Origami is such a fun activity! It helps kids with fine motor skills as well as following directions.
It’s a pretty inexpensive activity as all you need is origami paper and you can make your own but cutting any thin paper (like copy paper you used and want to recycle) into squares. A great project to start with is this origami butterfly!
This post will teach you how to make an easy origami butterfly in just 10 steps! There are a number of ways to make an origami butterfly, but this 3D version is one that anyone can have success with.
Related: Love origami? Try making a origami flower, Origami Box (with video!), origami heart, 3 paper airplanes, or cootie catcher next.
Here is a video tutorial for how to make an origami butterfly. While there are photos and written steps below, sometimes I feel like it’s easier to understand a project like this when you can see someone making it.
Origami Butterfly Instructions
The only supply you need is origami paper or thin paper cut into a square.
- Fold in half both ways. Then unfold.
- Fold in half from corner to corner, both ways. Then unfold.
3. Collapse the right and left side into a triangle. Sometimes this is called a waterbomb base.
4. Fold the upper layer of each side toward the pointed center.
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5. Flip the entire shape over.
6. Fold the bottom point to the top edge, enough that it goes past the top edge.
7. Fold the top point over the edge.
8. Flip the entire shape back over and fold in the center.
9. Gently bend the wings out and away.
10. Enjoy your 3D origami butterfly!
Print our Origami Butterfly 10-step tutorial quick guide for reference! All the steps for this tutorial fit on one page and you can print the color version or choose to print black and white.
More Activities to Try:
- How to Make Bubble Solution
- Bouncy Egg Experiment
- How to Make Playdough
- Fluffy Slime Recipe – Cloud Slime
- Invisible Ink – 5 Ways
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Get the How-To
Supplies
- 1 origami paper
Instructions
- Fold in half both ways. Then unfold.
- Fold in half from corner to corner, both ways. Then unfold.
- Collapse the right and left side into a triangle. Sometimes this is called a waterbomb base.
- Fold the upper layer of each side toward the pointed center.
- Flip the entire shape over.
- Fold the bottom point to the top edge, enough that it goes past the top edge.
- Fold the top point over the edge.
- Flip the entire shape back over and fold in the center.
- Gently bend the wings out and away.
- Enjoy your 3D origami butterfly!
Notes
- Print our Origami Butterfly 10-step tutorial quick guide for reference.