# Kites - Source: Kiddle (kids.kiddle.co), CC BY-SA 3.0, Kiddle encyclopedia, adapted from Wikipedia - Reading level: Grade 5 - Subjects: Toys, Games - Topics: kites, kite, strong, wind, people, light - Length: 1206 words, about 9 min - Published: 2026-04-15 - Original: - Page: - Open in Sprouts: ![Kite Flying by Suzuki Harunobu (鈴木 春信)](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/media/kiddle-kites-f8e74e8b38.jpg) *Kite Flying* by Suzuki Harunobu from 1766. A **kite** is a cool flying object that uses the wind to stay up in the air! You hold it with a string, and the wind pushes against its surface, making it soar. Most kites have wings, strings (called tethers), and a spot where the string attaches. Many also have a bridle (a set of strings that helps the kite face the wind) and a tail. These parts help the kite catch the air just right so it can fly high. The word "kite" actually comes from a type of bird that can float in the air. Kites fly because of two main forces: - **Lift**: This is the force that pushes the kite upwards. It happens when air moves faster over the top of the kite and slower underneath, creating different pressures that push it up. - **Drag**: This force pulls the kite in the direction the wind is blowing. Kites have a super long and interesting history. People fly them for fun, as amazing art, or for many practical reasons. You can see them at awesome festivals all over the world. Some kites are made for sports, like aerial "ballet" competitions where they perform tricks. Others, called power kites, are super strong and can pull people for exciting activities like kite surfing or snow kiting! ## Types of Kites ![Steve Hobart Sport Kite](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/media/kiddle-kites-6cd7f3e028.jpg) A cool sport kite. ![Pairs kites](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/media/kiddle-kites-d5ac91fb74.jpg) A trick kite, designed for stunts. There are many different shapes and sizes of kites! Some common types include: - **Flat kites**: These are simple, often diamond-shaped kites. - **Bowed kites**: These have a slight curve to help them fly. - **Box kites**: These are made of several boxes joined together. - **Delta kites**: These look like a triangle or the Greek letter delta. - **Power kites**: These are large, strong kites used to pull people. - **Stunt kites**: These kites have two or more lines, letting you control them to do tricks. Kites are also used for kite aerial photography, which means taking pictures from the sky! ## Materials Used to Make Kites ![Sparless Styrofoam kite in flight](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/media/kiddle-kites-e4a2f0b928.jpg) A kite made from styrofoam without stiff rods. Kites need to be light enough to fly but strong enough to handle the wind. In the past, people often used materials like paper and silk for the kite's "sail" (the part that catches the wind). Paper was cheap and light, but it could get damaged by water easily. Silk was much stronger for its weight, flexible, and could be dyed bright colors, making beautiful kites. Silk was more expensive than paper. Today, most kites are made from modern, super-strong fabrics like ripstop polyester and ripstop nylon. These materials are great because they are very durable, don't get damaged by water easily, and are super strong but still lightweight. Thin plastic films, like polyethylene (the plastic in grocery bags) or polyester film (like Mylar®), are often used for simpler or cheaper kites you might find in toy stores. They are very light and waterproof, but can sometimes tear more easily than fabric kites. The frame, or "skeleton," gives the kite its shape. It needs to be light but also strong and flexible enough to handle the wind without breaking. The rods or sticks that make up the frame are called spars. Historically, natural materials like bamboo and wood were used for frames. Bamboo is a fantastic traditional material, especially in Asia where kites began. It's light, strong, and naturally flexible. Lightweight woods like balsa wood were also used. Modern kites use amazing new materials for their frames: - **Fiberglass**: These rods are very popular because they are lightweight, strong, and very flexible. They can bend a lot in the wind without breaking and then snap back to their original shape. - **Carbon fiber**: This material is even lighter and stronger than fiberglass, but it's usually more expensive. It's used in high-performance kites, like big power kites, where being super light and strong is really important. ## History of Kites ![Fier Drake (1634 kite woodcut)](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/media/kiddle-kites-6172cc14a9.png) An old drawing from 1635 showing how to make a "fire