Making & creating
Paper airplanes
- Builds: Folding and testing
- 15 min
- Ages 4–6
- Energetic
- No mess
From the house
- A few sheets of printer paper
- A hallway or open floor
- A sock to mark where it lands
How to play
- Fold a sheet in half the long way, press the crease, then open it flat again.
- Fold the two top corners in to the middle line, then fold the new slanted edges in to the line again.
- Fold it in half along the middle line with the flaps outside, then fold each side down to make a wing.
- Take turns throwing it gently, drop the sock where it lands, and change one thing to see if it flies farther.
Fit it to your child
- Easier: You do the folds while they press each crease flat with a thumb, then they decorate it and throw.
- Harder: They fold a second plane with wider wings or a blunter nose, and test which one flies farther.
Words to use
- fold
- crease
- corner
- fly
- farther
- land
Why it helps
Lining up corners and pressing sharp creases trains careful hands, and testing then changing the plane is how makers improve a design.
Grown-up eyes: Throw away from faces, and fold back a very sharp nose.