Origami to Enjoy January and Winter! A Collection of Simple Ideas to Use in Childcare
Many people may be unsure which motifs to choose for origami activities in January childcare.
If you express New Year’s traditional games and decorations with origami, you can enjoy making them with children while feeling the season.
There are plenty of New Year motifs like battledores, spinning tops, Daruma dolls, and kagami mochi.
Winter-themed creations such as snowmen and snow bunnies are also perfect for this time of year.
Here, we’ll introduce origami ideas that you can enjoy with children in January childcare.
We’ve gathered a variety of ideas, from simple step-by-step projects to those made by combining several parts, so please use them as a reference!
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Origami to Enjoy January and Winter! A Collection of Easy Ideas to Use in Childcare (1–10)
Easy and cute! Snow bunny

Snow bunnies have long been considered lucky and have been loved for generations.
The origami snow bunny is simple to fold, making it a great project for older children.
Prepare one sheet of white origami paper and two pieces of green origami paper cut into quarters.
First, make the bunny’s body with the white paper.
Fold the paper in half, then fold the left and right corners—one a bit larger and the other a bit smaller.
Fold the top triangular portion downward to form the snow bunny’s body.
For the ears, fold the green paper into a triangle and open it, then fold both sides toward the center crease.
Fold the top section in the same way to complete the bunny ears.
Attach the body and ears, and create your own original snow bunny.
Snow Fairy! How to Fold a Long-tailed Tit (Shima-enaga)

Let’s make a long-tailed tit using a single sheet of origami paper.
Fold the paper into a triangle, then fold both corners up to meet the top corner.
Fold the left and right corners inward to form a triangle, then rotate the paper to swap top and bottom.
Align with the top corners of the left and right triangles, and fold the two bottom corners outward to open them—these will be the wings.
Turn the paper over, squash-fold the triangular wings into squares, then fold the bottom corner up to meet the top corner and change the wings to black.
Tuck in the left and right corners of the black section to refine the shape, and flip the paper over.
Round out the remaining white area in the center, and you’re done.
Draw the face to finish it cutely.
Snowflake ornament
@hanamikoto8 [Easy] 3D Snowflake ❄️ Christmas Ornament — How to make a simple Christmas decoration with origami. You can connect several to make a hanging garland, or decorate your Christmas tree with them as they are. Using glitter origami paper makes them even prettier as they reflect light. Transparent-style origami also looked beautiful! Please enjoy this not only at home but also in preschools, kindergartens, and senior care facilities.#hanamikotoOrigamiChristmas decorations#Snow CrystalsHandmade#Production Video#100-yen-shop#SeniorActivitiesRecreationHow to make
♬ Stylish cafe-style BGM – Hiro Hattori
Take a square sheet of origami paper divided into four equal parts and fold it into a triangle three times.
Hold the corner that becomes the center of the origami, then round off the edge and cut off the tip.
Draw two curved lines up and down from the left edge to just before the right edge, and make cuts along those curves with scissors.
Open the paper, then glue the middle sections with the slits together at the center on all four sides.
Make another one the same way, rotate it slightly, and attach them back-to-back.
Finally, add a string for hanging, and it’s complete.
Origami to Enjoy January and Winter! A Collection of Simple Ideas to Use in Childcare (11–20)
Let’s make a snowman with a single sheet of origami!

Many kids want to make snowmen in winter, don’t they? Here’s an idea for an origami snowman.
First, fold the top corner of the origami paper into a small triangle and fold it down about 1 cm.
This will be the pom-pom on top of the hat.
Next, tightly roll-fold the right corner twice to create the hat’s white brim.
Fold the paper in half by matching the left and right edges, then fold the brim section back outward to match the width of the rolled folds.
Align the top and bottom to make the paper a square, then lift the top-left corner (two layers) and fold it to the opposite corner.
With the pom-pom at the top, turn the paper over, and fold the lower left and right edges toward the center line.
Open the pocket on the right side and squash-fold it, shaping it into a snowman.
Snowflake paper ornament

Here’s an idea for making a papercut design with origami.
First, fold the paper into a triangle by bringing the top and bottom corners together.
Then rotate the paper and flip the top and bottom.
Cross the two triangle corners inward and fold where they overlap neatly.
Draw a crystal-like pattern and cut it with scissors.
Open the paper to reveal your design.
The crystal’s look changes depending on how you make the cuts, so try different variations.
The moment you open it and wonder, “What pattern will it be?” is so exciting and fun.
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!
battledore (a traditional Japanese decorative paddle used for New Year, also used in the game hanetsuki)

Let’s try making a hagoita (traditional Japanese battledore) out of origami.
It gives off a New Year’s vibe and is full of seasonal charm.
Since it’s made by folding several of the same part, it might be perfect for kids.
First, fold the shape of the hagoita, then make the shuttlecock (hane) out of origami.
The shuttlecock has a few detailed folds, but once you get past that, you might find yourself wanting to make lots of them.
If you remember the folding steps, you can also use them for New Year’s decorations.
Finally, decorate with origami paper or paints, and your cute hagoita is complete.



