Drone piloting is a hobby that’s enjoyed by children and adults alike. Mini drones designed for children typically have simple controls making it easy for them to pick up their piloting. 

These drones are commonly called toy drones, although they don’t have the whistles and bells you’d find in regular drones. Therefore, flying them is just as thrilling, and they don’t require registering or licensing.  

The top children-friendly drones usually feature excellent controls and in-flight stability features to prevent accidents when flying. This article reviews the best drones for kids as young as four, though most of the drones listed in this article will best suit children above seven.  

We’ll highlight each drone’s features, safety, and performance so that you can find the best match for your little pilot. 

Best Drones For Children: 2022 Review

1. Ryze Tello

Pros

• Rock-steady DJI technology
• 720p camera
• Programmable

Cons

• Needs CAA registration

This is ideal for parents looking for a drone that’s more than just a toy, as it offers more flexibility and specs. The Ryze Tello is suitable for children above ten years and was designed by DJI — the best drone designer in the market.  

The drone allows one to take high-quality videos as it features an advanced image processor allowing users to take HD720 videos and 5MP pictures. The best thing about this drone is that it’s easy to fly, whether you’re a beginner or experienced in piloting drones. 

It’s also valuable for programming and coding students as it features a phone programming app with scratch, an educational coding tool. Students can program the drone’s movement by dragging coding blocks on their tablet or mobile. Students can also develop their programming tools by playing games and completing levels.   

The Ryze Tello drone can fly for an average of 13 minutes, and it’s equipped with a micro USB cable for charging. Since it’s light and small, you can carry it around while travelling. The drone also features propeller guards for safety when flying. 

The Ryze Tello drone requires an operator ID as it isn’t classified as a toy; fortunately, acquiring it online is fast and easy. 

2. Potensic A20w Mini Drone 

Pros

• Has a camera
• It has a 480p battery
• Easy to fly
• Affordable 

Cons

• The camera isn’t great

This is the best mini drone for kids over seven years, and it’s an upgrade of the A20 drone. The A20W is a fun, affordable, and easy-to-use drone equipped with a camera allowing kids to get aerial views. Flying this drone is as easy as pressing the hand controller. 

The drone has an altitude hold which provides in-flight stability for incident free-flying. The drone has four propeller guards for safe flying and a gravity induction feature that lets you steer it by tilting the controller.  

The A20W mini drone has three speeds; you should acquaint yourself with the slow mode before proceeding to the fast mode. In the fastest mode, the drone’s controllers are usually more responsive. 

You must have a smartphone and an app to receive live feeds from the camera. While the video quality isn’t excellent, it perfectly suits children who want to learn about producing cinematic shots and framing. 

Since the drone is categorised as an indoor toy, it doesn’t require registration.  The drone easily fits in a backpack because it is small, meaning you can carry it when travelling. 

3. Potensic A20 Mini Drone

Pros

• Portable
• Protected blades
• Simple to control

Cons

• No camera 
• Not ideal for outdoor use

The A2O ultra-small is ideal for indoor use as it can easily navigate furniture and other rooms. It has full blade guards to protect fingers from injury if they come into contact with it. It also has a headless mode meaning you can fly it in any direction using a remote controller.

The drone is easy for children to use as it has simple buttons that don’t slip. The A20’s best feature is its flight time which ranges between 15 to 18 minutes—more flying time equates to more fun.    

You don’t have to wait hours for the drone to charge as it’s battery-powered and comes equipped with three batteries. The A20 also has a low-power alarm that alerts you when it needs fresh batteries allowing you to land it safely before the batteries die out.  Since the drone’s controller is 2.4 GHz, it gives off strong signals making it easy to control the drone.

4. Walle Kids Drone

Pros

• Gesture controlled
• Simple to use
• Has collision barriers

Cons

• Short flight time
• Poor build quality

The Wallet drone is ideal for a younger demographic. Thanks to its fully enclosed propellers, the drone is very safe. Rather than fiddling with remotes, your child controls them with a hand gesture. 

The walle kids’ drone features a bumper cage and object detection to prevent collision damage. The drone has an in-built lithium battery that charges using a USB cable; it usually takes 40 minutes to charge the drone. 

