[Age 3] Simple summer origami ideas. A roundup of classic summer motifs.
Three-year-olds are getting better with their hands.
They’re starting to enjoy all kinds of origami, aren’t they? How about adults making some fun creations together with them? Here, we’ll introduce simple origami ideas perfect for summer, designed for three-year-olds.
There are lots of motifs kids love, like ice cream, bugs, and summer festival items.
We also recommend displaying the finished pieces or using them for pretend shop play.
Enjoy origami in different ways and make wonderful summer memories!
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[Age 3] Simple summer origami ideas. Classic summer motifs roundup (41–50)
Watermelon that fits in your pocket

We’re introducing a cute watermelon origami that’s like a little pocket that can hold anything.
Prepare one sheet of origami paper and start by folding it horizontally.
Then open it up and make creases along the center line.
Flip it over and fold the top, bottom, left, and right corners to meet the second crease from the top.
To shape it like a watermelon, fold each section in order while checking where to fold.
While adjusting the shape, create the pocket.
For the inside (the red part of the watermelon), use red origami paper and fold it to fit the pocket.
Layer the two parts together, and it’s complete.
Perfect for summer! Watermelon

When you think of summer, you think of watermelon! Let’s make a summer watermelon out of origami.
Prepare one sheet of origami paper and a felt-tip pen.
Fold the paper in half, then fold up the four corners slightly.
Fold the sections between the corners.
Flip it over and slightly fold the corners again.
Fold the paper in half so that the colored side shows, and your delicious watermelon is complete.
Draw the seeds with the felt-tip pen to finish your tasty-looking watermelon! It might also be fun to use different colors of origami paper to make a colorful variety of watermelons.
Swirly soft-serve ice cream

You can make a three-dimensional soft-serve ice cream using origami.
First, let’s make the cone.
For the cone, draw a diagonal curved line on the origami paper as if drawing part of a circle, and cut along the line with scissors.
Draw crisscross lines to mimic a waffle cone, roll it into a cone shape, and secure it with clear tape.
For the soft-serve part, fold the origami paper in half twice.
When you have a small square, perform a squash fold to open it up.
Fold the opened piece in half, then twist it sideways as if rolling it.
Open it layer by layer and secure with tape, place it inside the waffle cone, and you’re done.
Easy Morning Glory Origami Instructions

Perfect for summer! Let’s make a morning glory.
Fold the origami paper into a triangle twice, then squash the pocketed part into a square and adjust it so two squares overlap.
Round off the corner where the four points of the paper meet, then open it up, keeping the center of the paper intact.
Shape it so that you get four petals, and your hydrangea is complete.
For the leaf, fold green origami paper into a triangle twice, then unfold one layer back once.
Fold both sides down along the central crease, then open the point gathered at the center diagonally outward to form the leaf.
A sunflower you can fold from a single sheet of origami paper

Here’s how to fold a sunflower, the symbol of summer.
Fold the origami paper in half into a square twice, then open it up and fold all four corners to the center.
Open those folds, and then fold each corner to match the nearest crease in front.
Using the creases where the corners meet, make four squash folds, then flip the paper over.
Finally, tuck each of the four corners slightly inward to finish.
Draw a mesh pattern in the white center to make it look more like a sunflower.
Why not fold lots of them and create a sunflower field on your wall?
How to fold an easy uchiwa (paper fan)

Here’s a fan craft idea you can also use for summer wall decorations.
Place the origami paper with the colored side up, fold it into a triangle, then open it.
Fold the two left edges in to meet the crease.
Rotate the paper so that the folded corner is at the bottom.
Fold the two corners at the center of the paper outward to form triangles.
Tuck the corners slightly to the back to round them, and do the same to round the top corner.
Fold up the lower corner of the white area, then fold it back down leaving about 1 cm to create a pleat (accordion fold).
While flattening the corners of the pleated section into triangles, fold the left and right edges toward the center line.
Tuck the bottom corner to the back, and your fan is complete.
Summer item! Straw hat

Let me show you a simple way to fold a summery, breezy straw hat.
First, fold the origami paper into a triangle to make a crease.
Open it up, then fold the two left edges to meet the crease.
Next, fold the remaining corner inward to form an isosceles triangle.
Flip the paper over and fold up the base of the triangle by about 2 cm.
Fold that section down in half, then fold it up again in half to create the brim.
Fold down the top point of the triangle to shape the hat, tuck in both corners to round it out, and you’re done!



