[Age 4] Easy origami ideas perfect for summer! A collection of cool, refreshing motifs
Four-year-olds are getting better at crafts and making things.
With origami too, they start enjoying adding their own ideas and making little tweaks.
Since summer is hot, here are some simple origami ideas you can enjoy indoors.
We’re featuring motifs that feel cool and items you can use for pretend festival play.
Even with the same folding method, each child’s personality shines through, so it’s fun that everyone’s work turns out differently.
We also recommend using the origami as wall decorations.
Be sure to enjoy origami with the children and make some summer memories together!
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[Age 4] Easy Origami Ideas Perfect for Summer! A Collection of Cool, Refreshing Motifs (51–60)
sunflower

Let’s make a sunflower—one of the iconic flowers of summer—using origami.
Prepare one sheet of origami paper.
Fold the paper in half into a square twice to make crease lines.
Once you have the creases, fold each corner toward the center.
Continue folding the paper in sequence from the outside toward the inside.
Finally, draw a pattern in the center of the sunflower with a felt-tip pen to finish.
It might be cute to make many of them and arrange them like a sunflower field.
Let’s brighten up the room with sunflowers!
Plump Wind Chime

How about making a wind chime out of origami that captures the feeling of summer with its cool tone and a strip of paper swaying in the breeze? First, fold the origami paper in half into a square twice.
Next, draw lines on the square as if shaping flower petals, then cut along the lines with scissors.
Snip off a tiny bit in the center so there’s a small hole.
Open the paper; once it looks like a flower, gather the tips of the petals toward the center, overlap them, and glue them down.
Finally, thread a string through and attach a tanzaku (paper strip) to the string to finish.
If you thread a small bell onto the string, it will make a sound and feel even more like a wind chime.
This softly rounded, cute wind chime is perfect to make and display by your window!
Yukata Kids
Speaking of summer, you often see people going out to festivals wearing yukata.
Here’s an introduction to making “Yukata Kids” with origami.
It’s recommended to use patterned origami paper for the yukata.
The steps are simple, so fold each part carefully and assemble while checking the overall balance.
There are separate face and hair parts for a girl and a boy, so choose whichever you like and give it a try.
Adding a ribbon or other accessory on the hair makes it look more stylish, enhances the summery feel, and results in an even cuter finish.
spotted seal

Why not try making a ribbon seal with origami—its round body and beady eyes are so cute! It may look tricky, but it’s surprisingly easy.
If you start by creasing carefully, the rest of the steps will go more smoothly, so pay attention to each crease and work patiently.
There are many small steps, so when working with children, prepare large origami paper and fold together while checking each step—it’ll be smoother.
It’s also recommended to have photos or illustrations of real ribbon seals ready and show them to the kids before drawing the face and body markings.
Give it a try with everyone!
[Age 4] Easy Origami Ideas Perfect for Summer! A Collection of Cool, Refreshing Motifs (61–70)
soft serve ice cream

Let me show you how to fold a soft-serve ice cream that’s perfect for hot summer days.
Prepare two sheets of origami paper to make it.
For the cone, make firm creases as you fold.
The step where you inflate the paper and flatten it might be tricky, so take your time and fold along together with gentle guidance.
Align the creases to form the cone shape, and that part is complete.
For the soft-serve top, wrap the folded paper around a pencil to curl it and set the shape—this adds more depth and makes it look more eye-catching.
It’s also fun to try different colors of origami paper.
yo-yo

Here’s an idea for making a classic summer festival game toy—a yo-yo balloon—using just one sheet of origami paper.
Fold the paper in half twice to make a smaller square, then unfold it.
Using the crease lines as guides, fold all four corners toward the center.
Next, pick one corner and fold it outward, then fold just the tip of that corner back inward once more.
Fold all four corners slightly inward to round the shape—now it’s starting to look like a yo-yo balloon.
Make small snips with scissors on the left and right sides of the folded-back section, then fold the part above the cuts inward to represent the tied mouth of the balloon.
That’s the end of the folding steps.
Finish by drawing your favorite patterns or adding stickers.
Tomatoes you can decorate with for Tanabata

Let’s make a cute tomato with origami.
Prepare red and green origami paper.
First, cut the green paper into four strips, and glue one strip—green side facing out—onto the top of the white side of the red paper.
Once it’s dry, start folding.
Fold the paper in half top to bottom and side to side to make a square, crease well, then open it.
Place it with the red side facing up.
Fold the top edge down by the width of the attached green strip.
Turn the paper over, then fold the top left and right corners down to meet the center line.
Open the small gaps of the folded corners and squash them into triangles, then make a mountain fold along the border between the green and white sections.
Finally, tuck the remaining white corners inward to round out the shape of the tomato—and you’re done!



