16 Easy Yet Beautiful Origami Paper Crafts For Kids

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Engage your child in creative and fun activities with our list of origami crafts for kids. If your child is fond of watching origami tutorials and making new things, you have come to the right place. Origami is a fun activity made by folding paper in different ways. You can teach your child to make various shapes such as animals, flowers, trees, boxes, and other decorative items with the help of simple techniques. This activity is safe for children as it does not require them to use scissors, glue, or stapler. So, explore the numerous ideas of paper folding listed below and start crafting.

In This Article

Key Pointers

Origami, a safe and enjoyable activity for children, involves creatively folding paper to craft various shapes without using scissors, glue, or staplers.
Using colorful origami paper can make the crafts pop and keep kids engaged and excited about their creations.
There are different origami shapes that children can learn to make, such as boats, dogs, hats, fans, airplanes, birds, stars, and cats.

How To Get Started With Origami?

Origami is a fun and rewarding activity that hones children’s dexterity and creative skills. If you wish your child to develop an interest in this hobby, here are a few things you can do to prepare for the activity.

Gather materials: Prepare brightly colored origami paper or standard printer paper, which is thin and easy to fold. Cut them into squares to make the process simpler. Set up your origami station on a clean, flat surface for easy folding.
Basic techniques: Help your child practice a few basic origami techniques needed to create most models. Valley fold, mountain fold, and creasing are the most essential ones.
Start with simple models: Look for beginner-friendly origami projects to ensure your child doesn’t find the task too challenging. Boat, crane, tulip, and frog are some of the easiest origami designs you can try.
Check tutorials: Explore online origami tutorials and learning resources that cover various skill levels to cater to your needs.

Fun And Easy Origami Paper Crafts For Kids

1. Origami boat

Image: Shutterstock

How To:

Take a rectangular origami paper and fold it in half.

Then fold it partially, to make a crease on top.

Fold the two upper corners to form a triangle.

Now fold both the bottom layers of the paper upwards. It will give you an origami hat.

Now bring the corners of the brim of the hat towards each other.

Take the lower corner of the square and fold it upwards. Reverse and do the same for the other layer. You will get a folded triangle.

Now pull the side outwards and flatten the piece. It will form a square.

Finally, pull the top parts outwards to make a boat.

A mother reminisces the moment her 4-year-old son developed an interest in origami. She shares, “I picked up origami in a very casual manner. One day, when I was making a boat with paper, my son, who is four years old, was watching carefully. Then he took a paper of his own and tried making it the way I had done. It motivated me to teach him more (i).”

Point to consider

Paint the boat with your favorite colors and give it a name to complete the craft.

2. Origami dog

Image: Shutterstock

How To:

Take a square origami paper and fold it to make a triangle.

Then fold the two top corners of the triangle to make the dog’s ears.

Fold the upper layer of the bottom corner up to make the dog’s nose.

Then make the eyes, nose, and tongue to complete the dog’s face.

Quick tip

Stick googly eyes on your origami pet to make it look more interesting.

3. Origami hat

Image: Shutterstock

How To:

Take a rectangular origami paper and fold it top down. Then fold the bottom edge and crease well.

Then fold the two corners towards the center.

Fold the upper layer of the bottom layer up to the base of the triangles.

Fold the same layer once again and crease well.

Turn the paper over and do the same with the other layer.

Open it out to form a hat.

4. Origami Santa Claus

Image: Shutterstock

How To:

Take a 15-centimeter square of red origami paper.

Using a pencil, draw the crease on the white side of the sheet. The crease should be 1.75 cm from the bottom left of the edge and 5.5 cm from the top right edge. Fold the paper along the dotted line.

Then, draw a line approximately 2.5 cm from the bottom right edge.
Rotate the paper clockwise. Can you spot Santa?

5. Origami fortune teller

Image: Shutterstock

How To:

Take a 6-inch square origami paper and fold it to make a triangle.

Then fold it again to make a smaller triangle. When you unfold everything, you will have a paper with an X crease.

Fold each corner toward the center of the square. You will end up with a smaller square.

Flip over the paper and fold the corners to the center of the square.

Then fold and unfold the bottom edge up to the top and the left edge to the right.

