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We've got picks for drones with cameras, racing drones, stunt drones, drone toys and more. Professional Drone
A generation ago, kids asked for remote-control planes. Now the hottest toys include drones — kids see adults flying big ones at the beach or in the park, and they want their own. There are plenty of beginner drones out there with easier-to-use features at a way lower price than professional drones. These drones might have a camera or act as racing drones that are simply fun to fly. The majority of beginner drones are age-graded for teens and adults. Another class of kid-friendly "drones" are more like flying spaceship toys for school-age kids. Generally, when shopping for a drone for kids, your options are:
If your drone weighs more than .55 pounds, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) asks you to register the drone and learn the rules for recreational flying. On our list, only the helicopter drone weighs enough to require registration. Most tweens can fly any of these drones safely, especially when working alongside an adult who can demonstrate the controls.
The team that judges Good Housekeeping's Best Toy Awards — plus our in-house engineers at the Good Housekeeping Institute — regularly test new drones for kids. We test drones predominantly indoors with children ages 8 and up but occasionally we take drones outdoors, testing those with children as well. Our experts note that learning to fly a drone takes patience. Flight time usually lasts less than 20 minutes and drone operators need to do their best to avoid walls, trees, water and other hazards (after all, there's no such thing as an unbreakable drone!). Luckily, many drones come with spare parts in the event of a broken or lost propeller. And with practice, kids are rewarded with new motor skills and that unique zoom that keeps them recharging their drone and trying again.
Our choices are from brands that have performed well in our Lab, new models with impressive features and drones with positive online reviews. At the end of this guide, you can find more information about what you should consider when shopping for drone toys, how to approach playing with them with kids and more on how we tested drones for beginners.
With more than 8,000 five-star Amazon reviews, this affordable, ultra-lightweight mini drone is popular for being easy to set up and fly indoors. The manufacturer says it is for ages 14 and up, but in our tests, we found that kids as young as 8 could fly it with some guidance. It features altitude hold, which keeps it stable in the air even if a child lets go of the controls. With practice, kids can even make it perform aerial flips! In headless mode, you don't have to worry about the drone facing any specific way, making it easier to fly.
There is no camera onboard, but this is a great first racing drone for kids who want to learn to control one. Robust propeller guards keep this protected against bumps into furniture, walls and the ceiling, plus it comes equipped with batteries. Many Amazon reviewers mention buying more than one so that siblings or families can race. Note that this tiny drone is not suitable for the outdoors, where it is likely to get lost in a tree or bushes.
While more expensive "real" drones may be sturdier and soar higher, once the price was factored in, this toy drone flew to the top of our list. Using hand gestures, instead of a typical remote, to make this drone zip around makes kids feel like magicians. They get it going by turning it on while holding the "trick stick" and gently tossing the drone into the air. Once the drone is floating, kids can learn to make it do tricks by keeping their hand under it and motioning up, down, left or right. It can work by moving a foot under it as well!
This a perfect indoor flying drone that gets kids ages 5, 6 and 7 — those tricky ages when they start to get sucked into more screentime — up and moving around, reaching high to make the drone fly higher and dipping low to make it descend. Just be sure to use it in an open area where kids are at least 3 feet away from furniture and objects so that the drone has room to move. It won't work outdoors, where it can't sense a ceiling. We named it one of our best gifts for 9-year-old boys, but younger kids of any gender are likely to love it as well.
Beginners who want to learn how to capture scenes from above need a drone with a camera. This model from Holy Stone has a beginner's 1080P HD camera with a 120-degree wide-angle lens for videos that can export straight to a smartphone or to an SD card (not included). You can also use your smartphone to control the drone once you download the app. The drone offers voice control, trajectory flight options and auto-hover.
