It moves! You can play with it! Fun origami. How to make origami toys.
Origami is one of those essential activities in early childhood care: it helps develop children’s dexterity and concentration, and lets them experience the joy and sense of achievement that comes from completing a project.
This time, we’ll show you how to make moving toys using origami.
We’re focusing on toys you can make using only origami paper, so there’s very little to prepare—another nice bonus.
You’ll find lots of origami toys with unique, kid-pleasing movements that will spark their curiosity and keep them fully engaged.
Pick the ones that catch your eye, make them, and have fun playing with them!
It moves! You can play with it! Fun origami. How to make origami toys (1–10)
Jumping cat
We will introduce a fun way to fold an adorable jumping cat.
There are many steps to fold, but as you go along, the cat’s face appears first, so it’s enjoyable all the way to the end! You can draw any face you like on the finished cat, and adding calico patches or stripes makes it extra cute.
If you lightly press and flick the cat’s backside while it stands with its front paws, it hops up in a funny way.
It’s fun to race with friends to see whose cat can jump the farthest, or set up obstacles and compete to see who can clear them with jumps!
Push Pop
Let me introduce a fun origami toy that gives a satisfying little “pop” when you press it with your finger.
Gather some colorful sheets of origami paper and make a bright, cheerful toy.
Origami uses your hands and fingers while you think through the steps, making it a great way to stimulate and refresh both young children and older adults.
Try folding this press-to-dent origami toy, the push pop, by following the steps.
Take your time and you’ll finish it.
Enjoy making the push-pop origami—it’s fun both while you’re folding and when it’s done!
Mini Basketball Game
Here’s an introduction to a mini mini basketball game you can make with origami, where you toss a ball into the hoop.
The key points are creating the creases and the folding of the hoop (goal) section and the launcher section.
Once you’ve formed the box-shaped parts in large and small sizes, you’ll use the larger box as the launcher.
Flatten it into a triangle by squashing and folding it.
This step is very important for making the ball fly.
For the ball, crumple a small piece of origami paper into a ball shape.
Try challenging yourself to see if you can successfully shoot into the hoop! If the ball doesn’t fly, adjust the folded section inside the launcher—it acts like a spring.
Propeller
Do you remember the first piece of origami you ever folded? The memory might be a bit fuzzy, but I think everyone has folded a paper airplane at least once.
Watching a plane you made fly through the air—it was exciting, even moving, wasn’t it? So let me introduce an origami model that’s one step up from the paper airplane: the “propeller,” which some people call a “paper copter.” Once you make it, be sure to play with it together with friends.
In addition to the propeller shown in this video, there are various kinds of propellers and paper copters—like the spinning bamboo-copter type and a box-shaped type that spins a lot.
Have fun and give them all a try!
Snap camera
These days, cameras are a given feature on smartphones, but in the past, simply owning a camera was a cherished aspiration.
In those times, the kind of camera a child could have was this origami ‘pachin’ camera.
How about making this nostalgically Showa-era camera together as a parent and child and letting your thoughts drift back to the old days? The folding method is quite similar to the yakko-san and the hakama for the yakko-san, so if you can fold those, this should be easy to make.
It’s cleverly designed to even produce a shutter sound.
Paku Paku Clip
Let me introduce a playful origami called the Pakupaku Clip, which lets you pinch and pick up small objects.
First, prepare a single sheet of origami paper and a pen to mark the paper.
It’s nice that you can make it without using scissors or glue! The folding method is simple, but there are many steps where you add lots of creases, so be sure to make sharp, firm folds as you go.
Once you’re done, crumple a piece of origami paper into a small ball and try pinching it with a pakupaku motion.
It’s also fun to compete and see who can collect the most origami paper balls using the Pakupaku Clip!
Easy Pac-Pac Fish
Let me show you how to make a “paku-paku” fish with an adorable chomping mouth.
There are quite a few steps with creases and folds, so it may be a little complex, but you only need a single sheet of origami—give it a try! The finished fish is, of course, fun to play with by opening and closing its mouth, but it’s also cute to make lots in different colors and decorate a wall with them.
Since the inside of the mouth forms a small hollow, you can put in tiny candies or treats and give them to friends—they’re sure to love it!
Spins like crazy! Hand spinnerNEW!
The hand spinner became extremely popular with both children and adults and even went out of stock for a time.
Believe it or not, you can make one from a single sheet of origami paper! First, make vertical and horizontal crease lines to form a cross, then fold both ends toward these creases.
Rotate it and fold both ends toward the other central line, then fold each end back into a triangle.
Open along those creases, fold back only the two on the diagonal, and form a pinwheel-like shape.
Add creases to each blade-like part, shape it by creating a triangular peak in the center, and you’re done! Pinch the peaked part between your fingers and blow on it—the spinner will whirl around.
Spinning origami
This is a fun origami activity where pieces spin as they fall while catching the wind.
The first is a ring-shaped piece that looks like glasses, the second is a fish-shaped piece, and the third is a curious boomerang-shaped piece.
Each one catches the wind and spins differently, so it’s fun to observe.
It’s great that all you need is origami paper, glue, and scissors.
The tasks of cutting with scissors and applying glue are simple, so even young children can enjoy the sense of accomplishment of making their own original creations.
Whirl-Whirl Fruit
Introducing the “Kurukuru Fruit,” which is fun because it spins as it falls.
First, fold the origami while creasing firmly as you go.
If you make crisp creases at this stage, it will be easier to fold later on.
Once you’ve formed it into a rectangular prism, the key step is to lift the inner triangle and fold it up.
Take your time and work carefully.
For small, hard-to-fold sections, use your fingernail to press in firm creases.
Finally, neaten the shape and you’re done! If you hold it with the bulging part down and let go, it will spin around and fall.
You can make it with just a single sheet of origami paper, so give it a try!