Kids will love it! Easy origami ideas—great as gifts too!
How about creating a special moment with a moving origami gift that makes children’s eyes light up? Shake it and—pop! We’ll introduce origami ideas that look like ordinary paper crafts but are packed with playful surprises, like a cracker that makes a popping sound when you shake it, a top that spins smoothly, and cherry blossoms that bloom when sprinkled with water.
These moving origami creations are easy to make yet guaranteed to delight kids, perfect for birthdays and celebrations or even for a small everyday surprise.
Craft a heartfelt gift and enjoy a fun time together!
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Origami toys that move and can be played with (1–10)
camera
Let’s make a cool camera and pretend to be a photographer! If you want to make a camera that makes a click sound, use origami with square and diagonal creases, and fold each of the four corners toward the center.
Flip it over and repeat this process three times.
For the final set of folds, open up two opposite corners into squares, open the creases on the back side for the remaining two corners, pinch the edges tightly, and hook them together by crossing them.
You’re done! When you press from behind the crossed part, it opens up and makes a sound, letting you feel just like you’re taking a photo with a real camera.
Hyoko-hyoko Box
Let’s make a pop-up peekaboo box you can enjoy like a push pop! For the top and bottom boxes, start by doing a zabuton fold with origami paper, crease it well, and then use those creases to form the box shape.
Fix the box at a nicely open position with tape or similar.
Next, create the inner spring by cutting an origami sheet in half, connecting the halves to make it longer, and then accordion-folding it.
Glue the two ends of the spring to the bottom of the lower box and the inside of the lid.
Set and attach the face parts so they align with the lower box.
Finally, draw the face, and your peekaboo box is complete!
Pop-out Sword
A pop-out sword is really captivating, isn’t it? When making this sword, I recommend using double-sided origami paper.
Up to a certain point, the folding process is similar to the crane, but be careful with the step where you open the longer lower part upward, flip it over, and swap top and bottom—this is easy to get wrong.
Follow the crease lines for a mountain fold, and then proceed carefully with the flip-and-fold section, as it forms the crucial base of the sword.
Once you make the sword’s guard, it’s complete! If you use slightly larger origami paper, you’ll end up with a big, cool-looking sword.
Origami Toys That Move and Can Be Played With (11–20)
A rabbit hopping and bouncing
This is an idea for a rabbit that jumps with a boing when you press and release its bottom.
Since it involves many steps and detailed work, we recommend that children make it together with a parent or guardian.
It’s also the kind of idea kids will want to play with, so do give it a try.
If origami is your hobby or something you’ve gotten into recently, consider making one for your child or a friend’s child as a gift.
If you draw the face in the style of a certain well-known character, it becomes even cuter! The finished rabbit ends up quite small, so please fold each step carefully.
Star-shaped Pack’ncho
A regular Pakkuncho has a shape like hydrangea petals with four squares in a row, but with one extra step, this one turns into a star shape that kids love! The process is the same as a normal Pakkuncho: flip the origami over and do the “zabuton fold” twice.
Normally, after that you make a cross-shaped crease and open the pocket section to finish the Pakkuncho.
But if you want a star shape, after the second zabuton fold, unfold one of the folded corners and then open the pocket section.
Just turning it into a star will delight the kids, so give it a try!
Rocket
This is an origami rocket that really takes off.
The idea is literally to fold it into the shape of a rocket, with the key point being that the inside is hollow.
Once it’s finished, prepare a bendable straw.
Bend it into an L-shape so the mouthpiece points upward, then place the rocket over the tip.
After that, blow hard and the rocket should launch with a burst of speed.
Since you’re at it, you might draw rocket-style illustrations on it or make it using origami paper with space-themed patterns.
A flower that blooms when you water it
https://www.tiktok.com/@lemon8_japan/video/7346547802689867015How about making a cherry tree in full bloom out of origami? The method is simple, and once it’s finished, you can mist it with water to create the magical effect of the blossoms opening.
First, prepare a cherry-blossom-shaped hole punch and pink origami paper.
Use the punch to cut out flower shapes from the paper, then fold each petal inward.
Glue them onto the base cherry tree, and you’re done.
When you spray the flowers lightly with a mist, the petals open up, and you’ll have a spring-like cherry tree.
By varying which side of the paper you show when gluing, you can change how the blossoms look!