Origami for Kids
At 8 years old, a child who is familiar with origami can follow origami instructions independently. He may need help at the challenging steps so be sure that you are available when he needs you.
Photo: swans by 4th graders, L. Surber. Read more about this kind of paper folding here.
If you are an educator and want to teach origami for kids, consider the age guidelines below.
- Kindergartners: you can teach 2 or 3 cooperative kindergartners at the same time. Choose very simple models that produce recognizable models such as animals.
- First Graders: it is most effective to teach in small groups of 4 or 5 children. You can teach the entire class at the same time, but you must be flexible and understand that some kids will not follow instructions and end up with their own creations. Again, choose easy models first, and if the class is receptive to this art form, then progress to harder models.
- Second Graders: by second grade, you can definately teach the entire class at the same time. Show them how the finished model will look like so that they have an incentive to follow along in the folding sequence.
- Third Graders and up: at this age, you can teach beyond the traditional origami models. Modular origami is great for teaching math and dollar-bill origami is great to make as presents for Father’s Day
- Tips for a Successful and rewarding folding experience,
- Origami Basics, learn about symbols and bases
- Origami for Kids: Easy Models
See more fun paper crafts here:
- Kirigami for Kids
- Holiday Crafts for Kids
- Valentine’s Day Paper Crafts
- St Patrick’s Day Paper Crafts
- Easter Paper Crafts
- Weaving Crafts for Kids
- weave Paper Baskets
- Make a Weaved Fish
- Make a Weaved Place Mat
- Make a Zig-zag Weaved Mat
- Summer Fun Paper Crafts for Kids
- Make a Kids Kite
- Make a Toothpick Flag
- Make a Whirligig
- follow along classroom projects
Picture Books and Origami
Children love origami. Changing a boring, flat piece of paper into a recognizable 3-dimensional shape is like magic! Indeed, some magicials have wow’ed their audiences with origami. Children have great imaginations: they have not yet learned the limitations of the physical universe. Why not have a paper crane come alive and fly away on an adventure? Janet Hamilton has an extensive list of origami-related children’s picture-books (see list 1 and list 2).
Origami Picture Story Books
- The Origami Master by Lachenmeyer and Sogabe
- Butterflies for Kiri by Cathryn Falwell
- Pink Paper Swans by Virginia L. Kroll
- Yoko’s Paper Cranes by Rosemary Wells
- Little Oh by Laura Krauss Melmed, Jim LaMarche
- Fold Me a Poem by O’Connell George & Stringer
- see more book reviews
