[For 5-year-olds] Let’s make origami! A collection of fun folding ideas
Here are some origami ideas for five-year-olds.
By the time children are five, you’ll often see them helping each other with parts they don’t understand or folding while looking at an origami instruction book.
While respecting each child’s pace, teachers should also enjoy working on these together with the children.
We’re introducing lots of ideas—ones you can fold and play with, as well as cute ones to decorate with or wear—so once the origami is finished, be sure to have fun playing with the children!
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[For 5-year-olds] Let’s Make Origami! A Collection of Fun Folding Ideas (111–120)
A butterfly you can clip into a notebook
It’s great that it can also be used as a bookmark for picture books! Here’s an idea for a butterfly that clips onto your notebook.
This clip-on butterfly is a cute item that’s perfect for picture books and notebooks.
You can make it with origami in your favorite colors and patterns, so both the crafting process and using it as a bookmark are sure to be exciting! It’s especially handy when you’re using picture books or notebooks with lots of pages.
It will lift your spirits when you open your notebook or book, so give it a try!
A butterfly you can make with a single sheet of origami paper
Once you’re finished, try hanging it on the wall! Here’s a simple idea for making a butterfly with just one sheet of origami paper.
Origami butterflies have a warm, gentle look that brightens up any room when you display them.
This time, we’ll make a butterfly using a single sheet of origami.
Throughout the steps, it’s important to crease carefully and firmly, so keep that in mind as you craft—especially when working with kids.
Another key tip is to fold in the corners to create that rounded wing shape!
Butterfly made of two sheets of origami paper
Enjoy the fun of creating by combining parts! Here are some ideas for a butterfly made with two sheets of origami paper.
One of the charms of origami is that you can make wonderful creations with just a single sheet, but combining parts expands the range of expression, which is another interesting aspect.
This time, we’ll use two sheets of origami to make a butterfly.
The steps are the same up to a point, but there are stages where the folding directions differ between left and right.
Be careful as you work so that both sides don’t end up folded in the same direction!
Origami butterfly folded in half
Make the most of double-sided origami! Here’s an idea for folding butterflies using half a sheet of origami paper.
Double-sided origami refers to paper that has different colors or patterns on the front and back.
Regular origami paper usually has color or patterns on one side and white on the other, but double-sided paper is distinctive because both sides feature different colors or designs.
This time, let’s make butterflies that really showcase the charm of double-sided origami.
You can make two butterflies from a single sheet of paper.
Since scissors are used partway through, be sure to work together with a teacher or guardian.
ghost
Here’s how to make a ghost.
Prepare one sheet of origami paper and let’s get started.
Fold the paper into a square and crease it to make a cross.
Fold the left and right sides toward the center, then fold the top and bottom corners toward the creases.
Add diagonal creases and unfold.
Using the creases as guides, fold each half while gently puffing it up.
Open the top-right triangle to puff it up and fold, then fold the ghost’s arms.
The key is to fold the left and right arms so they puff out and form trapezoid shapes.
Fold the top and bottom corners, flip it over, tuck both arms inward, and you’re done.
Give it a try!
stretchy toy
Introducing a no-scissors, make-and-play idea: a stretchable toy! Wouldn’t it be fun if origami could expand and contract like a spring? By tweaking the folding method and gluing pieces of origami together, you can create a spring-like toy—such a unique idea.
All you need is origami in your favorite colors or patterns, plus glue or double-sided tape.
There aren’t any complicated folds in the process, but the direction of the folds is very important, so it’s best to work on it together with a teacher or guardian.
ice cream
I’ll show you how to fold a cold and tasty ice cream.
Prepare one sheet of origami paper and fold it into a triangle.
Open it once, then fold the corners in so they meet the center line.
Fold the bottom corner up to overlap the top corner, then flip it over.
Fold about one quarter of the larger triangle to separate the ice cream from the cone.
Finally, flip it over and fold the tips slightly to refine the shape—your ice cream is complete! It’s also fun to use colored pens to color the flavor you like and add toppings.