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DIY Kite (Photos Included)

This DIY kite was a fun and easy project that my kids really enjoyed!

And it was practically free!

The only thing we had to buy was the tissue paper.

My husband was the one who made it.

He told me he used to make these kites as a child in Mexico because his family couldn’t afford to buy one for all of the kids they had.

I think he did a great job!

We used stalks that we found on the side of the road to make this kite.

We’re not sure what kind of stalks they are.

They kind of look like bamboo.

But my husband says you can use other stalks like corn stalks if you can’t find bamboo.

Other than the tissue paper and stalk you’ll need thread, glue and scissors!

I’m sure you probably already have them at home.

A DIY kite is a fun craft the whole family can enjoy!

Continue reading to see how incredibly easy it is to make

This DIY kite is a cheap, fun and easy craft the whole family can enjoy this summer.

DIY Kite Steps

Ok, let’s get started!

I’m going to use green tissue paper to show you the steps since I ran out of the polka dot one but I do like the polka dot one a lot better!

Start at the top left hand corner and go clockwise.

It’s pretty easy so far just start with a sheet of tissue paper, fold it in half and then cut it at the fold.

So you will be left with two equal sized sheets.

diy kite

Next fold the paper as shown below

diy kite

Next cut along the folds to make a diamond shape

diy kite

Now chop the stalk in half. We used a meat cleaver for this.

You’ll have two equal halves.

Next cut off 2 thin strips.

Cut all the way to the bottom of the stalk.

Next you’ll need to thin them out even more.

We don’t measure anything we just try to get it as thin and even as we can.

easy diy kite

They should look something like this.

DIY kite

Next Make sure one of the strips of stalk is the same length as the length of the kite.

You’ll have to trim it if not.

Then put glue down the length of the strip and glue it down the length of the kite.

Next, with the second strip of stalk make an arch that is the same width of the kite.

diy kite

Next tie some thread around each end of the strip of stalk.

It should form an arch as shown below.

Put glue on the stalk and glue it into place as shown below.

diy kite

Now fold the leftover sheet of tissue paper as shown below.

diy kite

Cut a piece off as shown below.

diy kite

Unfold it and cut off 6 pieces.

Two of the pieces should be twice as long as the other 4.

diy kite

Glue the pieces of paper to the kite exactly as shown below.

The two longer pieces make an X.

Then the other four are in a horizontal line below the X.

diy kite

Now cut off 16 evenly sized pieces.

diy kite

Unfold 5 of the strips and glue them (one on top of the other) to the bottom of the kite.

Then unfold and glue five more to the ends of the strips that you just glued to the kite.

diy kite

Now you should have 6 more strips left.

Unfold 3 of them and glue them to one of the outer corners of the kite.

Unfold the other 3 and glue them to the other corner of the kite.

It should look like the kite below.

diy kite

Now measure out about 12 inches of thread.

Don’t tie the ends together.

Poke a hole through the front of the kite on one side the stalk above the arc.

Then do the same thing on the back side of the kite.

The kite should have a hole on each side of the stalk just above the arc.

Tie the thread in a knot as shown below.

diy kite

Now you’re going to do the exact same thing you just did but under the X as shown below.

Make another knot in the middle.

There will be a loop.

Tie the spool of thread to the loop.

Now the kite is ready to fly.

Make sure you’re in a place free of trees nearby.

I accidentally got my kite caught in one!

These kites are delicate so it’s important to treat them with care.

I hope you enjoy this DIY kite.

It’s a fun and cheap craft to make for the kids!

This DIY kite is a cheap, fun and easy craft the whole family can enjoy this summer.
This DIY kite is a cheap, fun and easy craft the whole family can enjoy this summer.

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Magen

Monday 11th of September 2017

I can't wait to do this with my son. Im always looking for stuff we can do together. It looks simple enough and I know he'll love making it and flying it.

Carissa

Wednesday 20th of September 2017

I hope he does enjoy it, my kids love it!

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