[Childcare] Recommended for 3-year-olds! Origami ideas with a winter theme
In childcare settings for three-year-olds who are beginning to learn finger play and how to use toys, origami is often used.
Some of you may be looking for origami instructions that match the winter season, which brings various events like Christmas and playing in the snow.
In this article, we’ve picked simple, low-step origami ideas with a winter theme.
It’s also a great idea to display the pieces made together with friends at the nursery school.
Prepare colorful origami paper and try winter origami that lets children’s creativity flourish.
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[Childcare] Recommended for 3-year-olds! Origami ideas with a winter theme (11–20)
Easy with just one sheet! Snowman
The charm of this origami is how easy it is—you can make a snowman with just one sheet of white paper.
There are many small, detailed folds, so try tackling it together with your child.
Each step is simple, but because it involves lots of precise finger work, staying focused is important.
As you go, guide them with prompts like “This part is next,” or demonstrate each step so they can work with confidence.
At the end, draw the face with a pen or add patterns, and each snowman will have its own unique expression.
When you line up the finished pieces for display, you can clearly see how different their expressions are—even though they’re all snowmen—making them even more fun to look at.
cake
One of the things that comes to mind when we think of Christmas is cake, isn’t it? Let’s make colorful cakes and have a great time.
You can basically make it with a single sheet of origami, but you’ll need scissors for the whipped cream part, so it might be good to help out.
It’s also a bit surprising and fun that you can fold the strawberry part from one sheet of paper, too.
It’s nice to make several and use them for pretend play.
Activities using your hands with origami are recommended because they boost both creativity and motor skills.
gift box
Origami present boxes are a perfect winter idea for three-year-olds.
Using colorful origami paper and making them together with friends adds to the fun.
The steps are few and easy to remember, so kids can stay focused.
The finished present boxes can be displayed as nursery decorations, which parents will appreciate.
Time spent doing origami with the teacher is sure to become a happy memory for the children.
To add a wintry touch, designing snowflakes or Santa Claus is also recommended.
It’s a winter origami idea that encourages children’s free creativity.
Snow fairy! Adorable long-tailed tit (Shima-enaga)
Why not try making the popular long-tailed tit as a “snow fairy” with origami? All you need is a single sheet of your favorite origami paper and a black pen, so preparation is super easy.
Fold by creasing and flipping the paper as you go: use the white front side to represent the body and the colored back side for the wings.
Finish by drawing the eyes and beak with a black pen to enjoy different expressions.
With few steps, it’s easy even for a 3-year-old, so it’s highly recommended.
After it’s done, you can show them to each other or line them up on the wall to create a cute atmosphere.
Easy! Long-tailed Tit Origami
Adorably round! The long-tailed tit known as the Shima-enaga, a wild bird native to Hokkaido.
In recent years, we often see goods and items featuring its cute appearance as a motif.
Here’s an idea to make a Shima-enaga using a single sheet of origami paper, plus a pen and glue.
Once you’ve folded the creases, the base is done.
Making the wings and tail seems like something you could enjoy while teaching and learning together with friends or teachers! It could be fun to give it a smiling expression, too.
If you display the finished pieces lined up on a branch, like real Shima-enaga keeping warm together, both kids and adults are sure to feel soothed.
Snowflakes
Making snowflakes by folding paper and cutting slits is a lovely winter activity.
As children and teachers think together about what kinds of cuts to make, it can help nurture creativity.
Since they’re made with square origami paper, it also helps develop fine motor skills.
It’s also nice to learn about winter nature while observing the finished snowflakes.
Using colorful origami will brighten up the atmosphere of the nursery.
Displaying the pieces the children made with their friends will make them even happier!
[Childcare] Recommended for 3-year-olds! Origami ideas with a winter theme (21–30)
Daruma origami that even 3-year-olds can make!
Let me introduce an origami daruma that even a three-year-old can make.
It’s great as a New Year’s decoration, and carefully following the folding steps is beneficial for brain development, so I highly recommend it.
First, fold a red sheet of origami paper into a triangle.
Unfold it, then fold the corner on the creased side twice, and slightly fold the left and right sides.
Next, fold three corners toward the center.
Of those three corners, fold the middle edge upward, then flip the paper over and fold both corners into triangles.
Turn it face up, draw the daruma’s face on the white area, and you’re done.