Dive into the world of paper crafting with a super cute origami fish. This origami angelfish is the perfect way to introduce kids to the art of paper folding!
All you need is a square piece of paper and a few simple supplies. So choose your favourite colour and use our easy step-by-step tutorial to create an adorable paper fish in 5 minute or less!
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How to Make an Origami Fish
Materials:
- Origami paper (colour of choice)
- Black fine tip marker (or other colour)
Watch the step-by-step video tutorial:
Instructions:
- Gather your supplies and materials.
- Cut a piece of origami paper in 4 equal pieces. You only need one of the squares to make your fish, so set the other 3 pieces aside.
- Place your 3 x 3 inch piece of paper in front of you like a diamond, with the back side of the paper facing up.
- Fold the bottom corner of the paper up to the top, creating a triangle.
- Unfold the paper and rotate it 90 degrees.
- Fold the bottom corner of the paper up to the top.
- Open the paper and flip it over so you see the front. Place the paper down in front of you like a square.
- Fold the bottom edge of the paper up to the top, creating a long rectangle.
- Unfold the paper and flip it over again so you see the back of the paper.
- Push the center edges of the paper in and down towards you.
- Push the other side of the paper in, collapsing it into a triangle.
- Rotate the paper so that the long edge is on the right.
- Fold the first layer of the bottom flap up. Angle it out to the side so that the “fin” forms around the middle right.
- Repeat with the first layer of the top flap, folding it down along the line created by the last fold.
- Flip the paper over and you have your fish!
- Optional: Use a marker to draw an eye and pattern on your fish. You can make scales, polka dots, squiggly lines, or whatever you’d like.
- Your origami fish is complete!
Helpful Tips:
- Use different colours of marker to draw a fun design on your fish!
- You can create a cute diorama or shadow box with your fish. Draw bubbles on a blue bristol board and create little coral reefs from pipe cleaners. Then have fun with pretend play, or use the fishies as props for a puppet show or storytime!
What type of paper is best for making origami fish?
Origami paper made specifically for paper folding is the best, of course, since it’s very thin and easy to work with. But you can use any type of thin paper (20 lb weight and below). Magazine pages, newsprint, and wrapping paper also work well!
What size of paper is needed to make an origami fish?
You can use any size of square paper to make an origami angelfish. We like the look of the smaller 3 inch fish (which we made in the tutorial above), but you can also make teeny fish from 1 or 2 inch squares.
We also made a few larger fish from 4 inch squares. You can even go larger than that (using a full square of paper), but we think they look a lot cuter at a smaller size!
How can I keep my origami fish flat?
Unfold your fish and add glue stick or glue tape to the inside front. Then smooth down the fold, connecting the two sides of paper. Continue to re-fold the fish and add more glue tape to the fins as you go. Now your fishy will lay nice and flat!
This origami fish is perfect for kids and beginners to paper folding! It’s really quick and easy to make, and these charming little fish can be made in any size and colour you’d like!
Here’s even more fun paper folding ideas:
Our book Low-Mess Crafts for Kids is loaded with 72 fun and simple craft ideas for kids! The projects are fun, easy and most importantly low-mess, so the clean up is simple!
Where to buy:
You can purchase Low-Mess Crafts for Kids from Amazon, or wherever books are sold:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books-A-Million | Indiebound | Amazon Canada
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