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A paper spinner is a fidget toy you fold from one square of paper. No glue, no tape, no bearings. Hold it lightly by the top and bottom, blow on the side, and it whirls. This version follows Easy Origami and Crafts on YouTube, and the channel credits the design to a model by Seo Won Seon in the book Pure Origami. It is a good rainy-day project for kids, and a calming one for grown-ups too.
Start with a 15 cm (6 inch) square of origami paper. It is thin enough to fold through many layers and crisp enough to hold the shape. Printer paper works once you cut it square, but the finished spinner is thicker and a bit stiff. Bigger paper makes a bigger, slower spinner that is easier for small hands to fold. Kami, the standard colored origami paper, is cheap and comes in packs of dozens.
Almost every step in this model refers back to creases you made earlier. A soft crease makes the collapse fight you. Run a thumbnail or a bone folder along each fold, and line the corners up before you press. If the base will not close flat, unfold and re-crease the lines it is resisting.
Children around eight and up can fold the base on their own. The locking folds in the second half are fiddly, so plan to help there. For younger kids, fold the base ahead of time and let them finish the arms and petals. Then hold a spinning contest.
Fold a few in different colors and sizes. A small one from a 7.5 cm square spins fast, and a large one from 20 cm paper turns slow and steady. Two-sided paper shows a second color on the petals. A handful in a party bag makes a cheap, screen-free favor.
Once your spinner whirls, fold a classic paper pinwheel to compare. Then try a jumping origami frog, a handy origami box or the traditional origami crane.
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Fold a paper spinner from one square of origami paper, no glue or bearings. A medium project: about 15 minutes. You need 2 things, including 15 cm square origami paper and bone folder. The 10 steps start with fold the Paper Spinner Square on Both Diagonals, fold Each Corner of the Paper Spinner to the Center, crease the Paper Spinner Into Vertical Fourths, crease the Paper Spinner Into Horizontal Fourths and collapse the Paper Spinner Into a Pinwheel Base.
10 steps, about 8 minutes. Tap a picture to jump to that step. Your progress saves automatically.
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Lay a 15 cm square of origami paper colored side down. Bring one corner across to the opposite corner to make a triangle, line up the edges, and crease firmly. Unfold. Fold the other two corners together the same way and unfold again. You now have an X of creases running corner to corner. Every later fold lines up with these, so make them sharp.
Run a thumbnail along each crease to set it.
Using the X as a guide, fold the top right corner in so its tip touches the center point. Crease it well. Fold the other three corners in the same way, one at a time. The paper becomes a smaller square turned on its point. Now unfold all four corners. You only need the creases they leave behind.
Accurate corners here make the collapse much easier later.
Turn the paper over. Fold it in half from side to side, crease and unfold. Then bring the right edge in to meet that center crease, press it flat and unfold. Do the same with the left edge. The square is now divided into four equal vertical strips. Keep each fold lined up with the edges so the strips come out even.
Crease these folds firmly. They become the pinwheel walls.
Repeat the same three folds the other way. Fold the square in half from top to bottom, crease and unfold. Bring the bottom edge to the center crease, then the top edge, creasing and unfolding each time. When you lay it flat, the paper shows a grid of four by four squares plus the diagonals from the start.
Press the creases with both hands to flatten the grid.
Pinch each corner closed along its small diagonal crease, so the corners stand up a little. This makes the next move easier. Now push all four sides in toward the center along the fourths creases. The paper closes into a flat square with four flaps. Leave one flap pointing in each direction, like a pinwheel. That is your base.
Square up the edges and press the base flat before moving on.
Turn the base over and rotate it so a flap points up. Fold the small square at the top in to the middle, crease it well and unfold. Repeat with the other three small squares around the base. Then fold only the right corner in and unfold it. These creases guide the triangle you form in the next step.
Pay close attention to which corner you fold. The next step uses it.
Lower the right corner you creased last and close that side along the existing line. The middle of the paper turns into a triangle. Flip it over. On the back there is one remaining layer. Open it using the creases you already made and press it down to form the same triangle on this side. The spinner now has three arms.
Go slowly. This is the trickiest move in the model.
Look for the extra paper sticking out beside one arm. Instead of gluing it, fold it along a diagonal so it tucks against the arm and locks that part in place. Press it hard. Repeat the same lock on the other two arms. When all three are done, the spinner holds its shape on its own without any glue.
A dot of glue is fine if a lock keeps springing open.
Take the corner at the tip of one arm and fold it down so it runs straight along the edge of the center triangle. Crease it firmly, then unfold. Do the same on the other two arms. These new creases set up the petals that make the spinner turn. Hold the center steady with your other hand while you fold.
Keep all three folds the same size so the spinner stays balanced.
Using the creases from the last step, open the tip of each arm into a small curved petal. The petals catch air the way sails do. Shape all three the same. Now hold the spinner lightly at the center, top and bottom, and blow across one side. It whirls. You can also flick an arm with a finger for a quick spin.
Pinch as lightly as you can. A tight grip stops the spin.
Keep going
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How to Make a Paper Spinner: Easy Origami Fidget Spinner
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