[For 4–5 year olds] A collection of recommended origami ideas for March—featuring seasonal events and natural motifs
From April, the Year-Middle class will become the oldest big brothers and sisters in the kindergarten.
They’re probably feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness as they look forward with anticipation and a bit of anxiety.
For these Year-Middle children who have grown so much in both mind and body over the past year, the article I’d like to introduce this time is about March origami.
We’re sharing lots of ideas that evoke spring, but consider the origami folded in April, right after they move up to the Year-Middle class, and the origami folded in March, about a year later.
When you compare them, you can really sense each child’s growth—being able to fold finer details, or progressing through the steps on their own.
Teachers, please try folding together with the children, and enjoy feeling their growth along the way.
- [Kindergarten (older class)] What kind of season is March? Let’s make events and natural objects with origami!
- [Origami] Easy spring-themed origami ideas to enjoy with 4-year-olds
- [For 4-5-year-olds] Folding is fun! A collection of January origami ideas to enjoy with preschoolers
- [Childcare] Recommended crafts and activities for March, such as Hina Matsuri (Doll’s Festival) and cherry blossoms
- [Origami] Simple Origami Ideas to Feel the Spring with 3-Year-Olds
- For older kindergarteners: Let’s make it! A collection of recommended origami ideas for February
- [For preschoolers] A collection of origami ideas to enjoy February, including Setsubun and Valentine’s Day
- [For 3-year-olds] Let’s make strawberries with origami! A collection of easy strawberry folding ideas
- Origami perfect for April! A collection of ideas recommended for preschoolers (around age 4–5)
- Recommended for preschoolers! A collection of origami ideas perfect for April
- [Childcare] Recommended for March! A Collection of Craft Ideas to Enjoy with 4-Year-Olds
- Origami ideas perfect for April that will captivate older kindergarteners!
- [Childcare] Perfect for March! A collection of craft ideas recommended for 5-year-olds
[Age 4–5] A collection of recommended origami ideas to make in March—events and nature themes (21–30)
Cherry blossom message cardNEW!
Why not add a congratulatory message like “Congratulations” or “Nice to meet you” for the new friends joining the class and give it as a gift? Start by folding the origami in half into a triangle twice, then fold it into a shape like a slender flower bouquet.
Next, cut it into a shape inspired by cherry blossom petals and open it once.
You’ll finish it so it can open and close, so create the necessary creases for that.
It’s complete when you align it so that the cherry blossom shape formed in the center becomes the closure.
Write your message in the area that opens at this part.
Fun to make! How to fold a cherry blossom boxNEW!
Here’s how to fold a cherry blossom box that’s perfect for holding small items.
Its plump, cute shape is sure to delight older kindergarteners.
Cut pink origami paper into quarters with scissors to make triangles, creating four small pieces, then use red origami paper to make the base of the box.
The process is similar to making a flower medal, so it should be easy for children to fold.
Once the base is done, combine it with the four pieces you made earlier.
Fold each center section outward and tuck it into the gaps between the petal parts.
Open out the bottom three-dimensionally to form the box, and it’s complete.
Try making your own cherry blossoms in your favorite colors.
3D Easy Origami ButterflyNEW!
Let’s try making an origami butterfly that signals the arrival of spring.
There’s a squash fold step, but basically you just fold along the creases and edges and you’ll be done! First, crease the paper so that triangles form on both sides by folding it diagonally.
Then fold both corners on one side up to meet the top corner.
Once folded, fold back along the creases you just made.
Flip the paper over, fold the top corner down to meet the bottom edge, and then fold it in half left to right.
Next, fold so that the crease from the earlier fold-back step lines up with the crease from the halving step.
You should now have a butterfly shape, so squash-fold the tips of the wings to round them, and you’re done.
Add antennae to finish it off.
A cute bush warbler you can carry on your back!NEW!
Here’s an idea for a display where you can place another origami creation, like an animal, on its back.
First, fold the paper in half into a triangle twice, then open it once.
Fold both ends up toward the crease that formed in the center.
Next, turn it over and fold up the open section, then fold up the previously folded section in the same direction.
Open one of the parts you folded later to form a small square, then make a beak to create the bush warbler’s face.
Fold back the large flaring section and shape it to form the bush warbler’s belly.
Fold in the extra corners to make the wings, glue any parts that tend to open, and you’re done.
Add the bush warbler’s eyes with round stickers or by drawing them with a pen.
Place your other origami creations on the wing section!
Cute way to fold rapeseed blossomsNEW!
Let’s brighten up your room by making canola flowers that will lift your spirits just by looking at them! Prepare one sheet of standard-size yellow origami, three sheets of yellow origami each at one-quarter of the standard size, and one sheet of green origami that’s half the size of a standard sheet.
All of the yellow sheets, regardless of size, will be used for the flower portions of the canola blossoms.
To represent the canola’s delicate petals, fold each into fine small squares and similar shapes.
Cut the green origami in half; then cut one of those halves in half again, and then cut one of the resulting pieces in half once more, to make a total of four parts.
Use these to create the stems and leaves, and combine them with the flowers you made earlier to complete the piece!
A fun-to-play roly-poly flowerNEW!
A curious piece of origami where a flower dropped upside down springs right back up.
It’s an idea that older kindergarteners bursting with curiosity are sure to love! First, fold the origami paper in half horizontally, then fold it halfway toward the crease, and again halfway… adding lots of crease lines.
After folding the four corners toward the center, keep folding along the creases.
It may seem a bit complicated, but once you understand the steps, it’s actually easy.
Try it while playing the video in slow motion.
It’s a delightful pop-up flower you’ll want to drop again and again.
Easy! Recommended in spring: How to fold a horsetail (origami)NEW!
Let’s try making spring-like horsetail (tsukushi) with origami.
For this model, cut a 15 cm sheet of origami into thirds, so you can make three stems from one sheet! First, place the origami horizontally and fold it in half by bringing the left and right edges together.
Open it after creasing, then with the colored side facing up, fold the right edge to the crease.
Flip the paper over, fold the top and bottom edges inward, and make it into thirds.
Next, make a pleated fold (accordion fold) along the boundary where the color changes, and do the same pleated fold in the middle of the colored section.
Then fold the top and bottom edges of the colored section inward to make it narrower, and round the four corners of the white section by folding them in.
Draw patterns with a pen, and your tsukushi is complete!