DIY simple paper plane for kids

We have been experiencing a few days of wild and windy weather where we live and they can sometimes keep us indoors. Determined to make the most of the wind, I decided to make a unique style of paper plane that your child could easily help make and have hours of fun playing with. What a great way to get them active when they’d usually be stuck indoors!

Recommended age: 2+ years
(I always encourage active supervision with all my activities)

DIY simple paper plane for kids

You will need –

• Cupcake patty pans (with strong and sturdy bases)
• straws
• sticky tape
• knife

I always seem to have a few left over cupcake patty pans from a party and so this was a great way to use them up. Carefully remove the paper base to each of the cupcakes. Adults will need to carefully do this with a knife, or similar. You will need two cupcakes for each paper plane.

Secure one end of the straw to the inside of the paper cupcake using sticky tape.
Do the same to the opposite end.

It’s a good idea to ensure the cupcakes are facing the same direction.
This will make the plane fly for longer.

Flying Paper Planes

This was such a wonderful outdoor activity. Possum (2.5 years) hadn’t ever flown a paper plane before but she had so much fun. Repeatedly she went about mastering her throwing technique and running to collect her plane after each attempt. These paper planes are great because they will only fly a few meters from where a child is standing so there is no difficulty retrieving them. A couple of times, however, Possum gave a little squeal as it flew a little longer than the previous time.

You can easily see how great this is for gross motor development, the pincer grip needed to hold the plane is also required so its fabulous for fine motor skills. I also found this to be such a wonderful outdoor activity that Possum and I could do and enjoy together. It really was a beautiful activity that saw us laughing and feeling a little wild in the wind. I highly recommend it to everyone. What child doesn’t love to fly a paper plane? These paper planes are great for all ages and can be used to test theories and engage children in measurement type tasks.

Would your child love to fly a paper plane like this?

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