Back to activities

Indoor activity

Paper Airplane Challenge

Fold a fleet of paper airplanes, experiment with wing shapes and angles, then hold a distance tournament to crown the ultimate flying champion!

Ages 5-8 1-2 hours Education 7/10

Materials

  • Markers
  • Paper
  • Stickers
  • Tape

Illustrated Steps

1

Fold Your First Plane

Fold paper in half lengthways, then fold both top corners to the centre crease. Fold each side down again to form sharp dart wings.

2

Adjust the Wing Angles

Bend the trailing edge of each wing up for lift or leave flat for speed. Make at least three planes with different wing settings.

3

Decorate Your Fleet

Use markers to name each plane and add a racing number or flame design. Give your champion a worthy identity!

4

Launch and Measure

Mark a throwing line with tape. Launch each plane and mark landing spots with stickers. Record distances and crown the winner.

What You’ll Create

A whole fleet of paper airplanes, each designed to fly farther, loop higher, or stay in the air longer! ✈️ You’ll discover that tiny folds and wing angles change everything about how a plane travels through the air — and run your very own tournament to find the winner.

How to Set It Up

Step 1: Fold Your First Plane

Take a sheet of paper and fold it in half lengthways. Fold both top corners down to the centre crease to form the nose, then fold each side down again to sharpen the wings into a classic dart shape. Crease every fold firmly.

Step 2: Adjust the Wing Angles

Gently bend the back edge of each wing slightly upward for more lift, or leave them flat for more speed. Tiny adjustments make a huge difference — even a millimetre matters! Make at least three planes with different wing settings.

Step 3: Decorate Your Fleet

Use markers to add a name, racing number, or flame design to each plane. Give each plane a distinct identity — the champion will need a name worthy of the trophy!

Step 4: Launch and Measure

Mark a throwing line with tape. Launch each plane from the same spot and mark landing points with stickers. Compare distances, record them on paper, and crown the champion!

Have fun!

  • 🎯 Set a target circle on the floor — who can land closest to the bullseye?
  • ⏱️ Time how long each plane stays airborne with a stopwatch
  • 💨 Launch from different heights — does a raised arm give more distance?
  • 🏆 Hold a full elimination tournament with a grand final fly-off!

Why It’s Amazing

  • Physics: Children discover lift, drag, and thrust through real hands-on trial and error. ✈️
  • Engineering Thinking: Iterating on fold designs teaches the design-test-improve cycle. 🔧
  • Measurement Skills: Comparing flight distances builds practical maths confidence. 📏
  • Growth Mindset: When a plane nose-dives, children learn to adjust rather than give up. 💪

Pro Tips

For ages 5–8: Start by folding the classic dart together, then give them a second sheet to experiment freely.

For ages 8–12: Research “paper airplane world records” online and challenge them to beat a specific distance target.

For a rainy-day upgrade: tape a paper target to the wall and award points for different zones — perfect aim beats raw distance!