How to Make a Better Paper Airplane Prototyping Activity

Paper airplanes! Everybody loves flying them. But how do you make a better paper airplane? You build, test, and try again. Just like engineers do. Paper airplanes make great learning experiences for kids because they help teach a growth mindset, about the engineering design process, and the physics of flight, too. Plus they’re totally fun!

Women Who Inspire: Pioneering Aviators and Aeronautical Engineers

To celebrate Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, we’ve rolled out our STEAM Explorers Famous Women edition. It wouldn’t be a full resource if we didn’t recognize the women of aviation. As long as there has been human flight, there have been women pioneering in the skies. Here are some amazing pilots and engineers who made a difference.

Amelia Earhart was an aviator who pushed the boundaries of flight and promoted commercial air travel, too. She was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean and set many speed and distance records. She used her celebrity status to encourage other women to fly. It is believed that she crashed to her death over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to become the first woman to fly around the world.

Elsie MacGill was the world’s first woman to earn an aeronautical engineering degree. The Canadian engineer overcame her polio-caused disabilities to become the chief engineer overseeing the Canadian production of the WWII Hawker Hurricane fighter plane. This lead to her nickname of “Queen of the Hurricanes.” She also was a leader in the women’s rights movement in Canada. 

Jeannie Leavitt is an officer in the United States Air Force (USAF). She became the first female fighter pilot and the first to command a combat fighter wing when the USAF dropped their restrictions on women pilots in combat. She now serves as the Chief of Safety of the USAF.

How Do Paper Airplanes Fly?

In this activity, you’re tasked with making adjustments to a paper airplane to make it fly farther and straighter. You’ll adjust the shape of your paper airplane and your throwing style to see how the plane’s flight changes.

4 forces affect how paper airplanes fly, just like regular airplanes. The forces are thrust (forward force from your arm), lift (upward force caused by air flowing over and under the wings), drag (air pushing back on the plane slowing it down), and gravity. The more thrust and lift outweigh drag and gravity, the higher and farther your plane will fly. The size and shape of paper airplanes impact the forces on the plane. Also, the force with which you throw the paper airplane matters, too.  

What is the Engineering Design Process?

The airplane wasn’t invented on the first try. And a paper airplane won’t have the best design on the first try, either. Aeronautical engineers use something called the Engineering Design Process to help create machines that work. It’s a system of researching, designing, testing, and optimizing that helps engineers learn from failure. Engineers use something called a prototype to help test their ideas. A prototype is an early model or version of their design that helps them test what works and doesn’t work. Kids can fold multiple paper airplane prototypes in this activity!

The biggest thing to remember is that having fun with paper airplanes is just as much about the process, not only the end result. Plus, tons of learning happens in trial and error. We’ve created some fun posters to help you share this growth mindset thinking with your students.

Paper Airplane Supplies Needed

I love paper airplane projects! They’re super budget-friendly ways for kids to learn from the iterative process that is engineering. You probably have all these supplies in the room right now! We’ve even included a free worksheet to help kids think through the trial and error process of making paper airplanes fly the best.

• 8 1/2” x 11” paper
• Scissors
• Clear tape
• Paperclips
• Paper Airplane Prototyping activity worksheet

To have the paper airplane project instructions (single page and easy to print!), worksheet, and engineering design process posters emailed to you, simply fill out the form below.

How to Fold a Paper Airplane

Fold a simple paper airplane using a sheet of letter-sized paper (8 1/2″x11″) using the instructions below.

1. Fold the paper in half horizontally then open.

2. Fold the top left corner down and the bottom left corner up until they meet the center fold.

3. Fold the top left corner down and the bottom left corner up until they meet the center fold.

4. Fold in half along the center fold with the previous folds on the inside.

5. Fold the top edges on both sides down until they meet the center fold.

6. Adjust the wings until they are at a slightly upward angle.

Test the Paper Airplane

Now it’s time to test the airplane. Give it a throw. Did it fly as you expected? What problems did it have? Record your observations on the worksheet.

Make the Paper Airplane Better

I’m guessing that your plane might have had some flight challenges… On the worksheet, list some ways you could improve the paper airplane based upon the problems it had during the test flight. You can adjust folds to make them sharper or change their angle, add new folds, add weight, throw it differently, hold it differently at launch, even start with a new plane of a different size. A few hints are shown below as well.

Is your airplane not flying very far? Minimize drag by taping the wings flat on top.

Is your airplane not flying straight? Try folding side fins to stabilize the plane.

Is your airplane not flying straight? Try adding a paperclip weight at the nose.

Make adjustments to the paper airplane and how you throw it, one change at a time. Test and record your observations on the worksheet. 

What modifications worked the best? Document your final design changes on the worksheet.

More Inspiring STEAM Activities for Kids

This activity is a sneak peek into the STEAM Explorers Famous Women Ebook Unit Study! Get inspired by famous trailblazing, pioneering, and innovating women from the fields of science, technology, engineering, art, and math. The kids will love hands-on activities like testing rockets, flipping Crêpes, designing geometric fashion, building bridges, encrypting bookmarks, and so much more! You’ll love the helpful standards-based learning, printables, and tools that make STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, & math) exploration easy!

Inside every STEAM Explorers ebook are:

• Projects: Hands-on science, technology, engineering, art, and math projects
• Printables: Fun printables for independent learning and fun
• Recipes: Delicious recipes that have a learning spin
• Learning: Interesting reading that helps kids learn about our planet on every page
• Activity Calendar: A helpful calendar to make adding STEAM to your day simple and fun.
• Supplies List: A handy supplies list for the month that makes prep easy.
• BONUS! A coupon to save 25% on a monthly STEAM Explorers subscription. It’s a great gift!! That’s where you’ll find a kid-safe online portal filled with helpful activity videos, teacher lesson plans, and more.

More Projects About Flight

We love projects about flight around here! There’s nothing better for getting kids engaged in learning about physics, engineering, and adopting a growth mindset! Testing the projects is so much fun!

More Hands-On Engineering Projects for Kids

You can find even more fun projects in this Mega List of Engineering Projects for Kids!