[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!
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[Childcare] Let’s make toys you can play with using origami! (21–30)
Basketball game
Let’s make 36 of these and combine them to complete it.
The way it stretches, shrinks, and wiggles as it changes shape is sure to be addictive.
It will be fun to use lots of colors and make it colorful.
Moving! Origami Tongs
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!
It moves! A flapping bat
This is perfect for Halloween decorations or toys, with wings that flap amusingly.
First, cut the origami paper into a long rectangle and fold it in half vertically to make a crease.
Then fold both ends into triangles toward the center.
Keeping that shape, fold it in half vertically again, and fold further in the same direction to add a light crease at the center.
Next, flip it over and insert a finger at the center to make two creases.
Reinforce the creases you made earlier, and it’s done! By lightly holding the top and bottom of the center and moving them, the wings on both sides will flap.
Shape-shifting! Magic Triangle
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.
smartphone
Some children may envy the smartphones that adults use every day.
In that case, why not make one out of origami so they can feel like they’re using a smartphone at preschool? Fold a sheet of origami paper in half and open it, then fold about 5 mm of each of the opposing edges, and fold them in toward the center crease.
Continue folding while making small cuts so it takes on a long, smartphone-like shape, then attach a screen piece made from another sheet of origami to finish.
Write the time on the screen or draw your favorite pictures and enjoy making your very own smartphone!
Tonton Sumo
The first one to topple after tapping the ring loses! Known as paper sumo, Ton-ton Sumo has long been a beloved game among Japanese children.
You can enjoy it with wrestlers made by drawing on construction paper or cardstock and folding them in half, but making them with origami is also recommended! After creasing along the diagonals, fold each corner to the center, then fold the corners in to the center again.
Flip it over and continue folding; finally, fold it vertically in half and adjust so it stands—your origami wrestler is complete.
Let’s tap and play inside a ring made from cardboard or within a taped-off square on a table using masking tape!
stacking boxes
Let’s make a stacking set of boxes, where cute little boxes keep appearing from inside the larger one! Prepare origami paper in various sizes, such as 15 cm, 13 cm, and 11 cm per side.
For the box bases, use paper that is 0.5 cm shorter on each side than the paper used for the lids.
Fold each piece into a box shape, and nest the smaller boxes inside the larger ones to complete it! To make the moment of opening more fun, try drawing different expressions on each lid or sketching your favorite characters.
It could also be interesting to have a new message appear each time you open a box.