Paper Airplane Test Lab

Set up your own Paper Airplane Test Lab and challenge kids to create a plane that flies the farthest!

This is an excellent STEM challenge (and the materials are SO affordable!), but it’s also just a fun activity for a rainy day. Folding and flying planes will keep kids busy for a long time! And they will be so busy playing with their planes that they won’t realize how much they are learning.

I created a printable recording sheet for this activity that you can print for free at the bottom of the post.

Supplies Needed for a Paper Airplane Test Lab:

• Paper
• Cardstock (optional)
• Paper clips
• Play dough (for adding weight)
• Straws, either plastic or paper
• Tape
• Scissors

Learning Goals for the Paper Airplane Test Lab

• To experiment with the different variables that affect how far a paper airplane flies, such as width of the plane, weight of the plane, wing shape, etc.
• To improve fine motor coordination and hand strength by folding, cutting, taping, etc.

Kids today are spending lots of time scrolling and swiping on a device, but not as much time as previous generations spent working with their hands. We need to give kids opportunities to cut, fold, build, etc. They will make mistakes and refine their process along the way!

And this STEM challenge is so simple! Lay out the materials and then allow kids to experiment with paper airplane designs.

Paper clips are great for adding some weight to the nose of the plane. A heavy plane won’t fly very far, but weight in the right place can give the plane much more control.

Play dough also works well for adding a little weight.

Spoiler: There’s a reason that the classic dart paper airplane is so popular! A narrow design works really well.

However, it’s fun to let kids discover this on their own! And the dart is certainly not the only plane that flies well.

Of the two planes pictured below, the longer one flew significantly farther than the shorter one.

Straws are fun for adding stability to the wings, and they also just look cool. Cutting the straws and figuring out how to attach them is good practice.

Take this activity a step further by having kids write about their observations. The printable recording sheet asks them to list the materials they used, measure and record how far their plane flew, draw a picture of their plane, and reflect on what features of the design made their plane successful.

Ready to print your recording sheet? Click the link below. The file will open and you can view or print from there.

CLICK HERE: Paper Airplane Test Lab Recording Sheet

If you want instructions for making paper airplanes that fly really well, we’ve got those too! See them here: How to Fold Paper Airplanes