Flexagon Fun: How to Maniuplate Your Trihexaflexagon

Don't be Discouraged!

It will take you some time to get your trihexaflexagon to rotate through the three color combinations (yellow and blue, blue and red, red and yellow). Be sure your tape is secure, and go slow. After your trihexaflexagon has rotated a dozen times or so, it will become much, much easier to rotate it.

Starting point:

Gently pinch down between two adjacent triangles of the same color (for example the yellow triangles 5 and g) with your right hand so that g is behind 5 and gently push at the corner in between a and b with your left hand. As you push in with the left hand, the hidden blue face should sprout like a blooming plant. Until your flexagon has had some use, you may need to help the blue face sprout.

Next rotate the hexagon 60 degrees clockwise and repeat the process. (For example, pinch down f in front of 8 and push between 2 and 3. This will yield the third face.

One more rotation and pinch (in front of 7 and behind i while pushing between c and d) will bring you back to the yellow face.