The education system across the world has evolved over the years. Earlier, it was more about the traditional way of teaching, wherein the teacher taught a lesson and the students learned. However, in recent times, we have seen schools adopting new teaching approaches to bring novelty to learning methods. Considering the importance of art integration in education, educators now implement different strategies for art-integrated learning. They also incorporate a variety of arts and crafts into their lessons so that kids learn things in a way that is new and engaging.
As firm supporters of art-based learning, we have shared several ideas like DIY tangrams, origami butterfly, and origami hearts to engage children’s creativity and boost their art and craft skills. And today, we are happy to bring to you this post on how to make origami stars. The stars we create here are arranged as per their difficulty level. Kids can choose which ones they want to try based on their abilities and get started with some basic supplies.
DIY origami stars for kids: 4 unique styles to try out!
You will need:
- Origami papers
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Glue
- Scissors
Steps to follow:
Type 1:
1. Get yourself some origami paper. You can use any color of your choice. We have used blue paper here to make a star.
2. Fold the paper horizontally, aligning the bottom edge with the top edge of the paper.
3. Now fold the bottom right corner to form a triangle, as seen in the image above.
4. Open this fold and fold the top right corner in a similar manner. But this time, don’t form a complete crease. Instead, pinch the paper at the middle of the triangle’s longest side.
5. After opening this fold, you will see a mark right in the middle of the crease.
6. Now, pick the bottom left corner and make it meet the mark.
7. Hold this corner and fold it towards the opposite side.
8. Next, fold the bottom right corner such that it forms a triangle-shaped figure.
9. Turn both sides in the opposite direction and create a fold, as shown above.
10. Use a pencil to draw a line so that you can obtain a triangle upon cutting.
11. This is what the triangle will look like.
12. Open up the triangle to see a star shape.
13. Adjust the creases appropriately with the help of your fingers to achieve a beautiful origami star.
Type 2:
1. Take an orange origami paper.
2. Draw a line at a distance of 1.5 cm from one side of the paper.
3. Cut along this line to obtain a thin paper strip.
4. Make two more paper strips like this one and glue them together to form a long strip.
5. Now form a simple ribbon fold on one end of the strip.
6. Create a knot by pulling the smaller end outward. You will notice it will take the shape of a pentagon.
7. Cut out the excess of the shorter end using scissors and fold it close to the pentagon.
8. Now take the longer end of the paper strip and fold it over the shorter end.
9. Fold the strip multiple times, keeping the edges of the pentagon as a guide.
10. Cut the excess of the strip off but retain a small portion.
11. Tuck this end inside the pocket formed in the pentagon.
12. Give the pentagon a star shape by pinching the corners with your thumb and index finger.
13. And, you’re done!
Type 3:
