Ideas for Easy Winter Origami Crafts That Even 2-Year-Olds Will Love
Since it’s the cold season, how about enjoying some indoor origami play? Here, we’ll introduce simple winter origami ideas that you can do together with two-year-olds.
From Santa Claus and Christmas trees to snow bunnies, there are plenty of creations that capture the season! The activities also include elements that promote children’s fine motor development, such as aligning corners and using glue.
All of the projects feature simple steps, making them perfect for fun, hands-on creation in childcare settings—so give them a try.
Because the children’s work is regarded as “artworks,” we use the term “seisaku” (制作) in the text to refer to their creations.
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Ideas for Easy Winter Origami Crafts That Even 2-Year-Olds Will Love (21–30)
A torn-paper collage wreath and an origami Santa
By the time they’re two, children can start deciding for themselves how to arrange colors and patterns when tearing and pasting paper.
Here’s a wreath craft that makes use of that thinking skill with torn-paper collage.
As a prep step, lightly draw a wreath outline in pencil on white construction paper.
Let the children freely tear origami paper, and have them paste the pieces with glue, using the wreath outline as a guide.
If you use patterned origami, the wreath will look very lively! Finally, glue a ribbon on top of the wreath and add a Santa made from origami to finish.
a one-horned ogre
February brings a sharp chill, but according to the traditional calendar there’s Setsubun, an event that heralds the arrival of spring.
When it comes to Setsubun, you can’t forget the starring role of the oni (ogre).
Oni can be scary for children, but the ones you make with origami are super cute! The folding method is very simple, and if you take it slowly, kids can fold them without mistakes.
The little horns that pop out when you fold it back are adorable, too.
It’s also a fun idea to play with colors—use red origami to make a red oni, blue origami to make a blue oni, and so on.
A wreath made with just two folds
How about making a wreath with the kids as a decoration for Christmas? It’s a simple process, but you’ll end up with a lovely wreath! Fold origami paper twice to make eight pieces, connect them together, and your origami wreath is complete! By slightly changing where you fold, you can freely alter the shape, too.
Kids are sure to love it.
It’s also fun to mix solid and patterned papers, use different patterns together, or add stickers and craft embellishments for decoration.
It will make a wonderful winter memory, so give it a try!
Ehomaki made by rolling it up and up
Let’s try making an Ehomaki sushi roll out of origami, which is eaten while facing the year’s lucky direction on Setsubun to pray for happiness and good health.
Use black origami for the outermost roasted seaweed, and roll long, thin strips in colors like green, red, and yellow to represent fillings such as cucumber and egg, placing them in the center.
Insert cushioning between the black origami and the fillings to act as the rice, then roll it up.
With only origami, the contents might slip out, but adding the cushioning will help it hold a soft shape while staying firmly rolled.
Paper-tearing collage Shishimai (lion dance)
Let’s make a traditional New Year’s good-luck charm, the shishimai (lion dance), out of origami.
Glue the facial parts onto red construction paper, and use crumpled tissue paper to create a three-dimensional mane for the lion.
Use white drawing paper to represent the body, and glue on small torn pieces of origami paper in a collage style.
Since a shishimai’s body features a green karakusa (arabesque) pattern, using green origami paper or patterned green origami will make it look more authentic.
Attach black pieces for the legs, and your shishimai is complete.
wobbling daruma
How about making a gently swaying daruma, like a mobile, that looks cute hanging from walls or the ceiling? Use colored construction paper cut into a daruma shape as the base, and express the daruma’s face and belly pattern by sticking on torn pieces of origami paper.
You can draw the daruma’s face with crayons or make it with torn origami pieces.
Add decorative charms hanging beneath the daruma, and attach a string with a crumpled ball of aluminum foil as a weight; connect it to the daruma and it’s done.
It makes a lucky New Year’s decoration for your home, and above all, it’s so cute that it’s highly recommended as a general ornament too.
Colorful spinning tops
Let’s make colorful, vibrant New Year-style spinning tops using paper plates and origami.
Use a paper plate cut in half as the body of the top.
First, color the paper plate with your favorite colors using crayons or colored pencils.
Then, paste small torn pieces of origami paper on top to create mosaic-like patterns on the top.
You can use plain origami, patterned origami, or chiyogami to give it a festive New Year’s look.
Finally, attach the axle part made from colored construction paper, and it’s complete.