Each person folds their best paper plane. Fly from the same line. Measure furthest, most accurate, longest airborne. Then modify: add a fold, bend a wing tip, add a paperclip nose. Does the modification improve it?
What you need
- A4 paper
- paperclips (optional)
How to do it
- 1Hand out paper and say: 'Fold your best paper plane. Any design.' Each person folds one plane from a single sheet. No rules on design.
- 2Fly from the same spot. Note distance, accuracy, and how long it stays up.
- 3Make exactly one change each: bent wing tip, paperclip nose, or different fold.
- 4Fly again and compare. The modification either helps or it doesn't.
Variations
- Korb-Tür: If a plane doesn't fly, unfold it and fold it again together. Plane designs are forgiving — the same paper can become six different planes. No failure, just redesign.
- Ausstieg: After three or four flights, announce the final round: 'One more flight each, then we're done.' Hold a final tournament flight and crown a champion. The game ends with a clear endpoint.
💡 Parent tip
A paperclip on the nose shifts the centre of gravity forward and dramatically improves most plane designs. Let them discover this experimentally.
What your child develops
- Iterative design — modifying a design based on observed performance data
- Physics intuition — lift, drag, balance, and centre of gravity through direct experience
- Fine motor and spatial — folds must be precise for the plane to fly well
Safety notes
- Fly away from faces.
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