What is origami?
Origami is Japanese and literally means "folding paper". This means that you take a piece of paper and fold it into an animal, a flower or something else fun. It often happens that you fold it wrong or miss a step - origami is an activity that requires patience! This also makes it a perfect exercise in concentration, as it requires studying the instructions carefully and taking your time. But when you're done and have achieved your figure, all the hard work is worth it. What's more, the more you practice, the better you get; if you miss a step, you can just start again and again. Origami is a fun activity activity for children to do together with their nanny.
What you need to fold origami
Folding origami doesn't require a lot of materials. All you really need is paper and possibly scissors, which you often already have at home. The thinner the paper, the easier it is to fold. For example, copy paper is excellent for this activity. The very first step in origami is to make sure you have the right shape of paper. The paper should be square, and if you're using A4 paper, fold one corner down diagonally into a right-angled triangle and cut off the remaining paper. Unfold the paper and you will have a perfect square. One tip is to use coloured pencils to colour the finished figures and to draw details. Below are some simple step-by-step instructions for folding origami.
6 simple origami figures
1. The heart
An easy way to start is to fold a heart - in just a few steps!
2. tulip
A simple and beautiful tulip:
3. glass
And why not an ice cream?
4. Dog
Folding a dog is a bit trickier:
5. bats
This variation can also be a bit tricky. Make sure you understand all the steps in the instructions before you start folding.
6. crane
The crane is probably the most well-known origami variation. It is difficult to fold, so start with the crane when you are familiar with origami and want a challenge.
Can't get enough of origami? Neither can we! Find more pictures and examples here.