Flying this takes practice, but that's the whole point; this is a great first drone to learn with. Like most drones with a camera, this is age-graded for teens 14 and up who presumably have their own smartphone, but younger kids could learn to use it with assistance from an adult. Note that there's a two-hour charging time, which requires kids to have lots of patience. In our tests, the batteries did not last the full 20 minutes the brand says is possible, but did go for up to 15 minutes.
Here's a racing quadcopter that's also a notable stunt drone designed with lights so you can track it in the dark. Users can learn to make it tilt and flip forward or backward. It also flies impressively high — up to 150 feet — so families can have fun making this soar outdoors, even above their home. Practice lowering the drone first to ensure you can get it back down safely on its four landing pegs.
Online reviewers note that this 5-inch drone is surprisingly powerful — it makes some noise and might sting if it hits you while going at top speed. On the plus side, it's a very stable flying drone, and users find it easy to learn to lift it gracefully off the ground to start a flight. This one also has a long charging time of about 2 hours, so get it powered up well ahead of time.
The SYMA RC Helicopter combines the fun of a toy helicopter with the features of a racing drone. In our tests, we found it possible to use with kids as young as 8, though the official age grading recommends it for 14 and up. Designed for both indoor and outdoor play, it has propeller guards and a landing base to make it a more crash-proof drone. Reviewers love this model as you can keep learning new tricks — like 360-degree turns and hops in the air — as you play with it. Though there's no camera, this is a fantastic drone for learning to fly and practicing new stunts.
This is the heaviest drone on our list, and since it weighs over a pound, it falls under the FAA guidelines for drones that should be registered for recreational flying. (Some teens might think that is thrilling!) Registration is $5 and valid for 3 years. Check the FAA website for more info.
This new-to-2023 flying toy drone is made for kids to use with their blaster guns as flying target practice. Our pros flew this in a backyard and were amazed at how well it hovered fairly low and automatically dodged side-to-side and up-and-down to give the kids a levitating flying saucer they could battle. In our trial, it never flew too high and it fell gracefully to the ground when it "lost." It's a satisfying way to have more fun with a blaster (such as a Nerf foam blaster or Faction gel blaster) and have more fun with a drone toy. "It almost seemed alive, the way it moved on its own," said one parent. "And the kids really got into chasing it around."
Because this one flies independently, this is not for a child who wants to learn how to control a drone. But it can be a great gift for a child who wants to chase a drone around and play with it without the need to learn controls. You can use this with the Faction Battle System app, enabling Bluetooth, to gamify it even more. Or you can just let kids chase it around screen-free.
The arms of this quadcopter fold in so it can tuck in its included carry bag, making it an excellent drone to take on outings or trips. Its flight time and camera quality are nearly identical to the Holy Stone model that is higher up on our list; it can go for up to 15 minutes per battery (there are two included) and the camera records video at 1080P. One improvement: These batteries charge in about an hour and a half. A second bonus is a "return to home" feature that allows you to bring the drone back to where you started flying.
Kids can direct the drone with the included controller or download the app to try voice commands or gesture control. Video can also be sent to a smartphone via the app. The most common complaint about the HS260 is that the controls can be touchy and the drone sometimes flies off course, even in headless mode, so it's a good idea to have your child practice first in a wide-open space like a field or a parking lot.
For drone enthusiasts who are starting to get serious, this quadcopter is the way to step up without paying the hundreds of dollars it would normally cost to get a high-quality camera drone. Its 5-megapixel camera is much sharper than most others for under $100. If your tween or teen has flown and mastered other drones before, this one will be a no-brainer to learn. It can be fun to make it perform tricks and flips.
Just note that, online, Android users report being unhappy with the app, and because the photos from the camera can only go straight to a smartphone, that can be a problem. We recommend this for users with an iOS device.
Star Wars fans can finally fly an X-Wing of their own, just like the heroes in the movies. And if you round up a few of these flying RC spaceships, you can battle them in a laser-tag-like fight mode — the fighters will keep track of stats, like how many hits each one lands and receives. The brand says you can interact with up to 12 of the flyers in one game, though we have not tested that out. Most families love the unboxing experience, which is complete with movie music. While on the pricey side, we like that this toy is zippy and that it's built to look authentic to the Star Wars universe.
