A paper aeroplane is the classic kids craft where you fold one sheet of A4 paper into a sleek dart that glides across the room. The most popular design takes about two minutes to fold and can fly five metres or more with the right throw.

🎨 What You Need

  • One sheet of A4 paper
  • A flat table to fold on
  • Optional: stickers or felt-tip pens to decorate

How to Make a Classic Paper Aeroplane

  1. Place the A4 paper portrait, then fold it in half lengthways and unfold to make a centre crease.
  2. Fold the top two corners down to meet the centre line, forming a triangle at the top.
  3. Fold the new slanted edges down again to meet the centre line, making a sharper nose.
  4. Fold the whole plane in half along the original centre crease so the nose points outward.
  5. Fold the top edge of one side down to make the first wing, lining it up with the bottom of the plane body.
  6. Flip over and fold the second wing the same way to match the first.
  7. Open the wings out so they sit flat and the plane looks like a T from the front.
  8. Hold underneath the body and throw smoothly with a flick of the wrist.
💡 Parikshet's Tip: For longer flights, gently curl the back tips of both wings upward a tiny bit. This is called wing trim and helps the plane glide instead of dive.

🌟 Did You Know?

The world record for the longest paper aeroplane flight is 88 metres, set in 2022 by a team in South Korea — longer than the wingspan of a real Boeing 737.

Throwing Tips

  • Throw smoothly, never hard or fast
  • Aim slightly upward, not straight forward
  • Make sure both wings are perfectly even
  • Try outdoors on a still day for best distance

🎯 Paper Plane Challenge

  1. Make three different plane designs
  2. Mark a launch line on the floor
  3. Throw each one three times and measure
  4. Crown the winner the paper pilot champion