Hexaflexagon Worksheets

You should have a strip of 25 triangles. You need exactly 19 perfect triangles, so use the last 19 that you folded. Cut off the first triangles.

Lay the strip on your desk in the position shown below and number your triangles IN PENCIL just as they are shown. The two blank triangles will be the two that you glue together.

Begin folding the hexaflexagon by placing the two faces numbered with a "1" together. Keeping those two faces together, now place the "2" on the other "2." Continue in this manner placing the two "3"s together, then the two "4"s, the two "5"s, and so on (in order). It shown form a hexagon. Glue the two blank triangles together.

Now you are ready to "flex" your hexaflexagon. Then open gently at the top center. Try another radius.

In order to find all 6 sides, continue to flex at one vertex until the hexaflexagon refuses to open. Then move to an adjacent vertex (either way) and continue flexing at that vertex until the hexaflexagon refuses to open. The diagram below shows one way to traverse the six sides.

  Notice that although you drew 6 patterns, there are many more actual designs (since the triangular parts of the hexagon appear in different orientations as you flex the model.

Click here to load instructions for making the Dodecahexaflexagon!