![[For 3-year-olds] A fun collection of easy origami fish to make!](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/ErVe2du-jGE/maxresdefault.webp)
[For 3-year-olds] A fun collection of easy origami fish to make!
By the time children are three years old, they tend to become interested in all kinds of living creatures—those around them and those they see in picture books and encyclopedias.
Fish, in particular, are often kept at daycare or at home, and when you peek into a river during walks or outdoor activities, you can see them gliding along so comfortably.
This time, we’re sharing an idea for making those fish with origami.
We’ve included lots of simple folding methods suitable for three-year-olds, so please give them a try.
When displaying them in a room, use fishing line and place them in a real or mock aquarium—they look absolutely adorable!
[For Age 3] Fun and Easy Origami Fish: Simple Folding Guide (1–10)
Fish you can make in 2 minutes
Here’s a cute fish origami that’s great for three-year-olds.
First, prepare a square sheet of origami paper.
Fold it in half along the diagonal to make a triangle.
Fold the top corner toward the center.
Fold that top part inward once more to neaten the shape.
Rotate the paper 90 degrees to the side, then fold the left and right corners back to create the tail fin.
Finally, press the whole piece to set the shape—and it’s done! It’s fun to use colorful paper and make a whole fish wall display.
Be sure to try it together with the children.
whale shark
Let’s make a cool shark! Here are some ideas for a whale shark.
What you’ll need: blue-toned origami paper, 8 mm white round stickers, and/or a white pen.
The whale shark is known as the largest fish in the world and is characterized by its gentle nature.
Let’s try making a cool whale shark out of origami! The key point is the step where you leave small gaps at the creases to form the shape.
This is the secret to recreating the shark’s unique body shape.
Children can learn the folding techniques while creating a highly polished finished piece!
fish with a big mouth
The wide-open mouth is so cute! Here’s an idea for a big-mouthed fish craft.
You’ll need origami paper, round stickers, and a pen.
You can make the distinctive large mouth by inserting and connecting the origami into a circle, which is perfect for developing fine motor skills.
By adjusting the size of the origami, you can create fish in any size and add your own touch.
Finish by using round stickers and a pen to draw the eyes and patterns, and you’ll have an even more charming fish! It’s simple, yet with a little creativity you can enjoy lots of variations—highly recommended.
A fish you can make by folding five times
Let me show you a very simple way to fold a fish.
First, fold it into a triangle and open it to make a crease.
Fold the left corner slightly inward, then fold it back into a triangle.
Fold the top corner of the triangle down to the bottom edge, and then make a valley fold on the right corner—and you’re done! Feel free to draw the face, fins, and scales as you like.
Even if the folding angles aren’t exact, it won’t affect the finished fish; in fact, you’ll end up with a charming, unique fish.
It sounds like a great way to fully enjoy the fun of origami!
Pac-Pac Fish
Let me show you an easy way to fold a fish whose mouth opens and closes.
Fold the origami paper into thirds both vertically and horizontally to make crease lines, then unfold.
If you have a 3×3 grid of squares, you’re set.
Fold the paper into a triangle twice to make creases and unfold, then add one vertical crease on each side of the center line and unfold again.
Fold the top and bottom corners inward along the three vertical creases to form the protruding parts.
Pinch the left and right corners and fold along the creases—like magic, it turns into a fish shape! Fold the tail fin and dorsal fin inward, puff it up slightly, and it’s done.
If you pinch it top and bottom, the mouth opens and closes—very fun!
Easy-to-make fish
Let’s fold a cute, square-shaped fish! First, fold the origami paper into a triangle twice to make creases, then open just one layer.
Fold the left and right corners up toward the top point of the triangle.
Next, fold the flappy part up slightly, and do the same with the lower flappy part, folding it up a little.
Flip it over, then fold the split flaps on the left and right diagonally upward, and fold the bottom corner down to create the fish’s tail.
Flip it over again, and you’re done! It would be fun to make lots of fish and set up an aquarium corner!
Plump goldfish
https://www.tiktok.com/@sachimama_asobi/video/7260304263862127880You can enjoy goldfish scooping too! Let’s make plump little goldfish! First, start by folding using the origami balloon method, and complete the front side just like the balloon.
Once that’s done, turn it over and fold the left and right corners down to meet the center line.
Fold up the lower-left corner, apply glue over one side, then fold it in half and stick it together.
Attach round stickers for the eyes.
There’s an air hole on the tail side, so use a straw to blow air into it and inflate.
And there you have it—a plump and cute goldfish! Put some lily-of-the-valley tape (suzuran tape) in a basin to look like water and enjoy playing goldfish scooping!