Make a Paper Football

You may not be able to play football in the office or classroom, but you can probably get away with playing with the triangular shape that has come to be known as a paper football. You can make a paper football right from your desk in just a minute -- even if you don't have a pair of scissors. If you want to know how, just follow these steps.

Steps

  1. Find an 8 ½" by 11" sheet of paper. You can tear out a piece of ordinary paper from your notebook, or use a sheet of paper from your printer. This is the ideal size of paper for a paper football, but if the paper is a bit smaller or larger, that will work just fine too. Notebook or printer paper will work better than thicker paper or construction paper because it will be easier to fold, and because it will lighter and easier to use in a game of paper football.
    • Use a fresh sheet of paper so the football looks nice. This will also make it easier for you to decorate it later if you'd like to.
  2. Fold the paper in half lengthwise. Fold one side of the paper over to the other side, either folding the right side of the paper to the left, or the left side of the paper to the right. Make sure the edges of the paper match up so that you create a neat vertical crease down the center of the paper.
    • Pinch the crease with your thumb and index fingers and run them along the crease to make it more firm.
    • To make the crease even more firm, you can unfold the two halves, turn the paper over, and fold them again, so that you've created a defined crease along both sides of the paper.
    • Unfold the paper after you've folded it and secured the crease.
  3. Cut or tear the sheet along the vertical crease. Use scissors to cut along the vertical crease, or just gently pull the two halves of the paper apart along the crease, using your hands to slide the two halves in opposite directions. This will create two tall strips of paper that are 4.25" wide and 11" tall.
    • You will only need to use one strip to create one paper football -- if you like, you can use the other to create another football later.
  4. Fold one of the strips in half lengthwise. This will create a strip of paper that is half as wide and twice as thick. Place the half vertically in front of you.
  5. Fold the lower left corner toward the opposite edge of the paper to form a triangle. The right side of the triangle should line up with the right side of the vertical strip. The top edge of the triangle should be parallel to the top edge -- the width -- of the paper. This will essentially create a right triangle, with the right angle of the triangle on its top right side.
  6. Flip the triangle over its top side. This will create another, thicker triangle.
  7. Continue folding triangles up the paper until you've reached the top. Once you become a pro at creating paper triangles, you'll be able to create many triangles of almost equal length.
  8. Undo the last fold of the paper and fold it into a triangle. Fold the top corner down so that the two points meet, creating two triangles. Don't worry if it's not a perfect triangle -- it takes practice to get it right.
  9. Trim about one inch off the right point of the triangle. You can also tear off the extra paper or even leave it in place, taking extra care when you tuck it in.
  10. Tuck the remaining paper into the pocket created by the first triangle.
  11. Flatten the paper football. Smooth down the triangle until you have a flat paper football. Now that it's ready, you can start being a Be a Champion Paper Football Player
  12. Decorate the paper football (optional). If you'd like to give your paper football a personalized touch, use a marker or pen to draw stitch marks and other defining features of a football on it.
  13. Finished.



Tips

  • You can repeat the process for a second football so you get two footballs per sheet of paper by using the other half.
  • You can also make a thicker football by folding the paper in front instead of ripping it. You'll only get one football per sheet of paper.
  • Try to cut instead of tear you'll get better creases and better flicks in a game of paper football.
  • Do not flick the paper football at other people's eyes.
  • If you don't have the right size of paper for the job, you can cut off the extra or make a smaller version of this.
  • You can also add 2 to 3 sheets of paper to thicken it.

Things You'll Need

  • Paper
  • Scissors or paper cutter (optional)

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