Most of the time, toys are developed not only to keep boredom at bay but also to stimulate a kid’s mental skills.
Take model kits for example—building models is a tedious yet rewarding hobby that can be done by people of all ages. At first, model kits may seem intimidating and too complex for kids. But here’s the catch: it is by nurturing your kid through the building process of model cars, planes, trains, motorbikes, and even pop culture replicas, you can push them to unleash their creativity and imagination.
With that being said, here are some things and skills that kids can learn from building model kits. If you want to know more, make sure to scroll further
Model kits encourage learning
If you have ever marveled at the sight of your child trying to put puzzle pieces together, you know toys are not all about fun and entertainment. You see, toys can become educational too, and common examples include table games such as scrabble and chess. There is a reason why model building is one of the common hobbies kids in the ‘50s to 70s enjoy—it encourages kids to learn, which is one of the many things that make this hobby worth upholding today.
The great thing about model kits is that they are replicas of real objects, so whenever your child is building a model, you can talk about the history, stories, and fun facts about the scale model. The more they learn about the model they are trying to put together, the more they will become passionate and driven to put things all together.
Model kits encourage bonding time with the family
Did you know that a study in the UK revealed that children spend approximately 32 hours a week on technology? It’s like wasting more than a day on video games and gadgets, which obviously are not family-friendly activities. This contributes to a child’s short attention span. As a parent, it can be challenging to get the attention of your child for more than 30 seconds. However, if you introduce a more intricate, family-friendly hobby like scale modeling, you can probably expect less screen time from your time, and more concentration on the new hobby. Model kits help a child build his or her own model, sought help from parents and siblings, allowing the whole family to team up on creating something fruitful and rewarding.
Model kits teach patience, commitment, and hard work
The aforementioned skills are life skills that are usually not taught inside the four corners of the classroom. Ever since the dawn of technological advancements, attention spans have been dramatically decreasing. And this can be detrimental to your child’s growth in the long run.
When you start introducing model kits to your child during his or her formative years, you are teaching them to view projects as tangible rewards of perseverance, commitment, patience, and hard work.
Building model kits take a lot of time, effort, and understanding in order to get to the end goal. Sure, your kid may encounter various challenges along the way, but these would make your child realize that failures and challenges are essential to get to the end-goal.
Model kits spark creativity
When building model kits, your child requires concentration and creativity to achieve the goal. Some model kits allow a child’s creativity to fly, which is a great way to hone his or her artistic side. Encourage your child to paint or add extra details they deem necessary to make the model more appealing and unique. By encouraging them to do so, you are making them realize that they can create wonderful things on their own.
Model kits enhance problem-solving skills
Whether they are putting together tiny pieces to make an airplane, century ship, or motorbike, it requires assembly techniques that your child will learn throughout the process. Each technique helps enhance hand-eye coordination and dexterity; two characteristics that are essential for school-essential abilities such as handwriting. Additionally, throughout the process, your child will learn to figure things out on his or her own. By building model kits, you are setting up your child to be an excellent critical thinker in the future, which is an essential skill in every field.