Lastly, write the names of the colors on the outside flaps. Write the numbers and fortunes on the inside flaps.

6. Origami fan

Image: Shutterstock

How To:

Take a 6-inch piece of bright origami paper.

Fold 1 cm of the paper from the white side up.

Flip and fold 1 cm of the paper again. Make sure that the edges line up at the bottom.

Repeat the steps until you fold the paper completely.

Open up the fan and get some cool air.

Quick tip

Draw/paint a floral design on the paper before you start folding it. The fan will look more attractive after you finish it.

7. Origami airplane

Image: Shutterstock

How To:

Take a rectangular origami paper and fold it down the middle. Unfold it to make a crease.

Now fold the corners towards the ridge line.

Fold along the crease line to form the body of the airplane.

Now fold the wings down, one by one.

Finally, unfold to create your paper airplane.

8. Origami yacht

Image: Shutterstock

How To:

Take a square origami paper and fold it to make a triangle.

Fold it again to make a smaller triangle. Now unfold the paper.

Cut along the horizontal right crease.

Now fold the paper in half, along the vertical crease.

Now fold the lowest half toward the center.

Open the top half and fold it along the vertical crease.

Fold the bottom half under to get the flat bottom of the yacht.

9. Origami bear face

Image: Shutterstock

How To:

Take a 6-inch square origami paper and fold it toward the bottom.

Now, fold the paper in half. Crease well and then unfold.

Fold the left and right tips of the paper towards each other.

Now again fold the left and right tips upwards at an angle. It will form the ears.

Now make two more folds, folding the tips back slightly.

Fold the upper layer of the bottom tip to form the chin.

Flip over and then fold the bottom tip again. Now fold again to make the bear’s mouth.

Draw the bear’s mouth, nose and eyes with a black felt tip.

10. Origami pinwheel

Image: Shutterstock

How To:

Take a 6-inch square origami paper and fold it in half along both the horizontal and vertical axis. Crease well and then unfold.

Fold the left and right sides towards the center.

Now fold the top and bottom to meet at the center. You will get a small square.

Unfold the top fold and make two diagonal folds.

Bring the top part down and press the paper flat.

Now rotate the paper 180 degrees.

Lastly, make two diagonal or quadrant folds and your pinwheel is ready.

11. Origami bird

Image: Shutterstock

How To:

Fold a square origami paper of any color to form a triangle.

Fold the tip to the base of the paper.

Fold the paper in half. Rotate it 90 degrees.

Now fold both the flaps to form the bird’s wings.

Unfold the wings so that the paper bird can sit horizontally. Your origami bird is ready.

12. Origami shirt

Image: Shutterstock

How To:

Take a rectangular origami paper, preferably 8.5×11 inches.

Fold 1.5 inches from the top.

Make two cuts on each side, about two inches long.

Now flip over the paper and fold both sides towards the center. It will form the collar of the shirt.

Make two diagonal folds to make the shoulders.

13. Origami house

Image: Shutterstock

How To:

Take a square origami paper and fold it in half to make a rectangle.

Unfold the paper.

Fold the top and bottom halves to make them meet the crease in the center.

Now fold the paper in half to get a small square. Unfold the paper.

Flip over the paper and fold both the sides to make them meet the center crease.

Open the top two corners and press to make a triangle.

Now color and decorate your house any way you like.

14. Origami star

Image: Shutterstock

How To:

Take a 6-inch square origami paper and fold it to form a triangle.

Now fold the upper layer to meet the vertical line.

Flip over the paper and fold it in half.

Now you have to make the squash fold. For that, you need to open the top flap and press it down so that the vertical edge of the paper lines up on the left side.

To make the other half, take another 6-inch square paper.

Fold the origami paper in half to form a triangle.

Now again, fold the paper to form a second triangle. Put a drop of glue in the middle of the paper.

Open the first half of the first part and slide the second half.

Stick both the parts, and your star is ready.

Quick tip

Use a glitter pen to put small glitter dots on your star and make it twinkle.

15. Origami whale

Image: Shutterstock

How To:

Take a square origami paper and fold it to form a triangle.

Then unfold the paper and fold the left and right sides again to make them meet at the center crease.

Now fold the top to make it meet the middle.

