How to make a paper football (flick football)
This page has a UK and a US version. US version of this page
The folded triangle football is a classic playground and tabletop game. A long strip is rolled up in triangles from one end, and the last bit is tucked into a pocket. Then flick it across the table and through your partner’s finger goalposts.
- Medium
- Age 7+
- About 10 minutes
- 9 steps
- No scissors
- Moves: Watch it fly
Lesson at a glance
- You need
- A sheet of A4 paper. No scissors or glue.
- Time
- About 10 minutes (allow longer the first time)
- Level
- Medium · age 7+
- How to teach it
- Show the 3D folder on the board and pause after each step, or print the step sheet for each table. Both show the same folds.
Finished!
Step 1 of 9Hold the paper upright (portrait). Fold it in half from side to side, the long way, and crease it hard.
Keys: left and right arrows go back and forward, Space plays or pauses, R plays the step again, B shows the back. On the 3D picture, the arrow keys turn it and + and − zoom.
How to fold a paper football: step by step
You need: one sheet of A4 (or US Letter) paper, held upright. Printer paper is ideal: the strip is four layers thick, so the football is firm.
Hold the paper upright (portrait). Fold it in half from side to side, the long way, and crease it hard.
Fold it in half the long way again. You now have a long, thin strip, four layers thick.
At the bottom, fold the right-hand corner up so the bottom edge lies along the left edge. This makes a small triangle.
Fold the triangle up along its top edge, so it sits flat on the strip.
Fold the triangle over along its slanting edge, then up along its straight edge.
Keep going in the same way – slanting edge, straight edge – twice more.
Fold the triangle over its slanting edge one last time. Only a short piece of strip is left at the top.
Fold the top right corner of the short piece down at a slant, so it lines up with the triangle’s slanting edge.
Fold the short piece down and tuck it into the pocket between the layers of the triangle. Push it right in. Your football is finished!
Finished!
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How to play flick football
- Kick off: sit opposite a partner across a table. Stand the football on one point, hold it with one finger and flick the top with the other hand to send it sliding across.
- Score a touchdown: if the football stops hanging over the edge of the table on your partner’s side, that is 6 points. Take turns sliding it.
- Kick a goal: after a touchdown, your partner makes goalposts by touching thumbs and pointing their index fingers up. Flick the football through the posts for 1 extra point.
- Out: if it falls off the table, your turn ends.
If it goes wrong
- The triangles go crooked: every fold must be exactly along the edge of the triangle. If the strip starts to bend sideways, unfold the last fold and line it up again.
- The strip is too wide or too thin: fold the paper exactly in half lengthways, twice. Wider strips make bigger footballs.
- The end will not tuck in: fold its corner over first (step 8), then open the pocket a little with your fingernail before tucking.
- It unrolls: crease every fold firmly with a fingernail, and push the tucked end all the way in.
What children learn
- Angles: every fold makes 45° and 90° angles; the football is a right-angled isosceles triangle.
- Fractions: folding the sheet in half and in half again makes a strip one quarter of the width – four layers thick.
- Forces: a harder flick makes it travel further. Friction with the table slows it down.
- Scoring and adding: keep score with touchdowns (6) and goals (1).
Classroom tips for teachers
- Rules first: agree the rules and a time limit before you start, and play at tables, not on the floor.
- Maths link: keep a tally of scores, add them up, and compare totals across the class. Measure how far each flick slides in cm (or inches).
- Science link: test the football on different surfaces – which one has the most friction?
- Fair testing: does a bigger football slide further? Change one thing at a time.
- SEND tips: pre-fold the strip (steps 1–2) and draw the first fold line on it. Partners can take turns folding the triangles.
Curriculum links
- Maths (Year 3–4, geometry): recognise right angles and compare other angles with them; identify the right-angled triangle.
- Maths (Year 2–3, fractions): find halves and quarters of the sheet as you fold the strip.
- Maths (Year 2–4, number): keep score and add totals; measure distances in cm and compare.
- Science (Year 3, forces): compare how the football moves on different surfaces (friction).
Links to the National Curriculum in England and the EYFS framework. Check the wording against your own school’s plans. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Safety
No scissors or glue are needed. Flick the football along the table, never at people’s faces or eyes, and keep goalposts low over the table.
More origami to try
More for your classroom
Questions teachers ask
How do you score in paper football?
Slide the football so it stops hanging over the edge of the table on your partner’s side for a touchdown (6 points), then flick it through their finger goalposts for 1 extra point.
What paper is best for a paper football?
A sheet of A4 or US Letter printer paper. Folding it lengthways twice makes a strip four layers thick, so the football is firm.
Why does my football unroll?
The last piece must be tucked right into the pocket. Fold its corner over first so it fits, and crease every fold firmly.
What age is paper football for?
Most children from about age 7 can fold it. Younger children can play with one an adult has folded.