[Childcare] For 4-year-olds! Easy winter origami ideas
When you think of winter, what comes to mind?
Christmas, New Year’s, snow, mandarins, daruma dolls.
All kinds of events, scenery, and foods spring to mind, don’t they?
In this article, we’ve gathered origami ideas with a winter theme.
These are cute ideas perfect for four-year-olds, who are getting more dexterous and ready to enjoy origami—so give them a try!
You can use the finished pieces as highlights for craft projects, or string them together with thread and hang them as a winter mobile to decorate your room!
- [Childcare] [Origami for 4-year-olds] Introducing origami for 4-year-old children!
- [For preschoolers] A collection of origami ideas to enjoy February, including Setsubun and Valentine’s Day
- [For 4-year-olds] Winter craft ideas to enjoy at daycare and kindergarten
- [For 3-year-olds] Easy snowman origami (how to make)
- Easy Winter-Themed Origami Ideas for 5-Year-Olds
- [For 4-year-olds] Enjoy February! A Collection of Craft Ideas
- [For 4-5-year-olds] Folding is fun! A collection of January origami ideas to enjoy with preschoolers
- [For Preschoolers] Let’s Make It Together with the Kids! Origami Ideas for February
- [Childcare] For 4-Year-Olds! Fun December Craft Ideas
- [Childcare] Recommended for 3-year-olds! Origami ideas with a winter theme
- For 4-Year-Olds: January Crafts! A Collection of Fun Ideas with Winter and New Year Themes
- Ideas for Easy Winter Origami Crafts That Even 2-Year-Olds Will Love
- Origami to Enjoy January and Winter! A Collection of Simple Ideas to Use in Childcare
[Childcare] For 4-Year-Olds! Easy Winter Origami Ideas (41–50)
How to fold a cute Tomte
Also popular as Christmas decorations! The Nordic gnome “Tomte.” Let’s make the hat with 15 cm origami paper, and the face and body with 7.5 cm origami paper.
First, fold the hat paper into a triangle to make a crease.
Next, fold the bottom corner up so it aligns slightly below the crease.
Fold it up again along the center crease to form a triangle, then turn it over and fold the left and right corners up to meet the top corner.
Fold the lower left and right edges inward so they meet at the center, and the hat is done.
Next, fold the face paper into a triangle to make a crease, then fold the two top edges down to meet the crease.
Open up the overlapped center and squash it to form the nose.
Fold the tip of the nose slightly to round it, then turn the paper over and fold the corner above the nose slightly inward to make a crease.
Insert the part under the hat, aligning the crease with the bottom edge of the hat, and fold both sides of the face to match the sides of the hat.
The white part left showing is the beard.
Fold the left, right, and bottom corners of the body paper inward, then attach it to the face to finish.
[Childcare] For 4-year-olds! Easy winter origami ideas (51–60)
Let’s try folding a mikan (mandarin orange)!
Let’s express sweet, delicious winter mandarins with origami.
We’ll make it with two folds to create creases and four folds to give it a round shape.
Place the origami paper with the white side facing up, and first fold it into a triangle twice by matching the diagonals.
Open it after making the creases, then fold each of the four corners inward by about 3 cm along the crease lines.
Finally, attach a green round sticker as the stem to finish.
It’s also fine to cut a stem out of origami paper.
Drawing dotted patterns with a pen will make it look even more like a mandarin.
Cute for Christmas! Santa Claus
Combine three parts—face, body, and hat—to make Santa Claus.
Align one corner to the center and crease, then align the corner to that crease and crease again.
Fold the corner along the second crease, turn the paper over, and fold the remaining three corners to the center.
Fold both corners of the one triangle that’s a different color toward the center, then fold the opposite edge to the center of the diamond.
Fold both ends of the rectangular section inward, then fold all four corners into triangles to complete the face.
For the body, fold the left and right edges to meet in the middle, then fold the two top corners that meet in the center back outward about 1 cm—these will be Santa’s hands.
Fold the top and bottom edges to meet in the middle to make a square, then squash the top pocket to form a boat shape.
Use mountain-and-valley folds on both the boat section and the remaining lower section to create the arms and legs.
Make the hat by folding a small piece of origami paper about 10 times.
Glue the three parts together and you’re done!
Colon and a cute reindeer
Turn the origami paper to the back and crease it in half.
Fold the bottom edge up to meet the crease.
Shift the crease by folding the edge to align with the fold line.
Fold the left and right sides to meet the center line.
Fold the white section down to the edge.
After folding up both bottom corners of the white section, pull them upward.
Next, squash-fold so that the creases land on the corners.
Fold the edges with the image of reindeer antlers in mind.
Finally, fold the left and right sides diagonally so they cross slightly at the center, letting the “horns” peek out a bit, to form the body—and you’re done! Use round stickers or a pen to draw a cute face.
Great for scissor practice too! A three-dimensional star
This is a method for making a three-dimensional star by cutting slits into a pentagon-shaped sheet of construction paper and using folds to add dimension.
First, turn a square sheet of construction paper into a pentagon.
Fold the paper in half horizontally to make a rectangle, then fold the two left corners down to meet the top and bottom edges to create triangular folds and make crease lines.
Once you have an X-shaped set of creases, fold the right half of the bottom edge up along the line at the lower right.
Flip the paper over, and use the creases to fold up the remaining section of the bottom edge.
Fold the paper in half so the left and right shapes overlap, then cut the top at a diagonal.
When you unfold it, the paper will be a pentagon.
Make slits along all the creases except the diagonal ones, and fold to form a star shape—done! Add a string to turn it into an ornament.
For winter childcare! Origami oden
Let’s make oden out of origami, with three items—konnyaku, daikon, and chikuwa—skewered on a stick.
First, fold a gray sheet of origami paper twice to make a small triangle, draw a pattern, and you’ll have the konnyaku.
Next, fold a yellow sheet using the “cushion fold,” then fold all four corners inward to round it out; draw a cross-shaped slit to finish the daikon.
For the chikuwa, draw a pattern on brown origami paper and roll it into a tube shape.
Finally, fold another sheet into a long, thin skewer and attach the three pieces you made.
Your oden is complete!
Perfect as a decoration! The Chimney House
Here’s a cute way to fold a little house that also works as an ornament.
First, place the origami paper colored side up and fold it in half into a square twice to make crease lines.
Fold both top corners toward the center to make creases.
After folding the corners, fold the edges to the crease lines twice.
Fold up the bottom edge just a little.
Next, turn it over and fold the left and right sides to the center.
Fold the right corner up to the top crease.
Fold the left edge inward along the crease.
Finally, fold the bottom section up to meet the center crease.
Glue it in place, and you’re done!