Drake" kite. Kites are believed to have been invented in China around 2,500 years ago! Two philosophers, Mozi and Lu Ban, are often given credit. China had perfect materials for kites: silk for the wings, strong silk for the lines, and light, tough bamboo for the frame. By 549 AD, people were definitely flying paper kites. One story says a paper kite was used to send a message during a rescue mission. Ancient Chinese records show kites were used for measuring distances, checking wind, lifting people, and sending signals in military operations. Many Chinese kites were decorated with mythical creatures and figures, and some even had strings and whistles to make music in the sky! Kites eventually traveled to [India](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/r/kiddle/india), where they developed into the fighter kite, known as the patang. Thousands of these kites are flown every year during festivals like Makar Sankranti. Kites also spread across Polynesia, reaching as far as New Zealand. People in these areas used kites made from cloth and wood in religious ceremonies to send prayers. Kites arrived later in Europe. [Marco Polo](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/r/kiddle/marco-polo) brought stories of kites back in the late 1200s, and sailors brought actual kites from [Japan](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/r/kiddle/japan) and Malaysia in the 1500s and 1600s. At first, Europeans saw kites as just interesting toys. But by the 1700s and 1800s, they started using kites for scientific research. ![Kinderspiele 1828 Drachensteigen](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/media/kiddle-kites-51d5d8889e.jpg) Boys flying a kite in Germany, 1828. In 1752, Benjamin Franklin famously used a kite in an experiment to show that lightning was a form of [electricity](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/r/kiddle/electricity-facts-for-kids). Kites were also very important for the [Wright brothers](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/r/kiddle/the-wright-brothers) and others who were trying to build the first airplane in the late 1800s. They experimented with different man-lifting kite designs. The time from 1860 to about 1910 is sometimes called the "golden age of kiting" in Europe. In the 20th century, many new kite designs appeared, like the tetrahedral kite and power kites. Kites were used for science, especially in studying weather, flight, and even for taking pictures from the air. Today, kites are mostly flown for fun. Modern kites are made from lightweight, strong materials like ripstop nylon and carbon fiber. The lines are made from super-strong synthetic ropes. ### Gallery ![DeltaKite](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/media/kiddle-kites-f81d1b3c22.jpg) This delta kite uses a keel instead of a bridle. ![A sketch of the Mitsui shop in Suruga street in Edo](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/media/kiddle-kites-ea62919815.jpg) Kites flying above a shop in Edo, Japan, by Hokusai. ![Hiroshige II Enshū Akiha](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/media/kiddle-kites-dc08f2b2d4.jpg) *Enshū Akiha* by Hiroshige II (1859). ![Story of the mince pie (1916) (14749678221)](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/media/kiddle-kites-e90c15d6f3.jpg) Illustration from a 1916 book. ## How Kites Are Used Kites have been used for many different things, including lifting people, military tasks, scientific research, photography, lifting radio antennas, and even generating electricity! ### Military Uses In the past, kites were used by the military for signaling, carrying supplies, and for observation. They could lift a person high above a battlefield or be used for taking pictures from the air. The Chinese were the first to use kites in warfare. During the Song dynasty, they developed the "Fire Crow," a kite that carried burning powder as a weapon. In Korea, General Kim Yu-sin used flaming kites in 647 to scare enemies and encourage his troops. Later, in Europe, there are records of kites being used to carry firebombs over city walls. Admiral Yi of Korea also used kites with special markings to give orders to his navy during battles in the late 1500s. ## Picture credits - Suzuki Harunobu, Public domain () - Kiddle encyclopedia, adapted from Wikipedia, not established () - Aarondoucett, CC BY-SA 3.0 () - Kiddle encyclopedia, adapted from Wikipedia, not established () - John Bate or an artisan of his acquaintance or in his employ., Public domain () - Johann Michael Voltz (Illustration), Johann Carl Bock (engraving), Public domain () - Jonathunder, CC BY-SA 3.0 () - Katsushika Hokusai, Public domain () - Utagawa Hiroshige II, Public domain () - Internet Archive Book Images, No restrictions ()