Simple origami helps children be creative and occupied quietly for hours. This activity is especially helpful on family trips and has many uses. For more ideas to help young children and their families see grandparentsteachtoo.org or wnmufm.org for books and pod casts.
Paper, colored pencils, crayons, scissors, and tape
What to do
Almost any figure can be made from this simple shape. Adults can do the folding for very young children so they can concentrate on creating and coloring.
Show children how to fold a piece of 8½-by-11-inch paper into thirds as though preparing a business letter to mail. You will now have a folded paper about 3½ by 8½ inches.
To make the face for creatures, hold the folded paper so the 8½-inch side is vertical. Fold it over about 2½ inches toward you and crease.
Last step: fold back the corners of the face to they are more in the shape of a face rather than a square with sharp points.
Now the possibilities are endless. Pure origami has no cutting or tape, but this is modified origami. Children can create any animals, humans, characters, or robots with a face and body. Some children like to tape on crowns, headgear or arms and legs to dangle. Others like to draw them on the origami.
What do your children like? Do they like super heroes, Star Wars figures? Would they like to draw babies or princesses and dress them up? Do they like making animals? Would they like drawing football or hockey players in uniforms with logos? Do they have favorite book or movie characters? This shape can be turned into almost any creature. One family reports their children now have a collection of thirty Star Wars figures plus ships, weapons, background scenery and seven various-sized Yodas for puppet plays. They are even taking orders for classmates.
Adults can tape sheets of paper together for giant figures or fold rectangular notepads to create mini creatures. How small can they be?
Puppets and reading
Children can put on puppet plays of books and movies.
A table makes a perfect stage. Children sit under a table and put on a performance on the tabletop edge. The origami shape can be trees and houses for scenery and props when they are puffed up or taped to cups.
Origami puppet supplies are great for traveling. They take up little room and have many creative variations.
Talk, read, and create with children. They learn vocabulary for reading from you. It is the difference between starting kindergarten with 20,000 vocabulary words or only 3,000 words.