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!
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It moves! You can play with it! Fun origami. How to make origami toys (61–70)
Zooming Aviator
This zooming airplane is super fun—you just let go and it shoots off with a whoosh! The key is the spring action when you launch it.
Make firm creases, then fold the base of the spring into a triangle and open it up; by adding mountain and valley folds, you’ll build up the spring’s strength.
The origami will get thicker toward the end, but if you press your creases firmly, the shape will come together nicely.
Once it’s finished, try making big and small airplanes by changing the paper size, and have a contest with the kids to see whose flies the best.
Rolled-up pill bug
If you look around a park, you’re bound to find at least one—and when it comes to bugs familiar to kids, pill bugs (roly-polies) are at the top of the list.
Here’s an idea for making a pill bug out of origami.
What’s more, this pill bug jumps with a boing when you press and release it, and it curls up into a ball! Children who love pill bugs will of course enjoy it, and even those who aren’t so keen on bugs might have fun with this origami version.
The steps aren’t too difficult.
The key to a neat result is to crease firmly.
Since you’ll be making quite a lot of fine creases, take your time and do each one carefully.
soccer game
Here’s an idea for making a soccer game out of origami.
There are many steps to fold, but the folds themselves are simple, so be sure to follow along with the video and give it a try.
You can make the soccer goal and the ground from a single sheet of origami paper, and the result looks so polished that you wouldn’t think it was made from just one sheet! For the ball, we recommend a size that is half of a quarter of the origami sheet, but it’s also fun to adjust it freely to match the size of your goal.
Try playing head-to-head with your friends!
Spinning Kaleidoscope
A kaleidoscope made from origami that kids love! You can create various shapes by increasing the number of parts, but this is the simplest version and uses just three pieces.
There’s a step at the beginning where you make crease lines, but once you get past that, all you do is attach the parts and fold along the creases—nice and simple.
With few steps and an easy folding method, children will enjoy making it, so adults, please try it together with them.
You’ll need three sheets of origami paper, so pick your favorite colors!
A mysterious ring that changes color
I’ll show you how to make a magical ring that changes color when you spin it! Prepare two sheets of origami paper in colors you like.
First, stack the two sheets and fold them in half, then turn them vertically and fold to the thickness you want to make.
Next, cut along the fold line with scissors, open the cut piece, and cut it in half again.
Glue together the two white edges you cut, then fold the strip into thirds to make creases.
Cut it in half down the middle, stack the two cut pieces so that the same colors are together, and tape both ends with clear tape.
Open it up, and your mysterious color-changing ring is complete!