Fold the entire paper in half and rotate it 90 degrees.

Now fold the tail from the left side and your whale is ready.

Remember, to give your child colorful origami papers for this art activity.

16. Origami cat

Image: Shutterstock

Create an easy origami cat with these simple steps, perfect for kids who enjoy crafting and creativity.

How to:

Begin with a square origami paper. If you have standard 8.5”x11” paper, first cut it into a square.

Fold the paper diagonally by bringing the bottom corner to meet the top corner.

Fold it diagonally once more, from the left to the right corner.

Unfold the paper to reveal a cross-crease.

Create the cat’s ears by folding the left and right corners of the triangle upward at an angle, as shown in the reference picture.

Fold down a small section of the top corner.

Flip the paper over to the other side.

Complete your origami cat by drawing eyes and whiskers on the face.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What age is origami for?

Children older than four years can enjoy origami paper crafts as at this age they start identifying colors, imitating, and like to get involved with new things to get their imagination going.

2. What are the benefits of learning origami for kids?

Learning origami can help kids understand geometric concepts, formulas, and labels by including the craft idea with geometry. In addition, it can help sharpen their thinking abilities and enhance their problem-solving and visual-spatial skills. This engaging children’s art is also an excellent way to teach fractions and explain the concepts of physics (1). Moreover, origami helps improve fine motor skills, encourages creative thinking, and promotes patience and concentration. Teach and engage children in interesting origami activities, such as paper flower crafts for kids, and find them having fun.

3. What is origami paper called?

Standard origami paper is often known as “Kami.” It is a Japanese word for origami paper.

Origami craft for kids involves folding papers into interesting shapes. It is a safe activity for children as it does not require scissors or staplers. Children can use patterned paper for interesting designs and decorate their origami models with colored markers or other elements to add a personal touch. Origami benefits children by enhancing their creativity, fine motor skills, and concentration. You can introduce different origami ideas to children based on their age. Ideas, including origami dogs, fans, and airplanes, will surely excite the children. You can also introduce them to other kinds of paper crafts, such as paper animal crafts for kids. So, choose the ones that your child finds fascinating and let them spend time creating amazing crafts.

Illustration: Easy Yet Beautiful Origami Paper Crafts For Kids

Image: Stable Diffusion/MomJunction Design Team

Infographic: Simple And Artistic Origami Crafts For Children Of All Ages

Origami is a famous Japanese art of paper folding that encourages creativity and imagination in children. Look through the list of easy-to-make, beautiful origami crafts for children in the infographic below. These origami activities can keep children entertained for hours and enhance their love for art.

creative origami crafts for children (infographic)

Let’s make an easy origami paper fish! It’s a fun and easy craft for kids and nursery. Follow along and make your own paper fish!

Personal Experience: Source

MomJunction articles include first-hand experiences to provide you with better insights through real-life narratives. Here are the sources of personal accounts referenced in this article.

i. Why is origami an important art to learn at early stages of life for a kid;
https://igenpod.medium.com/why-origami-is-an-important-art-at-early-stages-of-life-47619ab8d3b0

References

MomJunction's articles are written after analyzing the research works of expert authors and institutions. Our references consist of resources established by authorities in their respective fields. You can learn more about the authenticity of the information we present in our editorial policy.

5 Reasons Why Origami Improves Students’ Skills.
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/why-origami-improves-students-skills-ainissa-ramirez

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Reviewer Author Editor Fact Checker

Erin DeCarloCraftsperson

Erin DeCarlo is an avid crafter and greeting card business owner. Her expertise lies in creating handmade paper crafts and DIY home decor. She has sold handmade greeting cards and gifts on Etsy and in local stores over the last nine years.

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Debolina RajaMA (English)

Debolina Raja came into the writing world while she was playing around with words and participating in various literary events. She found her writing interest in various genres such as health, wellness, parenting, relationship, and brand management and gained more than five years experience in it.

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Harshita MakvanaB.Com, PG Dip

Harshita is a graduate in commerce and holds a PG Diploma in Patent and Copyrights Law from NALSAR University. She has also pursued CA and has more than three years of internship experience in auditing. Her love for travelling has taken her to various parts of the world, and writing the travelogues was what brought out her love for content writing.

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