Origami · folding only · Easy · about 10 minutes

Soft-Nose Paper Airplane

No scissors · No glue · No adult help needed

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

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

Finished

Blue dashes: valley fold (toward you). Pink dash-dot: mountain fold (away from you). Thick line with scissors: cut. Yellow: glue.

Start. Lay the paper down sideways, with the long edges at the top and bottom and the white side facing up.
1. 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. Valley fold: Fold the top left corner down so its edge lies along the middle crease.
3. Valley fold: Fold the bottom left corner up the same way. Now the left end is a point.
4. Valley fold: Fold the point over toward the middle, about 2.5 cm (1 in). Now the nose is flat, not sharp.
5. Valley fold: Fold the top slanted edge down to the middle crease. Press it flat.
6. Valley fold: Fold the bottom slanted edge up to the middle crease the same way.
7. Mountain fold: Fold the plane in half along the middle crease, folding the bottom half behind. The folded flaps stay on the outside.
8. Valley fold: Fold the top layer down so its top edge meets the bottom edge. This is the first wing.
9. Turn over: Turn the plane over. Now the nose points the other way.
10. Valley fold: Fold the second wing down to meet the bottom edge, just like the first.
11. Open: Lift both wings so they stick straight out from the sides. Your plane is ready to fly!

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.