Why does the wind make a kite go up?

Have you ever held a kite on a windy day? Think of the cool wind on your cheeks. Think of the string tugging in your hand as the kite floats high above you.

Why does the wind make a kite go up into the sky? A kite has no wings to flap. Let's find out together what lifts it.

Wind is moving air. You cannot see it, but it pushes things. Wind rolls leaves along the grass and makes your coat flap.

A kite is thin cloth or paper on a few light sticks. Because a kite is so light, the wind can push it around easily.

A flying kite does not face the wind flat. It leans back with its nose up, like a slide. We call this lean a tilt, which means a gentle slope.

Now the wind blows right into the kite's tilt. The air pushes on the kite's underside and slides off. That push lifts the kite up and shoves it back. So what stops the kite from blowing far away?

It's the string in your hand! You hold the string, so the kite cannot fly off backward. Because you hold it, the kite keeps its tilt, so the wind keeps pushing it up.

The Earth pulls the kite down, just like a ball you drop. The wind's push on the light kite is stronger than that pull. So up, up the kite climbs into the sky.

The wind pushes up under the kite's tilt, and your string holds it there. So the light kite climbs high into the sky.

High above the grass, the kite rests on the wind. It stays tilted and steady, tugging gently on the string in your hand.