Gift Giving In The ‘New Normal’

With Christmas right around the corner, parents and family members across the country are scrambling to buy the perfect present for children in their lives.

Besides 2020 has been an unusual year with COVID-19 taking over the world and having to adapt to the new normal has not been easy for anyone, especially children!

A lot of time away from friends and family has led to increased screen time, which may not be great for developing healthy habits for children.

RC Hobbies To The Rescue

It can be challenging to find THE present that fulfills the excitement and surprise element but also provides children hours of fun. This is where an RC Gift can save you from the stress of finding the right gift, provide an opportunity to introduce a perfect new hobby and a present that can be cherished and played with for a long time.

If you have never considered RC vehicles as a gift for children approaching their tweens, then you may be missing out on a perfect opportunity to build great hobbies and encourage play away from screens!

Here are the top reasons as RC Gifts can make for great gifts for children between the ages of 7-11

• 1.RC hobby-class gifts, such as RC Vehicles, are durable and repairable, unlike their traditional toy counterparts.

Traditional toy cars or trucks may be cheaper at times, but they break more easily, provide less performance, and cannot be repaired once broken or functioning incorrectly

RC hobby-class vehicles, on the other hand, can be repaired, parts are readily available, hence providing a much longer product life, and superior performance .

• 2.RC hobby-class gifts can help children to build basic RC driving skills, as well as develop repair and maintenance skills as they learn to take care of their vehicle
• 3.Building an RC hobby or collection can provide children hours away from TV, video games, and phones and give them plenty of “screen-free” time.
• 4.RC Vehicles can also be a great bonding experience between parents and children, as they learn about the new hobby together.

The Perfect RC Vehicle Options For Children 7-11

At this stage, you are probably wondering what type of RC vehicle options are suitable for children between the age of 7-11?

We generally recommend that you consider an RC vehicle with a Brushed electric motor ( ie Not brushless electric or Nitro) as these are simpler to operate, they drive at lower speeds and are thus easier to control and less likely to be damaged in crashes; and are also less expensive. If you have a 10 or 11 year old that is fairly experienced, you could consider a brushless electric RC vehicle in the 1/16 to 1/10 scale ( scale refers to the size of the vehicle) range, but have them practice in an open area where they cannot hit anything.

Another aspect to consider is where will they play with it --- on a flat surface? In the park? In a field? Indoor or ourdoor? If they will only be playing on flat surfaces such as pavement ot concrete, then a car would be best. If they will be driving on the grass on the park and on smooth surfaces then a buggy or truck would be a good fit. If they will be driving on rougher surfaces such as field , they a truck would be best as it has the most ground clearance, and has a stronger suspension.

So let’s discuss options that will fit your child’s age and preferences in play style.

Option 1: Brushed Motor RC Vehicles for racing

Although RC hobby-class vehicles are mostly used outside, if the child will want to use it inside a lot, you will want a 1/24^th to 1/16 scale brushed motor vehicle, as these are smaller and slow enough to be useable indoors.

For outdoors 1/10 scale is the most popular, although smaller scale vehicles can be used outdoors on smooth surfaces and some dirt tracks

RC On-road cars are a good choice , if the child will only drive on pavement or concrete. They will not work well on grass or rough surfaces. They ride close the surface and have smoother tires and perform the best on smooth surfaces

RC Buggies will drive well on smooth surfaces, on mowed grass such as lawns or parks, or on dirt tracks:-- as they have more ground clearance and more aggressive tires than an RC car

RC trucks will drive on all surfaces, but are the best choice if the RC vehicle will be driven primarly off-raod – such as grass, fields, dirt tracks, etc. They normally have more ground clearance than a buggy or car, and have tires that are more optimezed for off-road driving,

Option 2: RC Drift Cars

RC Drift Cars are a variant of on-road cars that come with slick hard plastice tires which provide minimal traction on smooth surfaces. This results in slower speeds, wacky driving, and more challenging turning due to the lack of traction, which is something children find a lot of fun, As they become more skilled they can have drift races where they learn to drift sideways around corners.

As these cars drive more slowly, they could also be used indoors if you have a basement or large room with a hard smooth surface.

They can also be converted into regular on-road cars by just changing the wheels to regular on-road trires,

Option 3: RC Rock Crawlers

RC Rock Crawlers are designed to crawl over rocks and obstacles – either indoors or outdoors. They come with special suspension systems, high torque power and steering, and special wheels that are optimized for the challenge of crawling over abstacles The challenge is how effectively and how quickly you can navigate over obstacles that you may find outside ( trails, rock formations, junk) or that you assemble indoors. using simple household items.

These are good fit for children as they have a low top speed, provide an excellent starting point for creative play, and can be used both indoors and outdoors

Closing Thoughts:

Depending on the child’s interest, any of these RC vehicles will make for an excellent Christmas or anytime present.

RC Vehicles can also nurture the love of driving and mechanical skills in an exhilarating and adventurous way! And most importantly they can use it for years to come and start a healthy indoor or outdoor hobby.

Stay Safe & Happy Holiday Shopping!