Amazing Paper Airplane Competition

Father's Day (or Birthday) Fun

Let’s have some fun with Dad on Father’s Day by challenging him to an Amazing Paper Airplane Competition! Of course you need to feed him well and let him take a nap first, but after that, let the competition begin!

So this paper airplane competition is about accuracy, thus, we will need a target of sorts. This will be done by attempting to fly the airplanes through holes cut in a tablecloth or tarp.

So, let’s make the target!

The target is made from a vinyl tablecloth or tarp. Look around the house and find five or six round objects of various sizes to use as templates for drawing circles. The circle sizes should be about 7-14 inches in diameter. My CorelleWare provided most of the right sized round objects!

Lay the tarp on a table and arrange the various round objects down on it. Don’t put them too close together.

Draw around each round object with a pen and then go over this with a marker. Carefully cut out the inside of each circle.

Tip: You may want to put tape around the edges of the cut circles if using a target made of something that may ravel.

Number the circles with a “1” for the largest size up to “5” or “6” for the smallest hole. This will be the points received if the player gets their paper airplane through that hole.

Tip: Save this target! We will use it again for a fun activity in a few weeks. No, I can't tell you what it is...that would be a spoiler.

Now, drumroll, time to fold the paper airplanes!!

Each player will fold 5 (or more) paper airplanes of their own design from 8 ½ by 11 inch paper to fly in the Amazing Paper Airplane Competition. This is where the strategy kicks in.

A friend at church was flying airplanes with his son and showed me his special airplane folding technique. I’ll attach photos as soon as I can get him to share his secret, if he will!!

Here are a couple of our airplanes, we’ll see who wins at our house!!

Tip: Write your name on your airplanes so you know who’s is who’s! It’s easy to mix them up!

Make up your own paper airplane folding technique or it’s OK if you go online and find directions to fold that perfect airplane. There are some amazing tutorials online for folding paper airplanes.

Here are a couple sites for you to check out:

Hang the target

Turn the target face down and place the rope along the top edge of the target. Turn the edge over the rope and duct tape it down.

Tie the ends between two trees or in the opening of the garage door.

Mark a line between 5-10 feet away from the target (depends on how hard you want to make this for dear old dad!).

Let the Amazing Paper Airplane Competition Begin!!

Stand behind the line and take turns throwing your airplanes at the target. Obviously you aim at the hole with the most point possibility, but really, I’m just hoping I get my airplane through ANY of the holes!

Total up your points when your airplanes go through the holes in the target.

First one that gets to the total points of your choice (20 perhaps)- WINS!!

So, do you let dad win just because it’s Father’s Day? NAH!!!! Have fun!

By the way, it goes without saying that this would be an amazing birthday party game idea.

So, there are 35 mile per hour winds at Nana's house right now so I'm showing you what the amazing paper airplane competition looks like inside. It's all about flexibility, right? I had to take about 10 pictures to catch a plane flying. This is SO MUCH FUN, even inside! Papa is in the field baling alfalfa and I can't wait for him to get home to try this.

Supplies for the Amazing Paper Airplane Competition:

Paper for folding airplanes
Heavy weight vinyl tablecloth OR tarp- at least 52x70 inches in size
Black magic marker
Scissors
Rope to hang the tarp
Duct tape

Don't forget a Father's Day card!!

So you could write a fun message on one of your airplanes for Father's Day, that would be cool. OR you can make an origami card that looks like a shirt when you are done- the directions are found by clicking here. Then you can say you got dad a SHIRT for Father's Day!! 🙂

Other Father's Day ideas: Father's Day breakfast of baking powder biscuits and gravy and a Father's Day gift of making a stepping stone