Start in training mode, so the flying is easy and non-combative and you're less likely to crash as you get the hang of it. It can be used both indoors and outdoors, but it's not waterproof and won't fly very high or very well in wind.
RELATED: The Most Out-of-This-World Star Wars Gifts for Kids and Adults
The Good Housekeeping Institute has been evaluating household appliances, personal-care products, cleaning products, toys and more for over 100 years. Not only do our experts run tests in our Lab, but we also send samples to be tested in homes by families. Our editors also pore through online reviews to be sure that the actual user experience is in line with our Lab findings.
For this story, we looked at more than 20 drones for kids or beginners. We zeroed in on those that can hold up to real-world use (in other words, minor accidents and crashes) based on our Lab tests and testing by families. To keep costs down, we eliminated drones with fancy features such as GPS tracking that likely won't be of much use to kids anyway. Most of our drones can be flown outdoors, however our best overall and best value choices work best when kids fly them indoors.
Professional drones equipped with great cameras cost hundreds of dollars and are made for adults, so it makes sense to focus on drones for beginners and drone-like toys for kids age 4 and up, along with drones that kids ages 10 and up can operate under supervision. Most of the ones featured in this story are under $100 and all are under $200. It's best to learn the basics of flying a drone with one designed for beginners before you move on to a more significant investment. When looking for a drone for kids, take note of:
✔️ Age grading: Most drones on the market are recommended for 14+. If you are buying for a young child, be prepared to help them learn the controls and possibly take off and land for them in the beginning.
✔️ Altitude hold: This is a feature of beginner drones that we definitely recommend looking for. It keeps the drone at a stable height even when you let go of the controls. This makes it easier to fly and helps avoids crashes.
✔️ Headless mode: If your beginner drone has this feature, it means the drone can fly in any direction, in other words, there's not a "front" of the drone. A big appeal of many quadcopters, which are fairly square with four sets of propellers, is that they can fly in headless mode. Round drones, obviously, don't have a front or back and can go any way.
✔️ Propeller guards: These prevent any finger injuries during takeoff, and help keep the propellers from breaking off when the drone inevitably hits an object. Propeller guards make a drone more durable.
✔️ Camera: If a drone has one, it should be able to capture awesome images from its flight. Most models now sync directly to smartphones. Read the directions carefully and be ready to download an app.
Before playing with any drone, you'll want to make sure you:
The Good Housekeeping Institute employs engineers, chemists, journalists and many other experts — many of whom are parents — to evaluate products and create guides such as the Best Family Cars and our annual Family Travel Awards.
Initial reporting for this story was conducted by Emma Seymour, a textiles product analyst who's worked with the Institute since 2018. She also judges products with some technical aspects, such as heated gloves and sewing machines for every level.
This story was most recently updated by contributing writer Jessica Hartshorn, who has tested drones and drone toys with children through her previous job at Parents magazine. Her update was overseen by a 15-year veteran of the Good Housekeeping Institute, Rachel Rothman, who serves as chief technologist and executive technical director. Rothman uses her data-driven expertise for programs such as the Good Housekeeping Parenting Awards and is a mom of three kids, ages 6 and younger.
Jessica (she/her) is a freelance writer with several decades of experience writing lifestyle content and evaluating home and parenting products. A mom of two teens and two cats, her previous work can be seen in American Baby and Parents.
Emma Seymour (she/her) is a senior product analyst at the Good Housekeeping Institute's Textiles, Paper and Apparel Lab, where she has led testing for luggage, pillows, towels, tampons and more since 2018. She graduated from Cornell University with a bachelor of science in fiber science and apparel design and a minor in gerontology, completing research in the Body Scanner Lab on optimizing activewear for athletic performance.
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