How to make Easy Paper Airplane (6 Fold Plane Steps)

Learn how to make an easy paper airplane with these 6 simple folds.

Paper airplanes are perfect for a quick build and lots of air time--and this is the best paper airplane to start with!

If you don't know how to fold a paper airplane, this is the perfect plane for beginners and hands of all skill levels.

This post has been updated from it's original posting from August 2012. I changed out all the text and every single picture January 2025. If you would like to see the old archived post, check it out here.

Paper Airplane Contest:

There are so many different paper airplane designs, and this one is my favorite.

I learned how to make this paper airplane when I was in grade school, probably about age 9...there was always a school lesson on lift and drag and then some kind of airplane flying contest.

I couldn't build a good airplane in school and came home and asked my brothers to teach me how to fold a paper air plane from a sheet of paper.

I'm not sure this could win the paper airplane contest, but it flies really well and I wasn't embarrassed in the years to come because I didn't know how to fold the greatest paper airplanes.

They taught me this plane, and I've passed it on to my kids too.

Paper Airplane Steps:

I'll go through all the paper airplane steps for folding in this post, but here's the graphic with the basic instructions.

How to Throw an Airplane Themed Party!

Fold a bunch of simple paper air planes, based on this simple tutorial.

Make a photo backdrop or bunting using bakers twine and a stapler to fasten all the airplanes onto the twine.

Hang across the room for the perfect party decor.

Have everyone at the party fold paper airplanes for a fun activity!

I love using brightly colored paper for folding a paper plane--this tutorial is great for teaching large groups, Summer camps, classes and youth activities!

Then spend lots of time throwing paper aeroplanes all over!

Supplies Needed for Paper Airplane Building:

affiliate links

• Astrobrights Lightweight Paper (24 lb)

The colored paper from Astrobrights is awesome, bright and cheery and makes great party decor and good airplanes.

They are a little thick, so if you are going for the best paper plane, try a lighter weight type of paper.

• 20 lb. Copy Paper

HOW TO FOLD A PAPER AIRPLANE TUTORIAL:

The paper airplane instructions come down to about just 6 steps...but you do the task on both sides of the middle crease, so I'm counting it as one step.

Let's get started!

BASIC AIRPLANE FOLDING GRAPHIC:

Here's an overview graphic of every paper airplane folding step, below, I'll go through each step with detailed step-by-step instructions.

If you've got what you need from this graphic, great! 

Please enjoy making a bunch of paper airplanes and check out some of my other posts!

Step 1 Airplane Folding: Center Crease

The first step is to set up your piece of paper on a flat surface.

I'm using Celestial Blue from the Astrobrights paper pack.

Create the first fold by folding the paper in half the tall ways, so it measures the full 11 inches tall, and the width becomes 4 1/4".

Then open up the paper to reveal the center crease line.

Step 2 Airplane Folding: Top Corners

Now fold the top right corner of the paper down along the crease line and fold down firmly.

Repeat the same process with the left top corner and line it up with the straight line and right side fold.

Step 3 Airplane Folding: Half

Now fold the top of the paper nearly all the way to the bottom, but about ONE INCH from the bottom edge of the plane.

Step 4 Airplane Folding: Wings

Now fold the top right corner of the paper down along the center seam.

Repeat folding down the top left corner along the center line.

Step 5 Airplane Folding: Tab

See that little triangle peeking out from under the wings?

Fold that triangle tab up over the base of the wings and this will hold everything in place during those desired long flights.

Then fold the airplane in half, along the original crease line, so the triangle tab is showing.

This visible part is the underbelly of the paper airplane.

Step 6 Airplane Folding: Wings

Now fold the wing tips by folding the underbelly from the previous step over itself, lining the wing up with the bottom of the paper plane bottom.

And repeat the airplane wing fold over on the other side of the paper air plane.

This shows off the top of the wing, perfect for decorating if you want to make it a little more fancy.

The entire plane is folded up in just a minute or two.

With a little practice you can make a party photo backdrop, bunting and decor!

The base or under side of the paper air plane is weighted because of the way it was folded, but you can experiment with a paper clip to see if that helps with flight accuracy.

There are tons of paper airplane designs on the internet, but this plane is the iconic shape and an easy build.

It's a great little plane to fold out of any scrap rectangle paper you are given!

Is this the kind of paper airplane you learned to fold or do you know different designs?

The more complicated the steps, the harder it is for me to remember, so I love this plane.

It's easy to remember, whip up when I'm around kids and fly in the house or yard.

That's it!

Learn how to fold a paper airplane with brightly colored paper!

Make a fast flyer or a great plane for long flights using this step by step tutorial.

Make a bunch of planes for party decorations, buntings, and hanging garlands!

Like, Pin and Save!

Archived Post

This post has been updated from it's original posting from August 2012. 

I changed out all the text and every single picture January 2025.

If you would like to see the old archived post, check it out here.

Check out these Fun Posts too!

How to draw a paper airplane in 4 steps!

How to Make Origami Corner Bookmarks (Easy Paper DIY)

Origami paper corner bookmarks are super easy to make and perfect for teaching a large group.

Just a few easy steps and folding to make a little DIY origami corner bookmark to keep track of reading all during the school year.

These easy corner bookmarks are a perfect gift, easy crafts for a school class or youth group, and all you need are some squares of paper.