The 40-minutes charge translates to an average of 5 to 8 minutes of flying. If your child’s hands are close to the drone, it flies in the opposite direction. For instance, if their hand’s underneath it, it’ll fly upwards.

The Walle Kid drone also has a lightweight design that makes it easy to carry. The drone also features 2-speed models; blue light for fast speed and green light for regular speed. 

5. Hubsan Nano Q4 Se Quadcopter

Pros 

• Portable
• In-built stabilisation system
• Charges quickly

Cons

• Short flight duration

This nano drone is ideal for teenagers above 14 and those with limited space as it is tiny. The drone features a 6-axis stabilisation making it stable, easy to control and stable while flying. 

The drone also has four battery-powered batteries and a four-minute flying time. It’s an excellent drone to teach your kids drone piloting, and it has exciting tricks and flight modes that’ll keep them entertained.  

Performing the roll and flip manoeuvre is easy; push down the controller’s throttle stick. It takes roughly 30 minutes to charge the drone; since it’s lightweight, you can carry it around in your backpack when travelling.  

6. Holyton Ht02

Pros

• Can flip 360-degrees
•  It has four spare propellers 
• Three batteries included
• It has three-speed modes
• Has headless mode

Cons 

• Can’t be flown outdoors

This is an excellent drone for kids since it’s affordable, simple to use, lightweight, and fits inside the controller. It’s easy to carry it around since the controller serves as a carrying case. Flying is simple, as well as pressing a button. The Holyton drone also has an altitude feature that allows it to fly and hover at a fixed height. 

It has an eight minutes flight time and is equipped with protection guards to protect it from collision damage. It has three-speed modes, which you can control through the settings functionality; this gives you control of how fast or slow the drone can fly. The drone also features a 360 degrees flip function that will keep your children entertained.  

The Ht02 also has an emergency stop button and four spare propellers in case of damage. The mini drone also has a headless mode and comes with three batteries, usually taking approximately 30 minutes to recharge. Even though you can fly the drone outdoors, it can’t deal with strong winds, unlike most drones. 

7. Holy Stone Hs210 

Pros

• Simple to fly
• Headless Mode
• Advanced stabilisation
• Equipped with three batteries

Cons

• Long charge duration

This is the ideal drone for children over seven and adults dipping their toes in drone piloting. The HS210 has four rotors with in-built guards that protect it during a crash. Its build also protects it from crashes bound to occur as your child gets accustomed to using the drone’s controls.

One of the most notable challenges, when children learn how to pilot drones is control, especially telling how the controls function depending on if the drone is flying in their direction or away from them. The HS210 features innovative headless technology that leaves the controller on the drone despite the direction it’s facing.  

This drone also has an altitude hold for in-flight stability and fun features like 3D flight. Its flight time is 7 minutes, but it comes with three batteries. It also has two-speed levels; new starters should start with the low speed and only advance to the high speed once they’re accustomed to the controllers.  

What to Look For When Purchasing Mini Drones For Your Kids

Your child’s needs will be basic when they’re initially learning how to pilot a drone. Nevertheless, several important things can assist beginner pilots: in-built stabilisation for enhanced flying confidence, steady flights, and a one-button landing and take-off.  

Most mini drones also have an altitude mode, allowing them to hover in the air even if the controls are released. Other models also feature the headless mode, allowing your kid to control the drone regardless of their orientation.

This means regardless of the direction the drone is facing, when your child moves the controller to the right, back, front, or left; the drone won’t veer off in the opposite direction. You should also check the regulations to determine if you require a licence to fly a particular model. 

Bottom Line

There are many drones for children to choose from; however, the brands listed in this article, such as Holy Stone, Ryse, Husban, and Potensic, are renowned for their performance. 

Currently, the best drone for kids is Potensic A20W, which has various features to assist beginners in developing, such as the altitude hold and three-speed modes. Its 480-pixel camera can also help your children develop their aerial photography skills.  

If your kid will be piloting a drone outside, it’s better to opt for larger models. Nevertheless, most of these drones, especially those with cameras, require Flyer ID and Pilot ID registration before anyone can legally fly them. 

You can research more about drone regulations in your country by searching online. Fortunately, only one of the drones listed in this article (Ryze Tello) requires licensing. With the other drones, you can start flying the drone straight out of the box.