Making paper aeroplanes is an excellent activity to do with your toddler or preschooler, giving the opportunity for creative learning and learning through play. Once completed, your child will have the best time throwing the paper aeroplanes with you. It’s also a quick and easy craft and suitable to make all year round.
This style of paper aeroplane is great for toddlers and preschoolers due to having a large area to draw on and add stickers to. The shape of the aeroplane nose is broad rather than pointed, making it a safer craft to throw and it also glides very well through the air.
You will only need an A4 piece of paper for this craft and anything else you would like to decorate with such as pens, tissue paper or flat stickers. The aim is to keep the paper aeroplane as lightweight as possible, so it will fly well.
*Please note that adult help and supervision will be required for this craft at all times, during the making and playing with the aeroplanes. Also ensure that the aeroplane is thrown in an open space and not in the direction of anybody else.*
Firstly an adult will need to fold the A4 paper into an aeroplane, ready for decorating. If your child is older they may be able to do this themselves.
Here are the instructions on how to make your paper aeroplane:
1. Fold the A4 paper vertically in the middle to make a fold line.
2. Fold the top two corners down to the fold line as shown.
3. Using the new horizontal line, fold down.
4. Fold one of the top corners to the fold line.
5. Then fold the next corner to the fold line.
6. Fold up the middle point. If the corners tuck in a little that’s great, if not you can use a sticker to hold it all together which will be shown later.
7. Fold in half backwards, using the fold line so you have the below.
8. Fold one wing down so that it lines up with the fold line.
9. Fold the other wing down and you will end up with an aeroplane like this.
10. You can finish here but if your corners did not tuck in underneath, you can add a small sticker which keeps it all together. This will make it easier for your child to work with.
11. Once your aeroplane is complete your toddler or preschooler can decorate using pens, stickers or tissue paper to name a few materials.
12. Now it’s time to fly your aeroplanes! Remember to throw them in an open space and not in the direction of anyone else.
I was pleasantly surprised that my toddlers aged two and three picked up the throwing of the aeroplanes really quickly. They loved throwing them in the garden and they really enjoyed decorating theirs. Here they are as shown below.
We also took this craft to our local toddler group and it was hit with the children and adults making them together and having lots of fun flying them down the long garden of our village club. We had lots of compliments about how well this aeroplane flies!
Another way you could do this craft is to use different media such as crayons, pencils or stamps. You could use a two-tone paper which has a different colour each side, which would give a nice contrast. You could even try an A3 size of paper and have a larger aeroplane! If you have any further ideas do let us know in the comments below.
Feel free to share this post and let me know what you think in the comments, I would love to hear about your results.
Happy paper aeroplane making!
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