1. Let’s begin with a square piece of paper. For this origami star, we used gift-wrapping paper to cut out a square.
2. Fold the paper horizontally and make a middle crease.
3. Open the paper and fold it vertically to form a vertical crease.
4. Now, turn the paper and bring the open edges to the bottom.
5. Fold the top right corner to form a triangle.
6. Open the triangle and fold the right portion of the rectangle over the left portion to obtain a square.
7. Spread out the upper portion of the square with your fingers to form a triangle.
8. Adjust the edges carefully and form sharp creases on both sides of the triangle.
9. Now flip the paper to reveal the opposite side.
10. Repeat step 7 by spreading the upper portion to form another triangle.
11. Adjust the edges and create solid creases on both sides.
12. Now pick the upper wing of the right side of the triangle and fold it till the middle crease.
13. Turn the paper and make a similar fold using the upper wing of the right side.
14. Hold the edge of the fold with one finger and pull the paper from the other side.
15. After you pull the paper completely, you will notice a kite shape being formed in the center.
16. Now hold the kite portion where its longest crease is and fold it over the crease present on its immediate left.
17. Your paper will now have a fish-like appearance.
18. Moving forward, fold the left corner of the fish and make its edge meet the middle crease of the triangle.
19. Bring the top corner of the triangle down and align it with the base.
20. Open this fold and create a corner of the star by folding the wing we created in step 18.
21. Now fold the right side of the triangle over the left side.
22. Create another corner of the star by folding the previous fold once more, as shown in the image above.
23. Sharpen the creases with your fingernails and flip the paper over to see the colorful origami star you just created!
Style 4:
1. Take a green origami paper to get started.
2. Fold the paper horizontally and make a crease.
3. Spread open the paper and fold it again vertically.
4. When you open the paper, you will notice a horizontal and a vertical crease. Rotate the paper so that it forms a diamond and not a square.
5. Next, fold the bottom corner of the paper and place it on the top corner. Spread the paper evenly and form a crease.
6. Open the diamond and fold it vertically, creating a crease once again.
7. Now, unfold the paper to see four distinct creases: one horizontal, one vertical, and two diagonal creases.
8. Hold the paper where the ends of the horizontal crease are and push the paper inward.
9. You will obtain a structure having two triangles, one on either side.
10. Press the edges properly to form neat creases on both sides of the triangle.
11. Pick the upper right wing of the triangle and turn it to the opposite side.
12. Now fold this wing once again so that its edge meets the vertical crease of the triangle.
13. Open this fold and push the wing back to its original side. You will now see a smaller triangle being formed right next to the vertical crease.
14. Here comes the tricky part. You have to fold the right wing in such a way that it forms a crease right in the middle of the triangle formed in the previous step. You can do this by pushing the open end of the wing toward the central crease while making a new one inside the small triangle.
15. To know if you got it right, open the fold and look for the new crease. It appears as shown in image 15. If you’ve done it, great! If not, keep trying.
16. After checking the crease, bring the fold back to its previous position.
17. You now have to repeat the exact same steps with the upper left wing of the large triangle. For that, first bring the left wing to the right side.
18. Fold it so that its edge meets the large triangle’s middle crease.
19. Now open this fold and make another one to make a crease in the middle of the smaller triangle formed.
20. Press the edges firmly.
21. Turn the paper to the other side.
22. 23. 24. 25. Repeat the same steps from 11 to 19 to form an arrowhead on both sides of the paper.
26. Hold the base of the arrowhead upwards to see if you have a similar structure as shown in the image. If that’s what you have, you’re on the right track!
27. Now place the paper arrowhead on the table and lift its upper right wing. Position it close to the middle of the right edge of the arrowhead.
28. Fold and position the upper left wing of the arrowhead in a similar manner.
29. Spread the central folds present under the lifted wings. Pull them enough and press them properly to obtain a small square in the center.
30. Once the square is formed, turn the paper around and admire your intricate origami star!
So, there you have it! A collection of bright and colorful origami stars. Honestly, making these paper stars was a bit challenging at first, as they involved multiple steps requiring accuracy and precision. Remembering all the steps and folding them on paper can be hard. But worry not! Practice will make you perfect. That’s the beauty of origami. The more you practice, the better you get at it.
Wrapping up
Origami stars are an engaging and enchanting activity for kids. When kids fold the last crease and see the beautiful origami stars twinkling in their hands, they get to truly admire these celestial bodies for what they are! While doing so, they also learn to work with patience and precision, which are two important qualities to have as an individual.
So, the next time your kids are bored at home or want to do something different apart from routine educational activities at school, involve them in the art of paper folding and see them make pretty origami stars in no time!
I am Priyanka Sonkushre, a writer and blogger. I am the person behind “One Loving Mama,” a mom blog. Equipped with a Bachelor’s degree along with an MBA, my healthcare background helps me deeply understand learning difficulties. I know how challenging it can be for parents to find the right resources to help their children excel in life. So, here I am to blend my healthcare expertise with my parenting experience to create valuable and helpful resources for parents and teachers supporting children with learning differences. If you wish, you can follow me on Facebook and LinkedIn.