Remote-controlled or radio-controlled, no matter what you call it, driving RC cars is fun and there is no doubt about it. But don’t think of it as just a source of entertainment for your kids. This activity contributes far more towards the physical and mental development of your child than you realize.
When it comes to kids driving RC cars, it can offer lots of benefits to them. This activity can get children to play outdoors which contributes to their mental and physical growth, improves their intelligence and spatial awareness, exposes them to STEM learning at an early age, and gives them an opportunity to use their imagination and creativity to the fullest.
But these are only a fraction of what RC cars have to offer to kids. In this article, I will share 9 reasons why RC cars are good for kids and answer the question “What’s the earliest age a kid can drive RC cars?” I will also talk about whether these cars are safe for kids or not. After reading this article, you will learn about how beneficial it is for kids to drive RC vehicles.
9 Ways Kids Can Benefit from Driving RC Cars
Down here, I’ve come up with a list of nine ways your kid can benefit from driving RC cars. Just take a look at them!
1. Gets Them Outside
This is perhaps one of the most important benefits of RC cars. In this age of technology, kids hardly go outside to play. They are always busy playing video games on their computers, video game consoles, or mobile devices. But playing outdoors is crucial to your child’s mental and physical development.
But, unfortunately, the number of children who play outdoors is reducing at an alarming rate, all thanks to this “Video game” epidemic. Introducing your kid to RC cars is perhaps the best way to entice them to go play outdoors.
Nothing beats the fun of driving a really fast RC car through rough terrain and learning the expectations and limitations of handling this machine. Although your kid might need some supervision at first, most of the time they will play independently.
As a result, your kid will be able to form his or her own opinion and draw conclusions about their surroundings. And this can help to improve their school grades.
Did you know that some RC cars can even climb walls? To learn more about them, check out this guide on how RC cars stick to walls.
2. Exposure to STEM Learning
If you have a child who is going to school, you might’ve heard about the term “STEM education” in the parent’s meeting sessions or from your kid’s teachers. And nowadays, the acronym “STEM” is being used almost everywhere, from academic curriculum to even toys.
If you are unaware of what “STEM” means, allow me to explain it to you. Each of the letters in this acronym has its own meaning. Here, “S” stands for science, “T” stands for technology, “E” represents engineering and “M” is for mathematics.
STEM learning focuses on real-world applications of all these four disciplines, rather than treating them individually. This results in a cohesive learning model. But you might be wondering how this has got to do anything with RC cars.
These cars teach kids about trajectory as they drive, turn or perform tricks. On top of that, they also get to learn about gravity, velocity, acceleration, distance, weight first hand.
The main theme of STEM-based education is all about learning things by doing it practically, rather than going through the topics in the classroom. And driving radio-controlled cars gives kids that opportunity to learn even before they take their first step into a classroom. And they are learning while they are having a fun time.
3. Can Teach Them Responsibility
Like real cars, RC cars also need maintenance work to a certain degree. Not to mention, they do cost a fair amount of money, especially the ones that you have to assemble from scratch. And if you take good care of them, they tend to last longer.
Through taking care of an RC car, your child will learn how to be responsible for keeping their possessions in pristine condition. And while doing that, they can study and learn how these cars work.
Usually, kids learn to take care of their radio-controlled cars because they get attached to them. And by doing so, they learn how to be responsible and the importance of taking care of their belongings.
4. Improves Hand-Eye Coordination
Controlling an RC car can significantly improve your kid’s hand-eye coordination. While driving such cars, you are not going to be in the driver’s seat. You will be handling it from a distance, navigating the car while avoiding all the obstacles. And this gives your kid an opportunity to improve hand-eye coordination.
Handling the controller can significantly improve your child’s reaction time. And with more practice, it gets faster and faster.
5. Enhances Intelligence And Spatial Awareness
Our brain’s depth and spatial perception are directly linked with our hand-eye coordination. When kids are controlling their radio-controlled cars, their eyes are giving visual input to the brain. And our brain, based on the input, makes a rough estimate of the relative distance of the RC vehicle in space and in relation to the surroundings.
Our eye assesses the distance of the car to the nearest object within the radio-controlled vehicle’s immediate surroundings. And then the brain processes all the information and sends the required motor impulses to the hand or any other group of muscles in the body.
This is what scientists call “Spatial Awareness and Intelligence” and it is considered to form the very basis of a certain type of problem-solving.
6. Promotes Cognitive Development
By driving radio-controlled cars, kids are learning while they are playing. And this type of learning is what promotes their cognitive development.
Kids know cars can drive from one place to another. And playing with radio-controlled trucks and cars, they get to play the driver’s role. And while they are a long time away from getting behind the wheel of an actual car, controlling an RC car gives them the opportunity to exert their free will.
