Paper folding

The ladder

1. Ages 3–5
   • Fold togetherFold real paper with a grown-up, one fold at a timeOpen →
2. Ages 6–8
   • Half of a halfFold a strip in half again and count the partsOpen →
3. Ages 9–14
   • Bring this to thatPredict how many folds bring a point onto a pointOpen →
   • Seven folds?Work out how thick paper gets folded again and againOpen →
4. Ages 15–18
   • Why there is no shortcutCount every mountain and valley pattern of a small mapOpen →
   • One crossingDecide whether a crease crossing folds flatOpen →

Two rules every rung keeps

The Fade Rule. Every game ends on a plain screen: the same numbers with the paper folding words gone, so the maths leaves with you.

The Own-Lane Rule. Your numbers are compared only with your own past, never with anyone else's, and they stay on this device.

Problems built on something you love help most when the context carries the maths, not when it decorates it. These ladders are a design, not a promise.

Ask a grown-up tonight: “Which fold was the trickiest to line up?”