Are RC Cars Good For Kids? 8 great benefits
RC cars are not just fun for kids to play with, but they also come with a lot of benefits that can help in the growth and development of these kids.
Kids love to be in control of these cars and run them around a track or even just the living room. RC cars provide kids with this control and freedom because they can move their cars wherever and however they like, only limited by the space around and the range of the remote control.
Why are RC cars good for kids?
One of the primary benefits that kids get to enjoy from playing with RC cars is that they allow them to spend time outdoors, and provide an avenue for bonding with family and friends.
Spending time playing outdoors is very important in the formative years of a child because it helps to boost the mental and physical health of the child. Kids are able to develop self-awareness and responsibility by playing with and maintaining their RC cars.
Research has also shown that a growing number of children nowadays do not play outdoors, mainly because of the technology boom that has provided video games and virtual reality.
However, nothing can beat the outdoors. Taking the RC car for a run and learning its limitations and controls can be a great time of learning and development for a child.
8 Benefits of RC cars for kids
1. Gives them technical knowledge
Having and playing with an RC car is a great opportunity for a child to learn about “what makes things work”. Most of the RC cars you can buy are already assembled and you can play with them right out of the box, but some will need to be assembled. Depending on how old the child is, they could take this up as a challenge and learn how to piece together a simple RC car.
Even if your kid won’t be assembling the car, they still work with the different parts of the car, and it’s an excellent way for kids to gain knowledge about machines and the way they work.
2. Teaches them responsibility for their belongings
This is an important attribute that is becoming more and more scarce in the world today. Responsibility is something that children need to start growing from a young age, and an RC car gives them the perfect opportunity to do that. Owning the RC car will teach the child about the importance of caring for their belongings.
3. Great family bonding time
With the wave of video games taking over the world and taking the full attention of children, RC cars provide a great way to snap that attention away from video games and turn it to more important things, like family time and creating memories.
You can experience the joy of playing with RC cars together with your child and even get the whole family involved. Playing with RC cars is an amazing way for a family to spend time together.
4. It’s a family hobby
RC cars offer families the chance to bond over a very interesting hobby. This experience has helped to strengthen relationships between people, and it can be played with almost anywhere. You can build a small track or just create a path in the living room and have your RC car run through it.
5. Great for hand-eye coordination
Playing with RC cars can help to improve and develop the hand-eye coordination of a child. Hand-eye coordination refers to the ability of a person to align the visual information they receive with their motor output. RC cars help to improve this coordination.
6. Great fine-motor skills
An RC car provides a child with something they can get interested in and also helps them to refine their motor skills at a young age. Getting to control a car with a remote helps to create great motor skills in a child.
7. Spatial awareness
Playing with RC cars helps in developing spatial intelligence and awareness skills, and this also improves dexterity.
8. Self-efficacy
An RC car is just like a real car in that it requires a lot of maintenance, and discipline is needed to ensure that it continues to run at maximum efficiency for a long time. When kids take care of their remote car, it gives them a valuable experience and in turn, helps in boosting self-efficacy.
Why are RC cars fun for adults and kids
RC cars are fun for a lot of different reasons. If your child likes to build things, or you’d like your child to learn how to, then you can get an RC car that is not pre-assembled to give your child the opportunity to build it from scratch.
You can also buy different accessories and parts that you can add to your RC vehicle to make it even more unique. This is a great activity that is probably more suited for older children because they are usually better equipped to deal with the assembly of parts.
Kids are also given the opportunity to express their creativity and imagination as they accessories their RC vehicles. This helps to foster logical thinking skills and also gives kids an interesting activity to work on.
Driving an RC car is also a great way to boost social skills. You can expect your child to make a lot of friends from just playing with an RC car outdoors. This will help your child to meet other kids of their age and improve their social skills. There are also many RC communities throughout the country so you can find one in your local community.
What is the best age to start with RC cars
There are many simple RC cars for younger kids to play with, so even a child as young as 3 or 4 years old can start playing with an RC car.
A lot of these simple RC cars come with simple controls and easy functions. The cars and the remotes are also kid-sized so they will be easy to operate. Most of these vehicles are also made from very durable plastic and there are no little and easily breakable parts.
Can a 4-year-old use an RC car
Yes, a 4-year old can use an RC car. Many RC cars are made specifically for younger children to help them develop while also not being too difficult to control and maneuver. All you have to do is ensure you buy a good car and ensure it is not defective when you buy it.
Are RC cars safe for kids?
The straightforward answer is yes, RC cars are quite safe for children, as long as you get an age-appropriate one and also ensure that you abide by good safety practices when playing with the RC car.
You also need to ensure that your child has a basic knowledge of safety rules when playing with the vehicle.
Just like most other toys, there are several rules and standards set in place when running the RC car. You should buy an RC car that is rated for your child’s age, from a known and respected manufacturer, and that is also rightly suited to the development stage of your life. If the RC car is exactly as it should be, then you should be sure that the car is safe for your child.
Should you buy your kid a toy or hobby-grade car as a start
Hobby-grade RC cars are significantly different from the toys.
Toy-grade models usually look very nice and are designed to be eye-catching, however, they lack the longevity and performance of hobby-grade RC cars.
Using hobby-grade RC cars requires a high level of expertise and skill in their operation and maintenance.
If you and your child will have the ability to maintain and properly utilize the hobby-grade car, then it is the premier choice.
However, if you will not be able to properly manage your hobby-grade car, you should go for the toy as it is much easier to use and maintain.
Best remote control car for ages 4-6
One of the best RC cars for kids between the age of 4 to 6 is the EpochAir Wall Climbing Car.
This car can race across floors with ease, and also climb walls and do stunts. It utilizes air suction technology to climb walls and also to help it move at high speeds.
This RC car also has an infrared remote control with two joysticks that helps to provide kids with easy control of the vehicle.
There are also flashing blue and red LED lights that look cool, especially when playing with the car at night. This RC car is quite lightweight, but it is also very strong. So, you should rest assured that it would not incur a lot of damage even after falling from a wall.
Best remote control car for ages 7-10
One of the top RC cars for kids aged 7 to 10 is the Altair Power Pro XL.
It is a monster RC truck that is sure to capture the attention of these kids that are just a few years away from being teenagers. It is very high-quality and you can be sure that it comes with durability and it will last for a long time if properly managed and maintained.
This RC car is designed with the primary aim of being a high-performance machine.
It has a wide wheelbase that allows it to maneuver through certain terrains that most other RC cars can’t go. That means it has less of a chance to flip over, lose its grip on the ground, or even get caught, like most other RC vehicles available.
The controller has a pistol grip that allows a young child to easily maneuver the vehicle and the placement of the buttons also allows for easy access.
This RC truck goes as fast as 30 MPH, and it offers a continuous drive time of up to 30 minutes.
This is a great starter RC car in an affordable price.
