Make October Even More Fun for Preschoolers! A Collection of Origami Ideas
In October, when we can feel autumn’s arrival, children’s activities also take on the colors of the season.
Origami, which can express colorful fallen leaves and the bounty of autumn, is a fun activity that suits the developmental stage of younger children.
So, in this piece, we’ll introduce a variety of autumn-themed origami ideas.
You’ll find tips that are easy for nursery and kindergarten teachers to use and enjoy together with the children.
Try expanding an autumn world made of origami with your kids!
Make October even more fun for preschoolers! A collection of origami ideas (1–10)
It moves! A flapping batNEW!
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.
Autumn leaves that can be made from age 3
Open the paper after folding it into a triangle, place it so the crease runs horizontally, and fold the two left edges to meet the crease.
Rotate the paper so the newly made point is at the bottom, then turn it over.
Fold it in half by bringing the top and bottom points together, turn it over again, and squash the pocketed section into a triangle while folding it to overlap the shape below.
Fold up the lower front and back corners to sandwich the top triangle you just squashed, then open the corners of that sandwiched triangle to both sides to form the maple leaf.
Fold down the large triangle on the front, then squash-fold the left and right corners to create the leaf stem, and you’re done.
How to fold a 3D persimmon that even 3-year-olds can make!
Let’s make this idea using double-sided origami paper in orange and green.
The steps up to opening the paper into a diamond—folding the paper into a triangle twice, squashing it into a square, and opening it—are the same as for a crane.
From there, fold the diamond by layering its flaps, then fold the corner that will become the center of the model inward to create a crease.
Fold the bottom corner up to meet that crease, and then, imagining you’re forming a box, repeat the same folds for the remaining three sides.
Unfold the corners you folded down once, make a slit along the horizontal crease, fold it back to the reverse side, and switch the color to green.
This will be the stem.
The center portion will be the fruit, so shape it so it looks plump.
Chestnuts you can try from age 3
After folding the origami squarely in half, open it up.
With the colored side facing up, fold the bottom edge up to meet the crease.
Turn the paper over and fold the top two corners in toward the center.
Fold the bottom two corners inward to make triangles, then fold the new left and right corners even farther inward.
Turn the origami back to the front—and your chestnut is complete! Finish it by coloring the white part with crayons or drawing a face on the colored part.
If you make a second one with smaller origami paper, you might end up with a parent-and-child pair of chestnuts!
Easy and cute Halloween ghost
After folding the paper in half into a triangle twice to make creases, open it and place the origami so the creases form a cross.
Fold the bottom corner up to the center to make a crease, then fold the top corner down to align with that crease.
Fold the left and right corners to the center line to crease them, then unfold.
Make step folds so the creases you just made overlap with the center line, open the pocketed parts, and squash-fold them into triangles.
These will be the ghost’s hands.
Fold both top corners into small triangles to round the ghost’s head, then fold the left and right edges of the bottom corner to the center line to form the tail.
Turn the paper over, fold both hands inward, and fold the tail up at an angle.
It’s complete.
Easy way to make mushrooms
After making two folds into a square to create creases, open it with the white side facing up, and fold the bottom left and right corners to meet at the center.
Turn the paper over, fold the top edge down to align with the center line, then flip the paper upside down and turn it over again.
Fold the left and right edges to the center line, then fold the bottom edge up to overlap the top corner in half.
Make a mountain fold along the center to fold it down.
Squash-fold the left and right sections of the stepped part into triangles to form the mushroom cap and stem.
Finally, tuck in the corners to refine the shape and you’re done.
Add patterns with a pen to make it your own unique mushroom!
Cute Halloween candy
After folding the origami paper in half into a triangle twice to make creases, open it up and fold the top and bottom corners in to meet at the center.
Next, fold the bases of the two triangles you created in toward the center line.
Fold the left and right corners inward to make the origami a rectangle, then make stepped folds on the left and right sides.
Flatten the upper and lower parts of those stepped sections into triangles to form a candy shape.
If you fold the corners of the square in the middle to round them, it will look even more like candy.
Add patterns or decorate with stickers to finish it nicely.