Make a clothespin and popsicle stick airplane with your toddler for a cute and playful craft idea for imaginative play.
Hi, I’m Keri from Backyard Summer Camp! I love crafts that encourage pretend play, and this popsicle stick airplane is perfect for just that. Make this cute craft with your toddler, then watch them imagine flying it all over the house.
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If you have a little kid who loves airplanes, this is the perfect craft to make together! We live near an air base, so there are frequently lots of different planes flying over our house. Even as an adult, I have a habit of going outside to look up and see what’s roaring by.
This type of airplane is called a biplane because it has two sets of wings stacked on top of each other. It is the type of plane that the Wright brothers flew and was common in early military (around World War I). Although bigger and faster planes are more common now, biplanes are still used for smaller tasks like aerial tours and crop dusting farms.
Although I call this a toddler craft, this is one that older kids might enjoy too. If you’re crafting with toddlers and young children, they’ll need some help and plenty of supervision while making this.
Depending on the age of your child, an adult will probably need to cut the popsicle sticks and handle the head pin.
How To Make a Popsicle Stick Airplane
We painted ours purple, but you can make yours as realistic of fanciful as you like!
What You Need:
Here’s what you’ll need from the store. The exact amounts are in the printable craft card at the bottom of this post.
Craft Tools Needed:
Supplies Needed:
- Wooden craft or popsicle sticks
- Wooden clothespin
- Craft paint
- Paint pens, optional
- Craft glue or glue dots
- Whirly bead – You might also find them called paddle or starburst shape.
- Head pin
Popsicle Stick Airplane Craft Tips
How do you cut popsicle sticks?
You can cut popsicle sticks using a good pair of adult scissors. If the ends are rough, trim loose corners or use sandpaper to smooth the edges.
What’s the best paint for kids’ crafts?
I like DecoArt and Apple Barrel paints for most crafts. If you’re painting with a messy toddler, Crayola washable paints are ideal when you need to clean up a mess.
How do you make glue dry faster?
Glue drying time often makes crafts feel slow. If you’re using a craft adhesive like Aleene’s, it holds really great but can take an hour or more to dry completely. I like glue dots when I’m working with kids who want their crafts dry now!
How do you make a propeller that spins?
This craft uses a head pin as the central shaft and a bead that’s already got spokes as the propeller. It’s loose enough that the propeller will spin. Alternatively, you could cut a piece of popsicle stick and poke a hole through the center with an awl.
Popsicle stick airplane
Equipment
- 1 Pair of scissors
Ingredients
- 2 wooden popsicle sticks
- craft paint any color(s)
- paint pens optional
- 1 package glue dots
- 1 whirly/starburst bead
- 1 head pin
Instructions
- Cut the popsicle sticks to make the wings and tail. For the wings, cut 2 pieces that are about the length of the clothespin. Ours are 3 inches. For the tail, cut a piece that is half the size of the wing pieces. Cut a scrap end at an angle to make the tail rudder.
- Disassemble the clothespin and set the metal spring aside. Paint the 4 popsicle stick pieces and the 2 clothespin pieces your color of choice. Allow to dry to the touch, about 5 minutes, then flip over the popsicle stick pieces and paint the other side. Allow to dry completely, about 15 minutes.
- Reassemble the clothespin. Slide the whirly bread onto the head pin and clamp it in the center of the clothespin, then glue it in place.
- Glue the wings to the top and bottom of the plane’s nose. Glue the tail at the opposite end, adding the rudder to the top of the tail. Allow the glue to dry completely, just a few minutes if using glue dots.
- Optional: Use paint pens to add embellishments to the popsicle stick airplane.
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What’s Next?
If you enjoyed making this popsicle stick airplane, then be sure to check out Backyard Summer Camp for more boredom busters for kids.
More Kids Crafts Ideas
If you enjoyed this kids’ craft then you will love these toddler and preschool craft ideas:
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