Making paper airplanes can be a real delight. Hidden in the fun are also some great skills for kids. They learn to follow directions carefully, because overlooking or misfolding even a small step can affect how well the plane flies. And the process can provide opportunities for trial-and-error. When a plane slams into the ground on the first throw, many kids will analyze why that happened and try a range of solutions to fix it.

Your local library can supply books to guide you as you fold various paper airplanes. Another great source is the website by Ken Blackburn, a Guinness world-record holder for paper airplanes.

There are three types of flyers:

1. Distance. These are sharp-angled, narrow planes

2. Stunt. More squat, with wider wings, these planes spiral and loop. I have given you a design for a stunt plane: The Floodle Flier.

3. Floaters. Simple in design, these stay aloft the longest.

Here are some tips as you fly your paper creations:

Launching
Not all planes need a hard throw. Some planes should just be eased into the breeze.

Stalling
If a plane goes up sharply then stalls, swooping down to the ground in steps, you may have thrown it too hard or at too steep an angle. If that doesn’t help, then bend the elevators on the tail down. Or put a paper clip on the nose to give the front end more weight.

Diving
If a plane nosedives onto the ground, bend those elevators up. Another trick to make planes soar is to fold the tips of the wings up. Those are called stabilizers.

Much of the imaginative fun my kids and I have had while making paper airplanes is in naming and decorating them. The Snubnose Burner was a family favorite.

Take time to give your planes real personality, then have a contest and let the family actor do the play-by-play. And once you get familiar with what works aerodynamically and what doesn’t, encourage kids to try their own designs.

If they’re not sure if their idea will work, tell them not to worry. Some of the best fun in life comes when we wing it.