It is a well known fact that Nerf guns are the most famous and popular toy guns for kids in the world, which is why there are many models for one to choose from. The problem however is that although all Nerf gun models are safe for children to play with, not all of them have been designed with really young children in mind.
Nerf guns are popular with people of all ages, ranging from young children,teenagers, all the way to adults, which means that certain models are designed with older users in mind. Those models are still safe to use because the still fire the really soft and perfectly harmless Nerf darts, but they me a bit too complicated or big for younger children to operate. In other words, just because your kid sees a Nerf gun and he or she thinks that it’s cool, this doesn’t mean that it is appropriate for your kid’s age!
So, without further ado, here’s what to look for when buying a Nerf gun for your kid!
Size does matter
Some of the admittedly coolest Nerf gun models, like the sniper rifle and some assault rifle models, are pretty big and that can make them hard for young kids to carry around and use properly. Just to get some perspective, a Nerf Longstrike with all its accessories attached onto it can easily be as tall as a young child! What good is a toy gun going to be for your kid if he or she can’t even hold and aim it? Which brings us to my next tip.
Weight also matters
Some new Nerf guns come with fancy electronic loading and firing mechanisms which allow them to fire automatically and makes them deadly in a Nerf war. Those guns are great for teenagers or adult Nerf fans, but they are definitely not for kids. This is because they require several batteries in order to work and that makes them quite heavy, which means that your kids will have trouble picking them up and aiming them on their own. Carrying them around in a Nerf war will also be pretty much impossible.
Keep it simple
What makes Nerf guns so desirable, is the fact that they look incredibly cool and that they are really high tech. Some nerf gun models come with very sophisticated ammo loading and firing systems, which allow their users to dominate the battlefield in Nerf War games. The problem with those guns, is that loading and firing them can be a bit too complicated for younger children. Not only that, in their attempts to operate those complicated guns, kid will probably jam them and they might even break them altogether! Long story short, you will be called all the time to help them load their guns or to unjam them.
Introduce your kids slowly to Nerf guns
I think that the first Nerf gun that you buy for your kids should be a small pistol and preferably a single shot one. Once they get a bit familiar with that, you can buy them a revolver and once they master using that, you can get them one of the more advanced models. This way you can be sure that your kids will be able to play and have fun with all Nerf guns that you buy them, without worrying about them breaking them or getting them jammed all the time.
If you are looking for a really cool Nerf gun that will help your kids dominate the battlefield on their Nerf War games, then the Nerf Vulcan, also known as the Nerf Havok Fire in the UK, is the best choice for them, provided that they are old enough to be able to use it, of course. It is a fully automatic Nerf machine gun with a revolutionary electronic firing system, which allows the user to rain dozens of Nerf darts on his or her opponents in just a few seconds. It can also double as a high powered, single shot blaster!