Janod - Paper Rocket Craft Kit - Make 10 Rockets

The Janod Paper Rockets kit is craft with a payoff. Follow the instructions to fold ten rockets in two different designs, then use the supplied launcher to send them flying. Created in partnership with French publishing house Hachette as part of the Les Ateliers du Calme range, for children aged 7 and up.

The launcher is why this kit gets finished

Most paper craft ends with a finished object sitting on a table. This one ends with a countdown. Knowing that each rocket will actually launch gives children a concrete reason to fold carefully and see the project through - and it turns a solo activity into something siblings and parents get pulled into.

Expect the rockets to be flown, retrieved, adjusted and flown again. Children quickly start theorising about which fold flies furthest, which is a genuine bit of experimentation wearing a craft kit's clothing.

What is in the kit

• Materials to fold 10 paper rockets in 2 different designs
• Paper launcher for firing the finished rockets
• Illustrated step-by-step instructions
• Brightly coloured designs featuring aliens and strange creatures
• Suitable for children aged 7 years and up

Les Ateliers du Calme - the calm workshop

The range name translates as quiet workshop, and it describes the intent exactly. These are absorbing, self-directed activities designed to slow a child down. The folding stage is genuinely meditative; the launching stage is not, which is a fair trade.

What it develops

Precise folding is demanding fine motor work with an unforgiving standard - a sloppy crease produces a rocket that will not fly, and children figure that out themselves. Following a multi-step diagram builds spatial reasoning and instruction-following, and the launch phase adds a first, informal taste of testing and improving a design.

A well-priced, self-contained gift for a seven to ten-year-old, and a good school-holiday activity that does not require any adult set-up.