Easy Origami Crafts for Kids to Do

"By the 1800s, kindergarten-aged children in Europe and Japan were learning paper folding," according to PBS's website for Vanessa Gould's 2009 film, "Between the Folds." Although many origami creations are complex, many are quite simple. Children are able to create a variety of origami crafts, including a simple hat, boat and dog, and learn shapes and early math skills on the way.

  1. Origami Hat

    • Origami-fun, a website of origami diagrams, suggests that using a large sheet of paper, or the classic double-wide newspaper sheet, allows your child to wear the finished artwork. Fold the paper in half along the long side. Unfold, and fold in half the opposite way. Bend the corners on the folded edge in to the middle crease and crease. Take one side of the free long edge and fold it up to touch the bottom of the previously folded triangles, then fold it up over the triangles. Complete this step on the other side of the hat. Open the hat between the folded long sides, and shape it to fit your child's head.

    Origami Boat

    • Use half a square piece of paper, cut corner-to-corner to make two triangles. Lay one aside for a second project. Place the other triangle in front of you, with the point of the triangle on top. If using paper that is colored on one side, place the white side facing up. Fold the triangle in half, crease the paper and then open it. Fold the top corner down to touch the bottom edge of the triangle on the crease line. Fold each bottom corner of the triangle up so it sticks up above the middle and the two halves of the bottom edge meet there. The paper should now look like a diamond. Fold the bottom corner up to just the middle of the diamond, and flip the paper over to see your finished boat.

    Origami Dog

    • Although it looks impressive, this dog's face is one of the simplest origami projects. Start with a square piece of paper. If using paper that is colored on just one side, have the white side facing up. Fold the paper in half, corner to corner, to make a triangle. Hold the paper so the folded edge is on the top, with the open point at the bottom. Take each top corner and pull it down to make more triangles that will be the dog's ears. You can make the triangles big or small, depending on the ears you like. After folding the ears down, lift just one side of the bottom point and crease it where it looks good to you to make the dog's nose. If desired, use markers or crayons to give your dog eyes, a nose and a mouth.

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