A Kite Mobile Made From a Coat Hanger
By Ron Maier

This is an excellent way to let your child participate in the decoration of his or her room while at the same time having fun working on a creative crafts project!

All you will need for this project is probably already laying around your house. Find a wire coat hanger, some yarn, some colorful construction paper, glue, and decorating materials, such as paint, markers, crayons, stickers, glitter, etcetera.

Cut 6 diamond shapes out of the construction paper, it is fun to make them different colors, because each diamond represents a kite…and we want several different kites. You can make them different sizes as well to add variety, a good rule of thumb for the average size is five or six inches tall and three or four inches wide. Make them big enough to give your child room to create a masterpiece on each one! Have your child spend time decorating each of the kites. To add variety, it is fun to have varying media used for the decoration, for example some might use crayons, a couple with paint, and one or two with glitter or stickers. Once all the masterpieces are done, affix yarn to the bottom of each kite to represent its tail. Six inches or so will do, again it is fun to add some variety in lengths and colors. Stapling works just fine, although glue or tape will do as well.

Now, cut six bow shapes out of the construction paper to attach to the end of the tails. This can be made easier by cutting the shapes into a tuxedo bow-tie shape of two opposing triangles. Of course you can always spend the time to make them curvy and add as much detail as you want. Attach them to the end of the tails using staples, glue, or tape.

Now you can have your child attach the kites to the hanger. Again, varying lengths of yarn can be used for this purpose, however try to encourage your little one to space them along the hanger in a relatively even manner to ensure balance. This is not rocket science, it doesn’t have to be exact, just roughly balanced.

Now you are almost ready to hang the work of art. Have your child participate in the selection process of where to hang the mobile in his or her room. Once a suitable location has been agreed to (away from ceiling fans and the like), tie a piece of yarn to the hook of the hanger. This will allow the hanger to rotate freely and be a true mobile. Then, attach the top of the yarn to the ceiling, either by tying it to a hook, or using a stapler, thumb tack or push pin.

You now have a kite mobile! Add to the fun by spending time with your child making up stories about flying kites, or which make believe character each kite belongs to, or anything else that will stimulate the imagination. The possibilities are endless!