Lovely handmade crafts

Made of paper! A fun collection of DIY toy ideas you can play with

20 years of experience as a nursery teacher / kindergarten teacherhiyoko sensei
I’m Hiyoko-sensei, a former nursery school teacher from Hyogo Prefecture. Ever since I was five, my dream was to become a childcare worker, and before I knew it, 20 years had passed since I achieved that dream. Through singing and playing with the children, I kept working with the spirit of someone in their twenties, even as I increasingly felt my physical limits year by year (haha). From here on, I’d like to share helpful information carefully and thoughtfully, drawing on my on-site experience.

This time, we’ve gathered lots of ideas for make-and-play toys using paper.

A single sheet might be thin and flimsy, but by layering or rolling it, you can create mouthwatering-looking foods, cute decorations, and toys that are fun to play with together with friends!

You can even make toys that look like the ones sold in stores!

Paper holds limitless possibilities—give it a try and make some fun toys!

Since paper has a rough side and a smooth side, be mindful of which side you use when making moving toys.

Made of Paper! A Fun Collection of DIY Toy Ideas You Can Play With (1–10)

A spinning top with a helmet-like shapeNEW!

It spins well! A spinning top made with 3 sheets of origami

A spinning top with a helmet-like shapeNEW!

An origami spinning top you can make and play with! Please prepare three sheets of your favorite origami paper.

The inside of the top and the handle can be made simply by repeating the “zabuton” fold.

The outer part adds helmet-like decorations along the edges, so the steps are a bit more detailed, but if you can fold a crane by yourself, you should be able to complete it without any problem.

In the end, you’ll assemble the parts you made to finish a single top.

Using different colors of origami paper for each part lets you enjoy the color effects when it spins.

Be sure to have fun with top battles, too!

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Let’s blow and play! How to fold a blow-top (spinning top you spin by blowing)NEW!

Origami Top (Koma) / How to Make a Blowing Spinning Top from Origami

Let’s blow and play! How to fold a blow-top (spinning top you spin by blowing)NEW!

Watch “Let’s blow and play! How to fold a blow-top (a spinning top you spin by blowing) NEW!” on YouTube

This is a fun blow-top origami that spins when you blow on it.

First, prepare two square sheets of origami paper, and place one with the colored side facing down.

Fold it in half into a triangle, then fold it into a triangle once more.

Open it up, then fold it in half into a square and continue with the “zabuton” (cushion) fold.

Using the closed side as the axis, fold up the left and right edges on both sides.

Fold down the triangles on the two faces.

Make two of these and fit them together.

Try blowing on it with a “fuu—.” Blow strongly or gently and enjoy the differences in how it spins!

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Easy-to-play! How to fold a spinning topNEW!

Spinning Top Origami Folding Method, Easy and Fun! Let’s Make an Origami Spinning Top

Easy-to-play! How to fold a spinning topNEW!

Here’s an easy and cool way to fold a spinning top.

Please prepare three sheets of origami paper.

First, fold the paper in half into a square twice.

Open it and fold it into a triangle twice.

Open it, fold it like a boat, then squash it into a square.

Using the center as the axis, fold up the edges of each of the four squares.

Open the folded sections and squash-fold them.

Use the remaining two sheets to fold the center and the top’s axle.

Align the center and the axle, and you’re done! If you make them in various sizes, they also make great decorations, so I recommend it.

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How to fold a spinning top that twirls!NEW!

[Origami] Easy! How to fold a spinning top that spins really well / Fun to play with—whirling origami spinning top

How to fold a spinning top that twirls!NEW!

Here’s an idea for a colorful, well-spinning top made with three sheets of origami paper.

You’ll make the outer body, the inner body, and the handle.

The outer part follows the same steps as the “deceiver boat” up to a point.

After making one boat shape on both the top and bottom, open up those corners and squash them to change the shape from a square to a diamond.

Fold the four corners that lie between the diamond’s points outward, then fold the diamond’s points inward.

For the inner part, do the “cushion fold” three times, flipping the paper over after each fold.

For the handle, do the cushion fold three times without flipping, then make a mountain fold along the diagonal.

Finally, press all four edges tightly inward, and it’s done.

Combine the parts to complete a single spinning top.

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How to fold customizable game piecesNEW!

[Origami] How to make an easy, well-spinning top — customizable, too

How to fold customizable game piecesNEW!

This simple-design top consists of three parts: the upper and lower bodies, and the handle.

For the top part, fold the origami sheet into a square twice to make creases, then unfold it and fold all the edges clockwise starting from the right edge.

After folding the top edge last, tuck the right section underneath the first edge you folded.

Then flip the paper over and do one cushion fold to finish.

The bottom part can be made using just the basic cushion fold.

For the handle, make one cushion fold, then add fine creases and fold it so the corners stand up, forming a pinwheel shape.

After stacking and assembling the parts, insert any shape you like between the upper and lower parts to customize it to your taste!

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