{"title":"How to Make Origami: 5 Paper Animals for Beginners","canonicalUrl":"https://www.craftingstepbystep.com/paper-crafts/how-to-make-origami","category":{"slug":"paper-crafts","name":"Paper Crafts"},"creator":{"name":"TheDadLab","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc_-hy0u9-oKlNdMKHBudcQ","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2UiiPTC-Wc"},"tldr":"Learn how to make origami with 5 easy paper animals - whale, fox, fish, dog, and butterfly. Beginner-friendly folds perfect for an afternoon with grandkids.","totalDurationSeconds":314,"difficulty":"easy","tools":["6-inch origami paper squares (one per animal)","Bone folder (optional for crisp creases)","Fine-tip marker for drawing eyes and faces"],"materials":["5 sheets of origami paper, ideally different colors"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Set Up Your Paper and Master the Two Foundation Folds","text":"Grab a square sheet of origami paper, any color you like. Every animal in this tutorial uses the same two moves: a valley fold (paper bends toward you, forms a V) and a mountain fold (paper bends away, forms a peak). Practice both on a scrap square before you start so the creases feel natural.Sharp, crisp folds are the difference between a clean animal and a sloppy one. Run a fingernail or bone folder along each crease so it lies flat."},{"number":2,"title":"Fold the Whale","text":"Start with the paper as a diamond and fold it in half corner to corner, then unfold so you have a center crease. Bring the two side points in to meet at that crease line, then fold the whole shape in half along the crease.Lift the back point up to form the tail fluke. The rounded end becomes the whale's head. Draw a small eye with a marker once it holds its shape."},{"number":3,"title":"Fold the Fox","text":"Take a square and fold it diagonally to make a triangle. Fold the triangle in half again, point to point, then open the last fold back up. Bring the two outer corners up to meet the top point, creating two ears.Flip the shape over so the ears stand up, and the bottom triangle becomes the snout. Add eyes and a nose dot with a marker."},{"number":4,"title":"Fold the Fish","text":"Fold the square in half diagonally to make a triangle, then fold it in half again side to side. Open it back to the triangle and use the crease as a guide to tuck one corner inward, forming a kite-like shape.Pinch the back end together so a tail fin pops out. The wider front becomes the fish's body. A small eye and a curved smile finish the look."},{"number":5,"title":"Fold the Dog","text":"Begin with the paper as a diamond and fold it in half to make a triangle, with the long edge at the top. Fold the two top corners down on either side so they hang past the bottom edge, forming floppy ears.Then fold the bottom point up just a little to shape the chin. Flip it over and add a face: two eyes, a nose, and a tongue if you want."},{"number":6,"title":"Fold the Butterfly","text":"Fold the square in half both directions, then diagonally both ways, so you have a star of creases on the paper. Push the side creases inward so the paper collapses into a smaller triangle shape, called a preliminary base.Fold the top two flaps up and outward to spread the wings, then pinch the center to give the body shape. Crease the wings hard so they stand open."},{"number":7,"title":"Line Up Your Paper Animals","text":"Set all five animals side by side on a flat surface. The whale, fox, fish, dog, and butterfly each come from the same square of paper but use different fold patterns.Try the project again with patterned or two-tone origami paper for a different look, or scale up with larger sheets so younger kids can handle the folds more easily."}],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-05-20T13:35:48.473Z","published":"2026-05-18T15:47:49.108Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit ShowMeStepByStep with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure."}