: Anytime of the year
  • Most appropriate region: Everywhere
  • School holiday programs available: N/A but ad-hoc workshops provided by some hobby stores
A young boy is mesmerized by a model car A young boy is mesmerized by a model car

A video of Car model making for kids

A video showing a scale model of one of the most popular cars worldwide - the Lamborghini!

Information on car model making for kids

Would your kids like to make model cars?

Have your kids ever enjoyed playing with toy cars, toy trucks, toy trains, lego, clay, or building blocks? If they have, it’s possible making scale models of these objects could provide hours of fun for them! It could also make a refreshing change for your little artists who want something different to regular art classes and lessons for kids.

Being creative and building things is a kids activity that is fun and educational. Note that this activity is not for toddlers because it involves very small parts.

Why is car model making a great kids activity?

Like any creative activity, making model cars can provide the following benefits for your child:

  • Improved concentration and brain stimulation
  • A sense of achievement after finishing the task
  • Practice doing detailed, close work
  • improved hand and eye co-ordination
  • Practice reading instructions and following them
  • Learning about mechanics and cars
  • Working with colours and shapes, which can be therapeutic

Car model making kits have the potential not just to provide hours of fun for your children, but improve lots of subtle aspects of their heath, both physically and mentally!

On top of this, believe it or not – this is among a handful of kids activities which could one day become a career for a budding young architect! Professional model makers are employed to create scale models of everything from cars to cities by building and manufacturing companies in New Zealand and all around the world.

Information on car model making

If you have a local hobby shop, they will usually have lots of different model kits to choose from. You don't just have to build cars- there are also model aeroplanes, model trains, military models and even entire town settings to put together from a box!

Some hobby shops will hold classes or group sessions where keen model makers can build their models together. This could become one of your family's favourite arts and crafts school holiday activities for kids!

Another option is to order a model kit online. Simply type 'model car kits' into a search engine and you'll find lots of websites where they are available to purchase.

There are also plenty of online tutorials that can give advice on the best way to go about making your car model.

What will your kids need to get started making car models?

Apart from the kit with the car parts, the following tools are necessary:

  • glue
  • paints and brushes
  • turps or paint remover
  • a magnifying glass for very small parts

The same tools apply for train model making, truck model making or any other scale models your children would like to make.A great bonus may also be that these tools can double up and be used in craft classes and lessons for kids!

Other than these basics, your little ones don't need much more than some enthusiasm and spare time to get started on this fantastic kids activity!

Why not let your kids try it out today? Check the ActiveActivities directory for more information.