[Childcare] Today’s Fun Origami Play
When you have a little spare time or are waiting around, you sometimes pass the time with quizzes or games so the kids don’t get bored, right?
But since both of those can get pretty lively, they’re not ideal when you need to wait quietly.
That’s why I recommend this article: today’s origami activity.
Origami is easy to carry without taking up space, and kids can play quietly while staying focused.
This article is updated daily, so be sure to bookmark it and put it to use in your childcare setting!
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[Childcare] Today's Fun Origami Play (11–20)
Making a bento with origami
When the weather gets warmer, we tend to spend more time outdoors for things like field trips and picnics.
Time spent outside can be a special experience for children, different from life indoors.
One of the highlights of outings like field trips and picnics is the packed lunch, don’t you think? So here’s an introduction to making a bento using crumpled origami.
Use tissue paper to make rice balls (onigiri), and crumpled origami to make side dishes like fried chicken, broccoli, and rolled omelet.
Pack them into containers and colorful food cups sold at 100-yen shops, and your bento is complete.
A key tip is to tear black origami and stick it on as the seaweed for the onigiri.
Grandparents’ Day Portrait Origami
This portrait origami is perfect for making crafts for Respect for the Aged Day in September.
Try creating designs inspired by grandpa’s and grandma’s faces! It also makes a great handmade present from children to their grandparents, so why not introduce it in childcare settings? The trickiest part when making the face is the ears.
Since they require some fine folding, take your time and make firm creases.
You can also tear a separate sheet of origami paper and paste it on for the hairstyle.
Finish by drawing in the facial features, and you’re done.
If you’re unsure what to make for Respect for the Aged Day, this easy, approachable portrait origami is highly recommended.
rabbit
Speaking of September, it’s moon-viewing season, so here’s an origami rabbit that’s perfect for crafting toward the Harvest Moon! The steps are simple: make the rabbit’s head and body separately, then attach them at the end.
Beginners can try it with help from a teacher.
These cute rabbits also make great wall decorations! If you add autumn motifs like the moon, rice dumplings, and pampas grass, you’ll feel the season even more.
Teachers, please enjoy folding origami together and deepen your bonds with the children!
ghost
Speaking of summer, ghost stories that give you a cool chill are one of the seasonal traditions.
Many children also enjoy haunted houses at festival stalls.
With that in mind, here’s an origami ghost to introduce.
You only need a single sheet of origami paper, yet it captures the ghost’s shape nicely.
Add eyes and a mouth to finish it off.
It has a cute, picture-book-like feel, so even children who don’t like scary things can enjoy making it.
You can use any color you like, but light blue feels the most fitting.
For make-believe festivals! Goldfish scooping
Let’s make origami goldfish you can use for a goldfish fishing game.
First, fold the origami paper into a square twice, then unfold it once.
Fold both sides toward the center crease.
Open what you folded, then fold the paper in half so it becomes a square again.
Draw the goldfish’s tail along the crease and cut it out, but don’t cut it off—leave about 5 mm at the edge.
Using the creases, form a triangular prism, then fold the tail section up and out.
Add round stickers for the eyes, and it’s done.
To fish them, cut and open a straw to make a fishing rod, and try hooking it into the hole in the goldfish.
paper lantern
Many children are probably looking forward to the summer festival.
As an idea to boost the festive mood, I’d like to introduce lantern origami.
In this project, you make the lantern part by shaping your favorite color of origami paper into a circle and then recreate the look by combining it with a frame made from black origami paper.
It looks lovely as is, but you can also write characters on the lantern and use it as a wall decoration for events.
You can draw illustrations to make it cute, or draw a face and turn it into a lantern ghost, too.
[Childcare] Today’s Fun Origami Play (21–30)
fireworks
Fireworks are a quintessential symbol of summer.
Their vibrant colors instantly brighten up any space! Here, we’ll introduce paper fireworks made with origami—perfect for decorating children’s rooms or the walls of nurseries and kindergartens.
Just fold the origami and cut it into firework patterns.
Simply changing the way you cut creates fireworks with many different looks, so feel free to snip away however you like.
It’s exciting to see what kind of firework appears when you unfold the paper! When displaying them on a wall, using a different colored sheet of origami as the background can make them look even more festive.