They learn their lesson about cause and effect as they play with these vehicles. They learn that lots of individual parts are what make a whole car. And gradually, they learn about engines, tires, windows, doors, and so on.
Related post: What Is The Quietest RC Car? + 5 Ways To Make Yours Quieter
7. Fosters Creativity And Imagination
Usually, most of the RC cars that you can find in the market are factory assembled. That means that you can drive these cars right out of the box. You can also buy them as car kits. But you will have to assemble them before driving one. And there are lots of such kits you can find out there that are suitable for kids.
Apart from the kits, you can also buy individual accessories and parts to make your own unique RC vehicle. This type of work is more suitable for older kids as they already know the basics of how a radio-controlled car works.
But given the opportunity, these kits allow younger children to use their creativity and imagination to the fullest to come up with their own roadsters, speedsters, and all-terrain RC vehicles. And imagination and creativity ultimately foster scientific problem solving and logical thinking skills.
While kids are building their own RC vehicles, they will have to decide which part goes where. And through trial and error, they will ultimately figure out the correct way of doing things to achieve the desired outcome. And this is one of the fundamentals of any scientific research.
8. Strengthens Family Bond
Driving RC cars is a great way to spend some quality time with your family members, especially your kids. When you first introduce your child to RC cars, they might require your help initially to get used to. And once they learn to drive properly, they take extra pride in showing off their new skills in front of their family members.
This experience has proven to strengthen the bond among family members time and time again. And it can have a significant positive impact on your kid’s emotional health. When a child thinks that his or her family appreciates his or her efforts, this will ultimately provide long-lasting happiness to the child.
9. Improves Your Child’s Social Skills
Driving RC cars is a great way to improve your child’s social skills. As kids will be driving the vehicle outdoors, they will meet other kids of the same age. They can race each other to find out who is the best. And in doing so, they will be making new friends.
You can also find RC car communities in your locality. These communities often organize social gatherings on weekends where people come to show off their radio-controlled cars and their driving skills. You can take your child to such social gatherings where he or she can meet other RC car enthusiasts.
This is a great way to connect with similar-minded people and make new friends. And this applies not only to kids but also to people of all ages.
When your kid is playing with RC cars, you can rest assured he or she will be making new friends in no time.
Can A Three Year Old Use A Remote Controlled Car?
Being an RC enthusiast, you might be asking yourself, whens best for me to get my child into RC? My boy is almost three years old. Can I start introducing him to this cool hobby?
As a general rule, the ideal age for a child to start driving RC cars is considered to be about three years old and the minimum recommended age is eighteen months old.
The answer to this question depends somewhat on the child. Usually, a child of roughly eighteen months old can stand and walk, push buttons and react to sounds or actions. That’s why the earliest recommended age for driving a radio-controlled car is eighteen months.
However, even though an eighteen-month-old child may be able to control an RC car to some degree, he or she might not be able to control it as successfully as an older child. By three years, a child would have already developed fine and gross motor skills. So, they are able to play with more complex and challenging toys.
And they also tend to have a better understanding of what the radio controller will do with the RC vehicle. That’s why three years old is considered to be the best age for a child to drive radio-controlled cars.
Are RC Cars Safe for Kids?
You are a diehard RC enthusiast and you can’t wait until your child is big enough to get them into RC cars but you might be wondering how safe it is for them.
RC cars are completely safe for kids to play with. Make sure you purchase a good quality car from a reputable company that is appropriate for your child’s age. Ensure that your kid knows the basic safety rules.
When kids are driving RC cars that can go really fast, the question comes to everyone’s mind “Are they safe for kids?” The answer to this question is “Yes, they are”. But for this, you will need to make sure you purchased an age-appropriate radio-controlled car for your child.
Also, while your kid is playing outdoors with these vehicles, ensure that they follow all the safety rules.
Like any other toy, radio-controlled cars for kids are also subject to a wide range of standards, rules, and tests. As long as you make sure you bought an RC car manufactured by a reputed company, rated safe for your child’s age, and is used by your child as it should be, then there is nothing to worry about.
Conclusion
As you can see, children can benefit a lot just from playing with RC cars. There is no doubt about it. And the benefits are quite significant towards the mental and physical development of a child. Keep in mind that kids need to learn lots of things before they grow up. And their learning process starts with playing.
So, let your child play with RC cars and join in on the fun. I can guarantee that it will only benefit them mentally and even physically in the long run. Hopefully, reading the 9 reasons why RC cars are good for kids, I have convinced you to buy your child the RC toy they so much want. Thank you for reading till the end. Stay safe. And have a nice day!
You may want to check out these articles;
