Earlier this week, I shared with you how you can use a paper airplane activity to teach children about the flight. Well, since then, our house has slowly been filling with all sorts of paper airplane designs as we have been experimenting with different styles.

We’ve made paper airplanes that go really far, paper airplanes that do loop-de-loops, paper airplanes that look super cool (but don’t fly very far)… even a paper airplane that looks nothing like a paper airplane (check out #7 on the list) but actually flies really well!

This is one of the many reasons that I love homeschooling. You can spend a day playing with paper airplanes and know that your children are building all sorts of valuable skills!

What skills? So glad you asked!

• Fine motor and hand-eye coordination by making precise folds
• Problem-solving (and patience!) as you experiment with different designs and learn from trial and error
• Focus and attention to detail as you follow along with tutorials
• Confidence and a sense of accomplishment when you make a paper airplane that flies extra far
• Creativity and imagination as you create and decorate your own designs

Should I keep going? No?

Alrighty, let’s get into the 10 Best Paper Airplane Designs for Kids!

Free Printable Paper Airplane Designs

Grab these Free Printable Paper Airplane Instructions and take them with you on your next adventure to the park! After you enter your email address, you’ll be sent a link to download the four paper airplane printables. You’ll also be redirected to the How Wee Learn shop where you can take a peek at my Flight Family Unit Study and see a sample.

The Best Airplane Designs for Kids

Below are 10 Paper Airplane Designs for kids to try!

The first few are wonderful for beginners and young children to become comfortable with folding paper airplanes. As you work your way through this list, some of the folds get a bit trickier. Work nice and slowly, pausing the videos as you go, and you’ll master these paper airplanes in no time.

Easy Paper Airplanes

#1 Basic Paper Airplane

Basic Paper Airplane by Fold N Fly – This is a great introductory airplane for young children to make! Once they master folding this airplane, you can move on to some more complex paper airplanes, like the ones below.

#2 Basic Dart Paper Airplane

Basic Dart Paper Airplane by Fold ‘N Fly – Another from Fold ‘N Fly, this paper airplane is a classic—easy to fold and flies really well!

#3 Long Flier Paper Airplane

Long Flier Airplane by Foldable Flight – This airplane has a few more folds than the classic dart, but it makes for a very sturdy and stable airplane (withstanding quite a few bonks off of walls and windows without smushing the nose!).

Medium Difficulty Paper Airplanes

#4 Momentum Paper Airplane

Momentum Paper Airplane by TriKdanG – This airplane worked very well for us! The nose of the airplane gets quite thick, so little ones might need help with the last fold or two. Also, the tip to round out the wings near the end of the video was very helpful!

#6 Lock Bottom Paper Airplane

The Lock Bottom by Fold ‘N Fly – This airplane is fairly easy to make and throws really nicely! You can also get creative with adjusting the wings to change how it flies.

#5 Loop De Loop Paper Airplane

Loop De Loop Paper Airplane by Juniors Art and DIY – The harder you throw this one, the better it loops. This is one of the paper airplanes that we make in my Flight Family Unit Study!

Challenging (But Fun!) Paper Airplanes

#7 Tube Paper Airplane

Tube Paper Airplane by Wired – I loved this one! It was a little bit tricky to fold the edges, but well worth it and flew surprisingly well—my personal favorite!

#8 Flapping Wings Paper Airplane

Bat Paper Airplane that Flaps! by Foldable Flight – We’re getting into some more difficult paper airplanes now! There is a lot of back-and-forth folding on this one, so keep your folds as precise as you can and really crease the edges well. We couldn’t quite get the wings to flap, but it did do some neat swoops up and down as it gracefully flew.

#9 Boomerang Paper Airplane

Paper Airplane that Flies Back To You by Mixer Origami – Ready for a challenge? Work your way slowly through this tutorial, paying close attention to the folds as you go. Getting the nose tucked in properly will take some patience!

And a Paper Airplane Launcher!

Last but not least, to round out our 10 Paper Airplane Designs for Kids, here’s a tutorial on how to make a paper airplane with a launcher.

#10 Paper Airplane Launcher

Paper Airplane with a Launcher by Origami Flying – Have you ever tried making a launcher for your paper airplane?! It took us a bit of trial and error as we found an elastic that was long enough and paper that was strong enough, but once we got that part figured out, it was easy to make and fun to use.

Learn About Flight with Hands-On Fun!

If your children love to play with paper airplanes, they’ll love my Flight Family Unit Study! You’ll learn about the history of flight, aerodynamics, how planes fly, and more, all through fun, hands-on activities. Take a peek and grab your copy right here: https://shop.howweelearn.com/products/family-unit-study-flight

Thank you so much for reading, my friend. Let me know which paper airplane was your favorite in the comments!

xo
Sarah