Scale Model Cars: A Fun & Educational Hobby to Share With Your Child

You know the age-old adage “they grow up so fast”. And these days, kids seem to grow up even faster and as parents, we hardly get to see them. Children will spend their days surrounded by flashy gadgets like laptops, smartphones or PlayStation that compete for their attention. And they can’t resist this.

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So, getting kids to lift their little heads up from the screen and spend some time with you is a tough task. Nevertheless, you shouldn’t give up. Bonding time is super important for a healthy parent-child relationship. That being said, you need to find an activity that will be fun for your child and which both of you can engage in.

Starting a scale model hobby is a great way to get some extra face-to-face time with your kid. Scale model cars combine two things that kids love – gadgets and building things. Plus, if you as a parent have a love for cars, this can be a winning option for both of you.

If you’re worried that your kid is too young or will find this complicated, don’t think that you need to build the models from scratch. You can conveniently buy car models online with an assembly kit and step-by-step instructions that are easy to follow. Engaging in this kind of hobby can have numerous benefits for your child.

Learn Problem-Solving Skills

It is a staple of hobby model car kits – they come in many pieces that are to be assembled accordingly. Usually, it is the very small models that come in one piece and require no effort but unboxing to use them. For the rest of them, getting all those pieces into one big scale model is a challenge and a thrill.

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And they do come in a vast range, with some consisting of just a handful of pieces to those that have more than a hundred. Getting this all together into one slick unit is a task that requires patience and confronting hurdles on the way. Like a giant puzzle. If you add the different materials and application techniques employed in the more elaborate models, you have a real learning curve for problem-solving your kid.

Boost Curiosity

The process of building a model car is that a kid has probably never come across. And as such, it will lead to countless questions: “How does this fit here? Why this part can’t enter this opening? How to finish this off?, etc”. And you will be the person who will need to answer all these things. Don’t get frustrated by the many questions. This is only a sign that the child is truly engaged in the whole process. Plus, trying to make sense of how the different parts come together in order for the car to work can boost the child’s curiosity.

Appreciate Scale in a Fun Way

Plastic model race car kits are made in all sorts of scale. From the minuscule, almost toy-like, scale of 1:64, to the really tangible and apparent scale of 1:12, your kid will gain some fresh understanding of measuring objects. There are many scales in between (1:34, 1:24, 1:18) and that is an opportunity to help your child gain some perspective on size and scale. Especially, if you have the same model in different scales. Or perhaps you have a scale model of a vehicle that is parked outside your house.

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Develop an Understanding of the Evolution in Car Design

Building a collection of hobby car models allows your kid to develop a deeper understanding of the evolution in the automotive industry. It is rather easy and fairly common for enthusiasts to have a collection of models showcasing how they were upgraded through the decades. So, you can have a classic model, and the changes it suffered through different decades. Your kid will learn to recognise the design patterns and this can spark interest in a particular manufacturing philosophy or in design in general.

Build a Collection

People pay up to five-figures for detailed scale models of their favourite cars. While I don’t advise you to break the bank on your favourite model, you have to admit that this a rare possibility to build a collection of cars you admire. It can be cars that you can never afford, or it can be an exact replica of an old car you had. This can even extend over multiple generations in your family. You can make a collection of all the vehicles your family owned in the last hundred years. It is fairly easy to buy car models online that are real classics and very true to the original design. You can create meaningful connections across the family and a real love for anything automotive.

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Gateway to Model Making

Handling boxed assembly kits can be addictive. Beware, as hobby car models can easily hook your kid up on model making. Although, there is nothing wrong with this. It could lead to life long pursuit that can potentially turn into a career. Model making from scratch is its own science and sort of issues are to be considered if you decide to make a model on your own.

What’s more, building car models can spark creativity and develop attention to detail that is crucial for future pursuits in engineering, design, architecture and art.