For New Year’s! A collection of fun origami ideas to make, decorate, and play with in childcare

Origami spinning tops you can play with during the New Year!

Here’s an origami spinning top idea you can make once you know the “zabuton fold.” You’ll use two sheets of origami paper, so prepare your favorite colors.

First, let’s fold the first sheet.

Do a zabuton fold by bringing all four corners to the center, then repeat that same fold two more times.

For the second sheet, also do the zabuton fold three times, but flip the paper over after each fold.

After the third zabuton fold, flip the paper over and open out the corners that are gathered at the center to the outside.

This will be the body of the spinning top; the first sheet will be the handle.

For the handle, squash the areas between the corners so the center stands up, then insert it inside the body of the spinning top, aligning the corners as you go.

Now your top is complete—use the handle to spin it and have fun!

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Plum blossom you can make with a single sheet

[New Year Origami] Easy and cute plum blossom made with one sheet of origami / How to fold origami plum blossoms

Let’s make plum blossoms that are perfect for the New Year.

Make sure to fold the creases firmly.

When creating the petals, the key is to cut a slit about halfway with scissors.

To round off the petal corners and form the shape of a plum blossom, tuck in the pointy edges.

Finally, color the center with a Posca marker to finish.

Try making plum blossoms in a variety of colors like white, red, and pink.

You’ll feel the seasonal atmosphere, and it will also serve as good fine-motor exercise for your fingers.

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Easy and cute Daruma origami

[ New Year Origami ] Easy and Cute Daruma Folding Method | Origami Daruma

As we welcome the New Year, let’s make the perfect daruma for setting our goals.

First, crease the origami paper in half vertically and horizontally.

Fold along the creases to shape the outline of the daruma.

Since it’s a daruma, the key is to round the corners for a softer, curved shape.

For the body, decide the width while adjusting the overall balance.

Once you draw the daruma’s facial features—eyes, mustache, and eyebrows—it’s complete.

If you use different colors of origami paper, you can create various types of daruma; lining them up might look festive and be a lot of fun.

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Easy and cute! Lion dance origami

[New Year Origami] Easy and Cute Lion Dance Origami / Winter Origami – Origami Lion Dance

In this idea, you use two sheets of origami paper to make a horse by separating it into the head and the body.

The head is made with steps similar to folding a kabuto (samurai helmet) at first.

First, fold the paper into a triangle, then fold both corners up to meet the top corner.

Next, flip the paper top-to-bottom, and again fold the left and right corners up to meet the top corner.

Slightly fold back the parts you just folded to the outside to form the ears, then turn the paper over.

Make the nose by making a roll fold with the top layer of the bottom corner, and fold the top corner down to create the mane.

Turn the paper over again, tuck the left and right corners inward to refine the outline, and finish the head.

The body follows steps similar to making a trick boat (damashibune).

Fold the left-right and top-bottom edges to the center to form a square, then open the pocket sections to create two boats.

Use the corners of these boats to represent the legs and the tail.

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How to Make Easy and Stylish Pochi-bukuro (Small Gift Envelopes)

[Origami] Easy and stylish money envelope tutorial 🧧 A New Year’s otoshidama pouch that fits bills perfectly 🎍

Here’s an idea for making a small money envelope (pochibukuro) out of origami.

It uses simple steps, so try it with your favorite Japanese-patterned paper.

First, place the origami with the white side facing up and fold it in half diagonally to make a triangle, aligning the top and bottom corners.

Next, fold the top corner of the triangle down to meet the center of the base.

Lift the top layer of the upside-down triangle you just created and tuck it between the layers of paper.

Then fold down about 1 centimeter along the base of the remaining bottom triangle.

Create a decorative touch by making a diagonal step fold at the top corner of the triangle, then fold the left and right corners to the back to shape it into a pochibukuro.

You’re done!

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Easy! Japanese-style Ema (wish plaque) Origami

[Easy] How to Make a Japanese-Style Ema Plaque [100-Yen Origami] New Year’s Decoration, Wall Decor — with Voice Commentary!

Let’s make an ema (a wooden plaque for writing messages) using origami, so you can actually write a message on it.

First, cut the Japanese-style origami paper into the shape of an ema and stick it onto a colored cardstock of your choice.

Cut the cardstock about 5 mm outside the edge of the Japanese-style origami, then attach a piece of paper in the center for writing your message.

Next, make the ema’s cord and knot with Japanese-style origami, glue them onto the base, and you’re done! You can use a template when cutting the origami into the ema shape, but this guide shows an easy method to create the ema shape with just three folds, so feel free to use it as a reference.

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Easy! Mount Fuji Origami

New Year’s origami: Easy Mount Fuji origami [with audio commentary]

Here’s an idea inspired by Mt.

Fuji, a well-known New Year’s good-luck motif.

It’s easy to make with simple steps, so feel free to use it as a decorative accent on your crafts or as a wall display piece.

First, place the origami paper with the white side facing up and fold it in half into a triangle, aligning the top and bottom corners.

Next, lift the top corner of the upper layer and fold it down to meet the base.

Then fold the corners up to align with the base of the triangle, and open it back up after creasing.

Fold again so that the base of the triangle lines up with the crease, and fold the corner down once more along the crease.

Fold the corner up again along the crease, then tuck the top corner of the remaining white triangle at the top to the back—and you’re done! You’ve made a lovely Mt.

Fuji topped with snow.

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