STEAM Maker Lab™ · August 2026

Paper Airplane Folding Craft

Fold four different paper aircraft with our resident artist, then print the reference sheet and build your own.

K–5th Grade 4 Plane Designs ⏱ 45–55 min

A flat sheet of copy paper cannot fly. Fold it the right way, give it one good push, and it will travel the length of a hallway.

Watch our resident artist Nikita Lai Jing Tse fold four different paper aircraft: the traditional dart, the glider, the box and the flyer. Print the reference sheet below for the fold diagrams, plus the small adjustments that change how a plane handles, like elevator flaps, wingtip folds and a paperclip at the nose. Then pick a design and fold your own.

Teaching this with a class? Jump to the instant lesson

Tutorial Video
Complete Tutorial: All Four Designs
K–5th Grade · Every design folded start to finish, or pick just one below
The Four Designs
Folded paper airplane, traditional dart design
Design 01 Traditional
Folded paper airplane, glider design with wide wings
Design 02 Glider
Folded paper airplane, box design with a blunt nose
Design 03 Box
Folded paper airplane, flyer design
Design 04 Flyer

Each design flies differently, and the only way to find out how is to fold one and launch it. Pick a design, measure how far it goes, then try a second design and compare the two numbers.

Fold Pattern Reference
Paper Plane Instructions and Tips
Fold diagrams for all four designs, plus elevator flaps, wingtip folds, wing width and nose weight
Download PDF
Paper Plane Instructions and Tips reference sheet showing fold diagrams for the traditional, glider, box and flyer designs, plus elevator flaps, wingtip folds, wing width, wing length and nose weight
Take It Further
Teaching this in a classroom? Run the full Paper Airplane Instant Lesson, with flight logs, team roles and standards alignment →

This Month™ · STEAM Maker Lab™ · August 2026

© 2026 This Month™ · month.thence.us

Fold four paper airplanes in this STEAM Maker Lab craft for K through 5th grade students. Watch step by step video tutorials in which resident artist Nikita Lai Jing Tse folds each design: the traditional dart, the glider, the box, and the flyer. Watch the complete tutorial or pick a single plane to build. Download the free printable fold pattern reference sheet, which includes diagrams for all four planes along with elevator flaps, wingtip folds, wing width, wing length, and nose weight adjustments. All you need is copy paper and a few minutes. For a full classroom version of this activity with measurement objectives and standards alignment, see the companion Paper Airplane instant lesson.