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PlayOwl
A green and white paper dart airplane seen from above, with wide triangle wings and a flat, folded nose.
The finished project.

Origami · folding only

Soft-Nose Paper Airplane

  • Easy (level 2 of 5)
  • 10 min
  • 11 steps
  • Ages 5–10 (a guide, not a rule)
  • No scissors
  • No glue
  • No adult help needed
Start Making Print

This is the classic dart that many children fold first, with one change: the sharp point is folded back, so the nose is flat and soft. That makes it kinder to fly indoors, and the folded nose adds a little weight at the front, which helps it glide. Fly it away from faces, pets and anything that can break.

Before you start

You need

Decorating (optional): Draw windows, stripes or a name on the wings before you fly it.

No sheet of printer paper (letter or a4)? Any thin rectangle of paper works, such as an old worksheet with one blank side.

The nose is folded back so it is soft, but always fly your plane away from faces, pets and things that can break.

Fly it in an open space, and never throw it at a person.

How to place the paper before the first step
Your paper: Lay the paper down sideways, with the long edges at the top and bottom and the white side facing up.
  • Valley fold: blue dashes. Fold toward you, like a valley.
  • Mountain fold: pink dash-dot. Fold away from you, like a mountain.
  • Crease: a thin gray line where you folded before.
  • Turn over: flip the whole model to its other side.

Step by step

Each step shows what to do (left) and how it should look after (right).

  1. Step 1: fold and unfold, shown on the paper Do this
    Step 1 result Result
    Step 1 of 11 Fold and unfold Fold the bottom edge up to the top edge, then open it again. Now there is a crease across the middle.
  2. Step 2: valley fold, shown on the paper Do this
    Step 2 result Result
    Step 2 of 11 Valley fold Fold the top left corner down so its edge lies along the middle crease.
  3. Step 3: valley fold, shown on the paper Do this
    Step 3 result Result
    Step 3 of 11 Valley fold Fold the bottom left corner up the same way. Now the left end is a point.
  4. Step 4: valley fold, shown on the paper Do this
    Step 4 result Result
    Step 4 of 11 Valley fold Fold the point over toward the middle, about 2.5 cm (1 in). Now the nose is flat, not sharp.
  5. Step 5: valley fold, shown on the paper Do this
    Step 5 result Result
    Step 5 of 11 Valley fold Fold the top slanted edge down to the middle crease. Press it flat.
  6. Step 6: valley fold, shown on the paper Do this
    Step 6 result Result
    Step 6 of 11 Valley fold Fold the bottom slanted edge up to the middle crease the same way.
  7. Step 7: mountain fold, shown on the paper Do this
    Step 7 result Result
    Step 7 of 11 Mountain fold Fold the plane in half along the middle crease, folding the bottom half behind. The folded flaps stay on the outside.
  8. Step 8: valley fold, shown on the paper Do this
    Step 8 result Result
    Step 8 of 11 Valley fold Fold the top layer down so its top edge meets the bottom edge. This is the first wing.
  9. Step 9: turn over, shown on the paper Do this
    Step 9 result Result
    Step 9 of 11 Turn over Turn the plane over. Now the nose points the other way.
  10. Step 10: valley fold, shown on the paper Do this
    Step 10 result Result
    Step 10 of 11 Valley fold Fold the second wing down to meet the bottom edge, just like the first.
  11. Step 11: open, shown on the paper Do this
    Step 11 result Result
    Step 11 of 11 Open Lift both wings so they stick straight out from the sides. Your plane is ready to fly!
A green and white paper dart airplane seen from above, with wide triangle wings and a flat, folded nose.

You made it!

Yours may look a little different. That is part of making things by hand.

Print the steps

If something goes wrong

The plane dives straight down.

Bend the back edges of both wings up a tiny bit, then throw it gently and level.

The plane turns to one side.

Check that both wings are the same size and lie level. Refold the bigger wing so it matches.

The nose fold pops open.

Press the nose fold flat before you fold the slanted edges. Those folds hold it in place.

Helpful hints

  • Throw gently and level, like a dart, not hard and up.
  • Press every fold flat with your fingernail. Sharp folds make a straighter flight.

The traditional dart paper airplane, with its point folded back into a flat nose. Diagrams drawn for PlayOwl.

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