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[Childcare] Let's make toys you can play with using origami!
Traditional origami play has long been popular across a wide range of ages, from young children to the elderly.
Origami helps develop dexterity and concentration, and gives kids a sense of accomplishment when they finish a piece—benefits that positively support their growth.
In this article, we’ll share several ideas for origami-made toys that will make origami time even more fun.
From nostalgic creations you probably made at least once as a child, to models with amusing motions, to surprising toys that make you say, “You can make that with paper?”—there are plenty of exciting ideas to spark joy!
Make them with your family or friends and have a blast together.
Give them a try and enjoy playing with everyone!
[Childcare] Let’s make toys you can play with using origami! (1–10)
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!
kaleidoscope
Let’s soothe ourselves with a colorful, flower-like origami toy.
Take eight parts made from two colors of origami paper and stack-and-fold them alternately.
Continue adding the remaining parts using the same pattern.
Once everything is connected, you’ll have a long, accordion-style strip.
Insert one end into the other, glue them together, and form a ring.
After it dries thoroughly, it’s complete.
If you push it from the inside to the outside, it will spin and change its appearance like a kaleidoscope—so beautiful to watch.
Try making it in different colors and shapes!
paper balloon
Let’s fold a paper balloon, one of the classic origami toys.
This traditional favorite has many steps, but if you follow them one by one, you’ll finish it successfully.
Even if you’ve wondered, “How do you make a paper balloon?” and didn’t know the method, you can make one by folding slowly and carefully.
It’s great for children and older adults alike—please give it a try.
When it’s done, gently blow into it and it will puff up softly.
You can display it, or toss it lightly and play with it.
The finished balloon is very cute, so do try making one!
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.
A toy you can wiggle and play withNEW!
Let’s make an origami piece that moves in a mysterious way as it changes shape! Prepare 36 sheets of 7.5 cm square origami paper.
We’ll make many small parts and combine them to complete the piece.
Fold the paper in half so it becomes horizontally long, then fold the two corners toward the center on the opposite side.
Turn it over, fold it so the top and bottom are reversed, open the pocket and flatten it, and one part is complete.
Spins round and round! A flying toyNEW!
It’s an easy-to-make toy that you’ll want to play with over and over.
First, fold the origami paper into a triangle, then roll it up tightly into a long, thin shape starting from the center.
That’s all there is to making it! To play, simply snap open the final folded tip and let go—the piece will shoot off with great speed.
The direction you unfold it affects how well it spins, so experiment and see what works best.
Once it has opened up, you can fold it back the same way and play again and again!
Snap camera
Do you know the “pachin camera,” a fun origami toy that snaps with a pop when its hooked tab comes loose? When you give both ends a quick tug, it releases with a satisfying snap that’s surprisingly addictive.
It’s an old-fashioned camera made of origami, but the steps aren’t complicated, so give it a try and master it.
Even without any special tools or mechanisms, the way it pops is fascinating and fun.
The trick is to fold the hooking tab a bit smaller.
Point it at the person you want to ‘photograph,’ pull the origami, and give them a satisfying snap-shot!
Spinning paper toyNEW!
You’ll definitely get hooked watching it spin around and around! First, cut a 4 cm × 15 cm sheet of origami paper lengthwise into three long strips.
Fold each strip in half at the center.
Start by crossing two strips at a right angle, then thread the remaining strip through the loop created where the first two intersect at a right angle.
Pull all the ends tight to secure them, adjust the shape, and it’s done! Just drop it, and it will spin as it falls.
Try dropping it from different heights and have fun!
Moving! Origami TongsNEW!
How about origami tongs that really pinch? This is a moving toy you can make from a single sheet of double-sided origami paper.
Fold it twice into a triangle, open it once, then fold the left and right edges along the center line.
Open it up and use the crease lines to collapse-fold.
Fold the longer edges in two places along the center line, open the hollow sections, and flatten them.
After making the folded parts into mountain folds, the tong’s mouth will open and close—your chomp-chomp origami tongs are complete.
They can actually pick up small objects, which is lots of fun.
Give it a try as a toy for your child!
Shape-shifting! Magic TriangleNEW!
Let’s make a very mysterious push-pop magic triangle out of origami that can change shape over and over again! We’ll use three colors of origami paper, so prepare your favorite colors.
Fold one sheet of origami paper twice to make a triangle, then fold the top and bottom corners in two places toward the center.
Flip it over, fold the sides toward the center line, fold the left and right corners inward, and form a parallelogram shape.
A key tip for success is to crease the square in the middle firmly along its diagonals.
Make three of these, then combine them to finish.
Thanks to its ever-transforming nature, it’s a fascinating toy you’ll want to keep touching forever.