guides

How to Make a Kite With Kids That Actually Flies

By Chaz Bagri6 November 20267 min read

A bright multicoloured delta kite flies against a clear blue sky.

Learn how to make a kite from a bin bag and two sticks, with measured steps, a clear bridle guide and UK advice for your first flight.

How do you make a kite from a bin bag?

To make a kite with kids, cut a bin bag into a sled shape, tape on parallel sticks, reinforce the side points and join them with a string bridle. Attach the flying line to the bridle's centre and add a looped tail. This measured sled-kite plan gives you a clear shape to work towards.

The sticks run side by side. Tonight's job can simply be making something ready for the next breeze.

What do you need to build a kite?

Gather the materials before you start, with the sticks already cut to length. Let your child choose a name or decoration while you lay everything out. These quantities follow the UK sled-kite instructions, with the measurements below written in centimetres.

Thin bin-bag plastic, enough for an 80 cm wide, 45 cm tall rectangle, plus tail strips.
Two light, straight sticks, each 45 cm long.
A 2.4 m piece of string for the bridle, plus kite string on a reel.
Sticky tape, ruler, marker, scissors and a hole punch.

An adult should handle the cutting and hole punching. Keep plastic bags, loose string and small offcuts away from younger siblings, especially under-3s: the NHS explains the choking, suffocation and strangulation risks.

Is it a making day or a flying day?

Make the kite whenever you've got a clear table; fly it in a light breeze in an open space away from roads, trees and overhead cables. Check the forecast before leaving. The Scouts' flying guidance covers these checks and adult supervision when using scissors.

Avoid wet or stormy weather, airports and other people's heads, following the Kite Society's flying advice.

If a kite blows towards a power line, let go immediately. Don't pull it free or touch the string; keep everyone away and contact the electricity network operator. Electricity North West explains what to do.

How do you cut, build and balance the kite?

Work through these steps with the plastic lying flat and the top edge furthest from you. The times are a suggested making plan. Ask your child to point out each mark before you cut, so you're checking the shape together rather than rushing to finish.

1. Open the bag into a sheet (5 minutes)

Cut away the sealed bottom and open a side seam, then measure out a single layer 80 cm wide and 45 cm tall. If your child wants to decorate, set the spare plastic aside for their ideas while you keep the main sheet flat.

2. Mark the outline (8 minutes)

On both the top and bottom edges, mark 20 cm and 60 cm from the left edge. On each side edge, mark 14 cm down from the top. You should have six marks; let your child find the matching pairs before drawing anything.

3. Cut off the corners (4 minutes)

Join each side mark to the nearest top and bottom marks, then cut away the four corner triangles. Keep the broad middle shape. The side points sit nearer the top; add an arrow to keep that end clear.

4. Tape on the sticks (5 minutes)

Lay a stick between each matching top and bottom mark, making parallel supports. Tape the ends and middle securely, folding tape over the edges at the ends. Your child can press down the tape while you keep the sticks from sliding.

5. Strengthen the side points (4 minutes)

Fold tape around each projecting side point, covering both faces, then punch a hole through each reinforced patch. These are the bridle attachments. If your child wants to pull the string through, hold the plastic steady and leave the knotting until both holes are ready.

6. Find the bridle's centre (7 minutes)

Tie an end of the bridle string through each hole. Bring the side points together and stretch the doubled string out to find its midpoint. Tie a small loop there, then attach the flying line. Check that both bridle legs pull equally before tightening everything.

7. Add the looped tail (5 minutes)

Join leftover plastic strips into a tail 1.8 m long and about 3.5 cm wide. Tape an end to the bottom of each stick, leaving a hanging loop. The plan's tail measurements keep this part in proportion to the sail.

8. Give it a final check (2 minutes)

Look for loose tape, an uneven bridle or a tail caught round a stick. Wind the flying line onto its reel.

How long does a kite take to make?

Put aside about 40 minutes for making, using the allowances above. That doesn't include getting to your flying spot or testing the kite. There's no need to do everything in one sitting: cutting out the sail is a useful stopping point, and decorating can have its own afternoon.

A launch and a small adjustment are enough for the first outing.

How do you get it into the air?

Use a helper for the first launch, with an adult supervising throughout. Hold the reel and never wrap the flying line around fingers, hands or any other part of the body. Unwind about 4 metres of flying line, as the National Trust suggests, and have your helper hold the kite open ahead of you. Following the Scouts' launch method, stand with the wind behind you and your child alongside you at the reel.

When the sail catches the breeze, the helper releases it. Let out line gradually as it pulls. If it drops, bring it back for another try.

What should you check if it flops?

Start with the weather, then the kite. Change something small and try again before remaking the whole thing. Ask your child to describe what happened: did it barely lift, turn sideways or fold shut? That gives you a more useful starting point than declaring it broken.

It won't lift: check for a light breeze and try the assisted launch again.
It pulls unevenly: put the side points together and recheck the bridle's centre loop.
It folds shut: check that the bridle hasn't tangled or shortened. The Kite Society explains why a short bridle can collapse a sled.

If the breeze disappears, put the kite away and switch to garden games that need no kit. You don't have to rescue the whole afternoon by making the kite fly.

How can you make the next outing easier?

Wind the line back onto the reel before packing up. Keep the kite and tape together, out of children's reach, ready to check before the next outing.

For another outdoor afternoon, there are more autumn activities to try together.

For movement indoors while the kite waits for a breeze, browse our mats for indoor yoga, with 15 numbered poses laser-engraved into the surface.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best material for a homemade kite?

For this sled, use a thin plastic bin bag and light, straight sticks, with tape and string for the joins. Paper is another option for homemade kites, but start with a plan designed for paper. Keep this build to the material and measurements in the instructions.

Where do you attach the string to a homemade kite?

Attach the flying line to a loop at the centre of the bridle, the string joining the side points. Keep the bridle's legs equal. Don't attach the flying line straight to a stick or the bottom of this sled kite: follow the attachment points in its plan.

How long does it take to make a kite with kids?

Set aside about 40 minutes for the making session described here, with flying as a separate outing. Treat that as time you've put aside, rather than a deadline. If your child wants longer to decorate or needs a break, stop after cutting and finish the assembly later.

Do children need to run to launch a kite?

No running start is needed for the assisted launch described here. A helper holds the kite up while the person with the reel waits for it to catch the breeze. Release it when it pulls, then feed out the line gradually. Try that before turning the launch into a race.

Sources

Shop the mats →